From Green Bay to Arizona

Today, Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner announced his retirement from the NFL. And the NFL is better for having him among their ranks for a dozen years. But the road to this point was long. Very long.

Warner was an undrafted rookie free agent in camp with the Green Bay Packers. The quarterbacks coach at the time was Steve Mariucci. He saw that Warner had potential, but Mooch also saw the Warner wasn't quite ready for the NFL. That was all Kurt needed to hear. His journey in the world of football was just beginning.

The next stop, and maybe his most famous, was Iowa and the Arena League. For two season, Warner was First-team and led the Barnstormers to the Arena Bowl in both seasons. For only two seasons of work, Warner was named as one of the Arena League's Top 20 of all time, claiming #12 on that list. Oh, and that bit about stocking groceries happened in Iowa, too.

Next stop was actually Chicago. Warner had secured a tryout for the Bears prior to his second AFL season. But it wasn't to be. An injury caused by a spider bite Warner had received while on his honeymoon prevented the tryout from occurring. It was on to St. Louis...sort of.

The Rams were the first NFL team willing to give Warner a real shot. He was allocated to NFL Europe. He led the league in TD and passing yards in his only season for the Amstersam Admirals. After one year in Europe, Warner was summoned back to St. Louis in 1998 as #3 on the Rams QB depth chart.

Two quarterbacks were released following the '98 season (Tony Banks and Steve Bono). St. Louis signed Trent Green to be #1 and Warner was to be #2. Any move up is a good one. But the movement would go even quicker.

In a preseason game, Green suffered a torn ACL and Warner was to be the #1 QB of the Rams. He'd finally made it. He was the guy.

I still hear then Rams head coach Dick Vermeil. "We will rally around Kurt Warner..."

All Warner did in his first real season was lead the Rams to a Super Bowl win and collect a Super Bowl and NFL MVP along the way. He would have another Super Bowl appearance while in St. Louis before heading to the Big Apple.

Although Warner signed a two-year deal, he would only spend one with the Giants. They had this guy named Eli Manning on the roster. Warner was to keep the seat warm until Peyton's little brother was ready. It happened sooner rather than later.

It looked over but Warner, as he always did, landed on his feet and was on his way to Arizona. But in his second season, there was yet another rookie quarterback looking to knock Warner off the #1 spot. Like the situation in New York, it looked like Warner was to serve as a mentor and groomsman. It would take Warner three seasons to totally convince the Cards that he was their guy and Matt Leinart wasn't.

Warner would lead the Cards to their only Super Bowl appearance, and if not for a Ben Roethlisberger pass to Santonio Holmes in the game's last minute, he would have had a second Super Bowl ring.

All of Warner's NFL stops have had one thing in common...he wasn't never meant to be the starter for long. Six years in St. Louis and five in Arizona shows you the grit he's made of.

Here's some things to consider. Warner has been in more Super Bowls (3) than Brett Favre (2), Dan Marino (1) and Peyton Manning (2). All three are considered to be among the best that have ever played the QB position. Wanrer has as many wins as Favre and Manning although Peyton can change that next Sunday. Marino left the game without a ring.

To me, there's is little doubt that Warner will one day grace the halls in Canton. He'll do so with his usual class and humility. That would be the end of his football journey.

A long road from Green Bay to Arizona.

Warner will set out on another trek.

Don't be surprised if he's successful at that, too.

The retirement watch: Warner, Reed

With the ending of the seasons of the Baltimore Ravens and the Arizona Cardinals, their are rumors and specualtions that both Ravens safety Ed Reed and Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner may or may not retire. If both decide to go that route, we have been blessed to watch both play.

Reed, 31, was oft-injured this season. He had issues with a hip, groin and neck. It's the neck injury that has him contemplating the move. Over the last two season, nerve damage in Reed's neck has caused most of his discomfort. It's a "50-50" move for Reed. Some still think Reed is the best safety in the NFL.

Reed was a first round selection (24th overall) in the 2002 NFL Draft out of Miami (Fla.), or as those that played at Miami say, "The U". Reed has played his entire career as a Raven.

Reed's career has been stellar. Six Pro-Bowls, 2004 Defensive Player of the Year, a Super Bowl ring. Reed still holds the distinction of being the only player in NFL history to score a TD by blocking a punt, returning a punt, returning an interception and returning a fumble. Add the 46 career interceptions and 13 total TD to Reed's highlights, too.

Reed will be forever linked to teammate Ray Lewis, who also played at Miami. Their combined influence in the Ravens locker room will be forever felt regardless of Reed's decision.

The question some may have is if Reed is a Hall of Famer. At this point, I'm a little undecided. I do wish Reed the best of health as I thoroughly enjoy his prowess on the football field. All safties should play as he does. His influence on the position may have him in the halls in Canton.

Warner took a much more publicized route to the NFL. Undrafted out of Nothern Iowa, Warner would spend time in the Arena League and NFL Europe before securing a roster spot as a third-string QB for the St. Louis Rams. Prior to the 1999 regular season, Warner would get his shot due to Trent Green suffering torn ACL during a preseason game.

Rams head coach Dick Vermeil made a stunning proclamation after that game.

"We will rally around Kurt Waner.." And a career was born.

We all saw what Warner had to offer as he quickly became the maestro of the "Greatest Show on Turf". Warner was named NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP in 1999. He came out of nowhere to snag these honors...in his first season no less.

2000 and 2001 were decent seasons for him, but '02 and '03 were forgettable. Turnovers began to plague Warner and he was released after the 2003 season. The New York Giants picked him up to groom a rookie by the name of Eli Manning. But New York was even less kind as Warner was released (again) after spening only one year in a Gaints uniform.

The trek to another Super Bowl appearance started by Warner signing a one-year, $4 million deal prior to the 2005 season with the Arizona Cardinals. For the '07 and '08 seasons, Warner was not listed as the starter due to the job being given to Matt Leinart. But in both years, Warner would end up as the starter due to ineffectiveness from Leinart in '07 and won the starting job in traning camp prior to '08.

Waner led the Cards to their only Super Bowl appearance. Currently, Warner owns the three single highest passing yards games in Super Bowl history. He also joins a list of QBs that have TD passes in three Super Bowls. That list also includes Joe Montana, Terry Bradshaw, John Elway and Tom Brady. Those four are all in the Hall of Fame.

Warner was selceted to five Pro-Bowls, received two NFL MVP awards, and what might be his most important accomplishment, Warner won the Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2008.

No doubt that Warner will gain entry into the Hall of Fame. He could use the postseason alone on his resume'. 31 TD, 100+ QB rating and the aforementioned company with his Super Bowl play.

If both Reed and Warner decide to hang up the cleats, the NFL will be losing two of its greatest players on the field today.

One last thing, My thoughts go out to the family of Chicago Bears DL Gaines Adams. Adams unexpectedly passed away earlier today. He was only 26.