Why Kurt Warner's Canton Enshrinement May Come Down to Just Two Games

As I'm re-watching A Football Life: Kurt Warner, an hour long NFL Network documentary on the career of Super Bowl champion quarterback Kurt Warner, I've decided to open the debate a couple of years early: is Kurt Warner Hall of Fame-bound?

Trust me, I've done a little research and this may be one of the toughest calls the Hall voters will be forced to make in recent history.

In his 12 professional seasons with the St. Louis Rams, New York Giants and Arizona Cardinals, Warner put up impressive numbers while receiving the league Most Valuable Player award twice and the Super Bowl MVP award following his one Super Bowl victory in 1999 while in St. Louis.

If it came down to his back-story, and how he got into the league, he'd be a first ballot Hall of Famer without a doubt. But unfortunately that's not how the voters make the decision to induct a player into the Hall in Canton, Ohio.

The former grocery bagger and Arena Football League standout went undrafted in 1994. The Green Bay Packers invited him to training camp that summer, but due to a crowded roster in terms of QBs (Brett Favre, Mark Brunell and Ty Detmer), Warner didn't even last until the start of the regular season.

It was following his release from the Packers that the Iowa-native resorted to stocking shelves in a grocery store and playing in the Arena Football League. While playing for the Iowa Barnstormers from 1995 until 1997, Warner threw for 183 touchdowns and over 10,000 yards (the AFL is a much more pass-oriented league). His jersey is retired and he was inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame in August of 2011.

Three productive seasons in the Arena League was enough to get a tryout with the Rams in 1997, and newly-hired head coach Dick Vermeil saw potential in Warner. Prior to his second season with the Rams, starter Trent Green went down with a season-ending knee injury during a preseason match-up. This paved the way for Warner to step in and lead the Rams to an NFC West division title and Super Bowl appearance.

Going 13-3 during the regular season and throwing for 4,300+ yards and 41 touchdowns, Warner won his first of two career Associated Press MVP awards and was the key component of the Rams' "Greatest Show on Turf" offense that featured Hall of Fame running back Marshall Faulk and Warner's targets Isaac Bruce (future HOF wideout) and Torry Holt.

Receiving a first round bye in the '99 postseason, Warner's Rams got a Divisional round match-up with Minnesota and put up 49 points in the dome. A home Conference Championship win over the Bucs put the league's top scoring offense in the Super Bowl and Warner was the primary reason for this.

A late scoring drive for Warner's Rams against Tennessee in the Super Bowl was enough for the Rams to shock the world and come away with the franchise's first-ever Vince Lombardi trophy. Warner passed for a Super Bowl record 414 yards and two TDs, capturing the Super Bowl MVP award.

Two seasons later he found himself back in the same position––the Super Bowl. Falling a couple hundred yards shy of 5,000 yards (and 36 TDs) in the regular season, the Rams were once again the league's highest-scoring offense. Two straight home postseason victories over Green Bay and Philadelphia put the Rams up against the up-and-rising New England Patriots, led by a quarterback in a similar position as Warner from two seasons ago––Tom Brady.

Thanks to a game-winning scoring drive from Brady and the Pats, Warner fell just shy of a second championship, losing 20-17.

The next two seasons Warner battled numerous injuries and was basically forced out of St. Louis due to the up-and-coming signal caller Marc Bulger (put up 18-4 record during his first two seasons in STL, 2002-03).

It could be argued that Warner's legacy in St. Louis may be tarnished by the unproductive, injury-riddled final two seasons. During that time Warner went winless in his seven starts over those two seasons and the 32-year old was forced out by a younger guy who outperformed Kurt.

Two days after being released by the Rams in the off-season leading into the 2004 season, Warner signed a two-year deal with the Giants. His Giant career was short-lived, as he merely was there to help shape the rookie Eli Manning. In his nine starts that season, Warner was 5-4 and posted an 86.5 QB rating. It was thought that this was the end of the then-33-year old's career.

However, he was given one last chance by the Arizona Cardinals, signing a one-year, $4 million contract with them prior to 2005. It appeared as though he'd be doing exactly what he did in New York––mentoring a younger quarterback to take his spot. He did get a majority of the starts in his first season as a Cardinal, but the drafting of Matt Leinart in 2006 was a sign of what's to come for the Cardinals.

Warner started the season under center, but ended up starting just five games in '06 (1-5 record) and 11 games in '07 (5-6). It wasn't until the realization that Leinart wasn't likely to fully develop as the Cardinals starter that Warner received his one final shot at another championship: the improbable run of the 2008 Cardinals.

