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So Close (2 Minutes) To A Fantastic Story

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By JOEY JOHNSTON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 2, 2009

TAMPA - Kurt Warner was all alone Sunday night, walking glumly down the sideline as silver confetti spilled around him.

The Pittsburgh Steelers, with their 27-23 victory complete, gathered near a hastily assembled championship podium. Warner just looked for the exit tunnel.

Over the loudspeaker, lyrics by Rare Earth were blaring:

I just want to celebrate ... another day of living.

This was not just another day for Warner's Arizona Cardinals. And despite the fact that no one - and we mean, no one! - expected them to reach Super Bowl XLIII, this was no time for celebration.

It was time for exhaustion. It was time for disbelief. And it was time for a few tears.

Warner, the Comeback Kid himself, gave us a performance for the ages. What a story it would've been. He was amazing, finishing 31 of 43 for 377 yards and three touchdowns, including the stunning 64-yard score to Larry Fitzgerald. Arizona suddenly led by three.

Time remaining: 2:37.

"Too much time on the clock," Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt said.

Time enough for heartbreak.

Gallant In Defeat

Nobody remembers who lost the Super Bowl.

That's what we're told.

Today, that is not true. Not even close.

The Steelers are champions. But these Cardinals will forever have a place in this game's history. The fourth quarter alone assures that.

In the final 15 minutes, Warner was 14 of 19 for 224 yards. Fitzgerald, after catching just one pass through three quarters, had six fourth-quarter receptions for 115 yards.

What a show. And what a story it would've been.

"Being so close, then having it snatched away, it hurts," Fitzgerald said. "I just feel empty right now, like it effort is all for nothing.

"A loss is still a loss. It doesn't matter how close it is. It still hurts."

Fitzgerald took no consolation in his rampaging postseason - 30 receptions for 546 yards and seven touchdowns in four games.

The numbers meant little to Warner, too, who set a single postseason record for passing yards (1,147) and tied Joe Montana's mark for touchdown passes (11).

"You're two minutes away from being world champions," Warner said. "Two minutes."

Time enough for heartbreak.

Still A Great Story

A few minutes before kickoff, Warner broke away from the sideline and approached a podium. He was given the NFL's Man of the Year Award, a salute to his character and charitable work.

Then he promptly went to work - and nearly pulled off the greatest comeback of his career.

The tale has been told of Warner's football roller coaster - from Arena Football star to grocery-store clerk to Super Bowl champion to his struggles in New York. He nearly made it all the way back, finishing excruciatingly close to another Lombardi Trophy.

"I don't think Kurt's legacy was ever questioned," Whisenhunt said.

Especially now.

"I don't know if I'm going to play next year," said Warner, 37. "I'm going to take some time away from the game. I don't want to make any emotional decisions."

If that's it for Warner, he has a legitimate shot at Canton. And even though Fitzgerald is only five seasons into his career, he already has a similar big-time glow.

They don't remember Super Bowl losers, huh? Tell that to the fans - from Pittsburgh and Arizona alike - who were captivated by the fourth-quarter display of Warner and Fitzgerald.

What a show. And what a story it would've been.

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