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Warner Still Has Tools To Continued in NFL
BY RANDY GARDNER
With missing last issue’s column, I wanted to weigh in with my 2 cents on the Super Bowl. What a roller coaster of emotion the Super Bowl ended up to be.
As I said every week leading up to the Super Bowl was that the entire game would come down to a few huge plays mainly by Kurt Warner. This was true as Kurt threw that key interception at the end of the half to cause a 14 point swing.
This is not the only reason that the Steelers won — there were many pivotal plays and penalties throughout the game on both teams that changed the flow from almost series to series.
It felt like the Steelers would walk away with the game in the second half, but the magical ending was completely setup for the Cards to win this thing.
They just left a bit too much time on the clock after they scored. Looking back at Kurt Warner and his three Super Bowls, he has the 3 top highest rating passing games in history. Quit a feat in itself, but I bet you he would say in a second that he would trade those records for another ring.
Every game he has played in as far as the Super Bowl, it has always come down to the last seconds of the game. A big tackle in the first Bowl from Mike Jones, a field goal in the second one from Vinaterri from New England, and then a sack and fumble at the end of this one.
Will he retire? Should he retire? I pondered that when I saw him play only one series in the Pro Bowl last week. I think we will see him back in a Cardinals uniform next year and for perhaps a few more years to come.
I had a chance to talk to Mary Cay Rackers, the mother of Arizona Cardinal Field Goal kicker, Neil Rackers, and she said that the atmosphere was great at the game except for the parking, one way in and one way out. I’m sure that ride seemed a lot longer leaving after the loss. She said that the players were totally in distraught in the lobby of the hotel after the game. It really shows that these guys play for the passion and maybe not as much about the money as we think.
It was really cool to see two North County products in the Super Bowl, one from each team. Carey Davis from Hazelwood Central who we covered many years ago in the Suburban North and Neil Rackers from Aquinas who has been kicking for the Cardinals for several years now and is one of the best in the league. Look around the NFL and a lot of Division I schools, you will see a lot of North County players playing at the highest levels. This says a lot about our schools and coaches.
With football over, that means NASCAR season started up this past weekend with the Daytona 500. As usual, it proved to be a rock solid race with several huge crashes and Matt Kenseth winning it all in a rain shortened race. If you haven’t watched NASCAR on TV, this is the year. Open your mind, I guarantee you will enjoy it.