With the help from Pro Bowl wideouts Larry Fitzgerald (96 catches, 1,431 yards, 12 TD) and Anquan Boldin (89 catches, 1,038 yards, 11 TD), the Cardinal offense put up 30+ points on seven different occasions throughout the regular season, winning the NFC West with a 9-7 record. A huge underdog, much like he was throughout his 12-year career, Warner led the Cardinals to three consecutive playoff wins (30-24 over Atlanta, 33-13 over Carolina, 32-25 over Philadelphia) and a Super Bowl berth. The third of his career.

But, as the title of this article suggests, a heart-wrenching 27-23 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLVIII leaves Warner's career with a huge question mark.

Warner's career regular season record of 67-49 (9-4 in the postseason) is superb, but his career numbers leave him on the fence in terms of Hall of Fame-worthy:

116 starts, 65.5 comp %, 32,344 passing yards (29th all-time), 208 touchdowns (t-28th all-time), 128 interceptions, 93.7 QB rating, nine 4th-qtr comebacks, 14 game-winning drives.

It's tough to put a guy in the Hall of Fame based solely on just a handful of excellent seasons. The four-time Pro Bowler played just three complete seasons and had five seasons in which he posted a losing record as the team's starter.

His postseason numbers are a different story, and will certainly get the attention of voters:

13 starts, 9-4 record, 66.5 comp %, 3,952 passing yards (304.0/game), 31 touchdowns, 14 interceptions, 102.8 QB rating; six games with 300+ yards, nine multi-TD games, four games with rating over 100.

The two MVP awards and one Vince Lombardi trophy don't appear enough to put him in as a lock at this point in time. However, had he been able to pull off a Super Bowl victory in 2001 and 2008, I think it'd be enough to put him in.

It's also tough not to put a three-time Super Bowl champ in the Hall. This is exactly why the Warner/HOF debate is so tragic, because it may come down to just two games. Games in which he played greatly (365 passing yards and 2 combined TDs vs. New England; 377 yards and 3 TDs vs. Pittsburgh), but was unable to come out on top due to simply being outplayed. The Rams and Cards were outscored by a combined seven points in those two big games in '01 and '08.

There's still plenty of time to debate this, but looking at everything in perspective, Warner may end up needing some generosity coming from voters to find himself inducted into Canton.

What do the readers think: Hall of Fame, or no Hall of Fame?

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Hall of Fame Induction: Curtis Martin's Acceptance Speech Steals the Show

Six new members have officially been ushered in to the Pro Football Hall of Fame following Saturday night's ceremonies. All six were well-deserved, including former Steelers' cornerback Jack Butler, who played in the 1950s and has been waiting 53 years to receive his call from the Hall.

Dermontti Dawson, Chris Doleman, Cortez Kennedy, Willie Roaf and Curtis Martin were the remaining five to be celebrated and embraced in Canton, Ohio this evening.

As always, the speeches and stories of the former NFL players were touching and emotional, but there was one in particular that caught my attention and had all the components of a tear-jerker. It was former New England Patriots and New York Jets running back Curtis Martin.

In his second year of eligibility, the fourth leading rusher of all-time got his chance at eternal glory. Martin's former head coach in both New England and New York, Bill Parcells, awaiting his own call to the HOF, was in attendance and was Martin's presenter.

With 14,101 rushing yards, 90 rushing TDs, five Pro Bowls and 10 consecutive 1,000 yard seasons in his 11 years in the league, Martin was the main attraction at the ceremonies, therefore making him the last speaker of the evening. And, boy, was it quite the finale.

I was well-aware of his antics and accomplishments on the football field, of course, growing up watching him play. He was, in my opinion, one of the most underrated runners of his time despite his career marks.

But what I wasn't aware of was his rough childhood and all of the things he was forced to overcome, doing so successfully as we can all see.

He gave a tremendous tribute to his mother, as he told anecdotes of stories from growing up with her, who was faced with beatings and what Martin described as "torture" from his father. She dealt with numerous family deaths, which were often gruesome homicides. He gave full credit to his mother for raising him the way she did and, as he choked up a bit, he poured his heart out for everyone as his mother tried to fight the tears away herself.

I think I can personally say that Martin delivered one of the most touching HOF acceptance speeches I have seen in quite a while, and I would even rank it ahead of Michael Irvin's in 2007 which was also tear-filled, maybe a little more so than the norm.

