Kurt Warner: Return To Fantasy Greatness?
Sure, Kurt Warner is old and he’s looked pretty bad ever since his glory days with the Rams ended. That said, there’s a chance we see some of the Warner magic of yesteryear for the rest of the season with the Arizona Cardinals. With Matt Leinart out for the rest of the year, Warner has a great opportunity to show what he has left in the tank.
At 36-years-old, Warner isn’t as ancient as it seems. In fact, opening day starters Brett Favre, Trent Green and Jeff Garcia are older than Warner. Favre and Garcia are still going strong and are both have good seasons. In regards to Warner, age alone shouldn’t hold him back.
What has held Warner back since his glory days has been playing on teams with a poor offensive line. However, that’s not the case this year with the Cardinals. Arizona has an improving offensive line that should just get better and better as the season goes along.
The best friends of a quarterback are great wide receivers. The Cardinals have two highly talented wideouts in Anquan Boldin (who is currently battling a hip injury) and Larry Fitzgerald. In fact, Boldin and Fitzgerald are arguably the best pair of wide receivers in the league.
Coaching is also a plus for Warner. Head coach Ken Whisenhunt and offensive line coach Russ Grimm came over from the Pittsburgh Steelers. Grimm is one of the best offensive line coaches in the NFL and his units are always well prepared. Whisenhunt is a very inventive offensive mind who knows how to put his players where they need to be to reach their potential.
Finally, Warner should be helped by Edgerrin James and the Cardinals’ running game. The Cardinals are running better than they have in years, which will take pressure off of Warner and the passing game. No longer can defenses sit back and wait for the Cardinals to pass the ball.
Considering everything, Warner has all the pieces he needs to be successful. With that in mind and thinking back to when Warner was a dominating force both in the NFL and in fantasy football, don’t be surprised if Warner is able to reclaim some of that long lost magic.
Photo credit: John Iacono/SI
Tags: anquan-boldin, arizona-cardinals, fantasy-football, fantasy-football-players, fantasy-leagues, fantasy-quarterbacks, kurt-warner, larry-fitzgerald, matt-leinartRelated Stories
POSTED IN: NFL News, NFL Player Analysis
1 opinion for Kurt Warner: Return To Fantasy Greatness?
Tim Zaegel
Oct 11, 2007 at 5:31 pm
I don’t know. Being from St Louis myself, I’ve always been a Warner fan since he emerged at the helm to take the Rams to the Super Bowl back in ‘99. But, I’ve gotta say that Warner marks have been down this road before. When he signed with the Giants to take the snaps in New York until Eli was brought up to speed, he started out putting up some pretty decent numbers only to fizzle away after a few weeks. Wearing a Cards’ uniform, I wouldn’t expect much different this go around.
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