Giving credit to his former coaches, recognizing all his position coaches over his career and personally recognizing his former high school football coach, Martin showed how classy he is. He and Parcells have a very personal relationship and, "Wonder Boy," as Parcells used to refer to him as, Martin embraced and cherished that relationship throughout his career, as reflected in his speech.

Martin instructed for all of his former teammates at Pittsburgh (where he played his college ball), New England and New York that were in attendance that night to stand up so he could give them credit, as well.

The quote I liked the best out of everything he said during his speech came when he stated that earlier in the week a reporter asked him if he'd let his kid play football. At first, he said he'd probably be reluctant to do so (referring to the dangers of the sport). But he then responded with: "If my kid can learn what I learned from this game, I'd probably let him play. It's worth the risk."

Going from a kid, with a rough childhood, who didn't even like football and thought he was a better baseball player, to a 39-year old inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Quite a turn-around for Mr. Curtis Martin, I'd say.

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Additional note: As soon as a decent video of his speech is uploaded to Youtube I will post it for your viewing pleasure.

Vikings to Add Blair to Ring of Honor this Season

The Minnesota Vikings–currently preparing to do battle with the tough Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions in the NFC North this season–have plenty of question marks and issues to handle during camp.

Can Christian Ponder carry the heavy load in 2012? Will Adrian Peterson recover from his torn ACL and return to his 2009 All Pro form? Will Percy Harvin finally live up to his expectations and break out as a No. 1 receiver threat? Can Jared Allen continue to slow down the likes of Rodgers, Cutler and Stafford?

Clearly, Minnesota has a lot on its plate in the dog days of summer.

That's why it's so refreshing to hear some positive news out of Minnesota. No, it may not have to do with how the 2012 campaign will unfold, but at least former outside linebacker Matt Blair will have something to look forward to.

On Monday the Vikes announced that during halftime of the October 25 matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Blair, now 61 years of age, will be inducted into the franchise's Ring of Honor.

Blair played all 12 of his professional seasons at outside linebacker for the Vikings from 1974-1985. The speedy Blair, a second round pick out of Iowa State (51st overall in '74 draft), started 130 games and was selected to six straight Pro Bowls in addition to one All Pro team.

Though they were not regarded as an official stat at the time of his career, he finished his 12 seasons with the 1,452 tackles, still ranking as second-most in franchise history.

As a vital part of the "Purple People Eaters" defense in the mid-70s, Blair appeared in two Super Bowls, though they were both losses (to the Steelers and Raiders). Blair's versatility led him to franchise records such as most blocked kicks (20) and most sacks (23) and interceptions (16) by a linebacker.

The stingy defense of the Purple People Eaters was a total team unit, but Blair may have had the most decorated career out of any of the linebackers that have ever put on a Minnesota uniform, let alone the 1970s Vikings.

He will be the 20th former player, coach, executive, etc. to be inducted into the Ring of Honor for Minnesota, and maybe one day he'll get a call from the Hall. He'll have to be in consideration to be selected as a senior member, but at least he'd finally get his shot at Pro Football immortality in Canton.

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Seven More to be Enshrined in to Football Immortality Tonight

Today is a good day.

Another year, another class of former football players enter the football afterlife, A.K.A. the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio–also signals the official start to the season.

This year there will be seven new members of the Hall of Fame (induction ceremonies set to begin on ESPN at 7 P.M. E.T.; if you watch NFL Network they will be airing a Hall of Fame Pre-Enshrinement Ceremony at 4 P.M. E.T.).

The 2011 class is highlighted by a few modern-day players such as Deion Sanders, Shannon Sharpe and Marshall Faulk. Chicago Bears defensive end Richard Dent, Washington Redskins linebacker Chris Hanburger, Los Angeles Rams linebacker Les Richter and NFL Films founder Ed Sabol are the other four to put on the yellow jacket tonight.

Despite the canceling of the annual Hall of Fame game (as a result of the lockout), which would have been played Sunday night, this weekends festivities should be a lot of fun. In honor of tonight's enshrinement, I have put together a little tribute to each inductee's career, as seen below:

Marshall Faulk; Colts, Rams running back 1994-2005

-Seven Pro Bowls, three-time First Team All Pro, Super Bowl Champion (two appearances)

-12,279 rushing yards, 100 TDs; 767 receptions, 6,875 yards, 36 TDs

-Fourth on all-time yards from scrimmage list (19,154)

Faulk, selected second overall in the 1994 draft behind Cincinnati's Dan Wilkinson, was the key piece in St. Louis' Greatest Show on Turf in the late '90s to early '00s. With quarterback Kurt Warner and receivers Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt, Faulk's Rams won the 1999 Super Bowl and fell just short of capturing a second after falling to New England in 2001.

Marshall is by far the best dual threat running back in league history. Faulk's 767 receptions are most all-time among running backs (Larry Centers finished his career with 827, but he played fullback).

Deion Sanders; Falcons, 49ers, Cowboys, Redskins, Ravens cornerback/returner 1989-2005

-Eight Pro Bowls, eight-time All Pro, Two-time Super Bowl champ

-492 tackles, 53 interceptions, 10 FF, 6 PR TD/3 KR TD

-T-4th all-time on INT return TDs (9)

Sanders, A.K.A. "Primetime," revolutionized the way defensive backs covered receivers. His critics bashed him because he wasn't the best tackler, but he was just as physical on the line as anyone else out there.

Fans loved him because of his flashiness and trash-talk on the field, but he never failed to back up that talk when it came to making plays. He was the most electrifying player to watch in his time, and was still exciting to watch when he finished his career with two seasons in Baltimore at age 38.

Shannon Sharpe; Broncos, Ravens tight end 1990-2003
-Eight Pro Bowls, four-time First Team All Pro, Three-time Super Bowl champ
-815 career receptions, 62 receiving touchdowns
-Three seasons with 1,000+ receiving yards

Before Kansas City's Tony Gonzalez came around and surpassed him, Sharpe was the league's greatest receiving tight end in terms of numbers (815 receptions, 10,060 yards, 62 touchdowns). After ending his first of two stints with the Broncos, Sharpe left for Baltimore where he put up two solid receiving seasons en route to his third Super Bowl ring in 2000.

After two years of waiting, Sharpe has finally received his "Call to the Hall," becoming the eighth modern-era tight end to be enshrined.

Richard Dent, Bears, 49ers, Colts, Eagles defensive end 1983-1997

-Four Pro Bowls, Five-time All Pro (one First-Team), Two-time Super Bowl champ
-671 tackles, 137.5 sacks, 37 FF
-Super Bowl XX MVP

Dent is the most underrated inductee in this year's class, in my opinion. People seem to forget that he was a part of one of the toughest defenses in NFL history (1985 Chicago Bears), and that he was the MVP of the Super Bowl that season after recording 1.5 sacks against the Patriots.

Dent, t-sixth on the all-time sack list (with HOFer John Randle), came up with sacks in big games, recording 10.5 sacks in six career playoff games with the Bears (Chicago was 4-2 in those games). Dent was a Hall of Fame finalist for six years before finally getting the call this year. Congrats, Dent.

Ed Sabol, 94 years old
-Founder of NFL Films

Without the company he founded, NFL Films, there is no way we would have the amount of NFL content, and quality of the content, in terms of photographs and footage of the game. In fact, the NFL Network may not have even existed without Sabol, considering NFL Films produces a majority of the commericals, features and films for the Network.

There's no doubt that Sabol's company revolutionized the way the NFL has been covered over the last few decades. Kudos to you, Mr. Sabol. Good to see you inducted before you kick the bucket.

Chris Hanburger; Redskins linebacker 1965-1978 (*Senior Candidate*)
-Nine Pro Bowls, four-time First Team All Pro
-19 INTs, 17 FR in 149 career starts
-Selected by WAS in 18th and final round of 1965 draft

Hanburger played back in the day before tackles and sacks were recorded, but that does not take away from his resume. His nine Pro Bowl appearances are a Redskins franchise record, and he was the team's defensive "quarterback" in the '70s, acting as team leader and navigating his teammates on the field.

Hanburger's career was well over and done with before I was born, but from the looks of it, Hanburger was well respected by his peers (HOFer John Hannah referred to him as "the smartest player in the league at the time" according to Redskins Encyclopedia). As one of the 70 greatest Redskins, this election was well-deserved on Hanburger's part.

Les Richter; Rams linebacker/guard/kicker 1954-1962 (*Senior Candidate*)

-Eight Pro Bowls, two-time First Team All Pro, three-time Second Team All Pro
-16 INT, 12 FR, 193 career points, 52.7 FG%
-Second overall pick in 1952 NFL Draft

Richter played long before Hanburger and, just like Hanburger, Richter played his entire career–nine seasons–with the same team after being traded to the Rams by the Dallas Texans. In Los Angeles, Richter was one of those players who could play multiple positions (most players in this era did this actually), and made the Pro Bowl in all but one of his seasons.

Richter made his mark at the linebacker position, primarily, making four of his eight Pro Bowlers as LA's middle linebacker from 1958-1961.

**All photos found on Google, no copyright infringement intended**

Photo of the Day (8/5/11): New CBA Finalized in Front of HOF

As of this morning, the new 10-year Collective Bargaining Agreement has officially been finalized after Commissioner Roger Goodell and NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith signed the deal.

What better way to finalize the deal than to sign it while sitting in front of the league's most coveted site: the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

The two are in Canton this weekend for the HOF enshrinement of seven players–Richard Dent, Marshall Faulk, Chris Hanburger, Les Richter, Ed Sabol, Deion Sanders and Shannon Sharpe.

Photo: Michael Loccisano, Getty Images

HOF Snub: Why Curtis Martin is the Most Underrated Running Back in NFL History

Whether the lockout is lifted in time or not, we will see seven more players inducted in to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio in August.

Three-time Super Bowl champion tight end Shannon Sharpe, Deion "Prime-time" Sanders and the running back on The Greatest Show on Turf, Marshall Faulk, are among those seven. But, in my opinion, there was one huge snub in this year's class.

Don't get me wrong, there were plenty that deserved to get in this year, and obviously they can't all get in at once. But I didn't think there was any doubt that former New England Patriot and New York Jet Curtis Martin would be voted in this year. It was his first year of eligibility, so he'll obviously be one of the first in come 2012. But Curtis is first-year talent, no questions asked.

Why did voters leave him out of the final group? Easy. He was underrated.

Curtis' Pats and Jets weren't winners.

Okay, so maybe I went a little far with that bold statement, because he did in fact make it to the Super Bowl while in New England. He even ran for 42 yards and a score against Brett Favre's Packers in the 1996 matchup. But the truth is, in Martin's 11 professional seasons he was on a measly five playoff teams--10 games in total--and put up a 5-5 record in those games.

Marshall Faulk, also in his first year of eligibility for the Hall, was, like I stated above, a member of The Greatest Show on Turf in St. Louis, which featured three other future Hall of Famers: quarterback Kurt Warner and wideouts Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt.

Martin played with some great players over his years as well, including quarterback Drew Bledsoe, who showed flashes of brilliance in his early years with the Pats. But he was never surrounding with that kind of talent in his offenses.

Did I mention that in his 11-year career Curtis racked up over 14,000 yards and hung up his cleats as the league's fourth all-time rusher, behind only Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton and Barry Sanders. All three of those backs, obviously, have been in the Hall for quite some time.

Martin's five Pro Bowls and just one First-Team All Pro selection could be what has kept him from grabbing more attention from fans. But the truth of the matter is that Martin hasn't quite gotten as much respected as he deserves over his brilliant career.

Missing just 10 starts, consistency was the name of the game when it came to his production.

Rushing for 1,000-plus yards 10 times with just 29 career fumbles over his 166 starts seems like a pretty great accomplishment for an NFL running back.

I know it's tough and sometimes unproductive to compare different playing eras, but he had five less fumbles than Chicago Bears' great Gale Sayers, who played in 68 games over seven seasons as the Bears' primary running back and returner. Barry Sanders played just 10 seasons and fumbled the football 41 career times, and most consider Barry the NFL's best running back of all-time.

Tough to argue those numbers, which certainly favor Martin.

He also led the league in carries just one time, which just so happened to also be the same season he led the league in rushing yards (just one more than Seattle's Shaun Alexander) with 1,697 yards in 2004, a career-best. Two years later, he was out of the game.

Not only is Profootballreference.com great for researching and looking up research for the National Football League, but it also has a very useful feature: the "similar players" section, in which they compare a player's career to other current or former NFL players.

The list 10 players (it's the careers of the players that are being compared) that PFR listed as similar to Martin includes four Hall of Fame running backs--Tony Dorsett, Franco Harris, Jim Brown and Lenny Moore.

Curtis Martin put up very respectable numbers throughout his career, and was the model athlete both on and off the field. The fourth-leading rusher in NFL history was, without question, the biggest snub in the 2011 HOF class. I would be shocked if he was not the first voted in once 2012 rolls around.

(Note: this article was written based on opinion, using research and career statistics from Profootballreference.com. No, I am not a Jets fan. I'm just a guy who would like for Curtis Martin to receive a little more credit and attention for his accomplishments and approach to the game. There aren't enough guys like him in this league, he was a pleasure to watch every time he touched the football).

Photo credit
1. borrowed from thejetsblog.com
2. borrowed from greenpinstripes.com