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Warner Keeping Old Father Time At Bay

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By ANWAR S. RICHARDSON

arichardson@tampatrib.com

Published: January 9, 2009

TAMPA - Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner's NFL career was never expected to begin.

Now, Warner's job seems like it will never end.

Warner, 37, hopes to show that age is nothing but a number he continues to defy as Arizona travels to Carolina for an NFC divisional playoff game Saturday.

"The so-called experts will say 'He can't play anymore,' and this and that, and he gets another opportunity and look what he does," said Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme, who played with Warner on NFL Europe's Amsterdam Admirals in 1998. "That is why I'm so happy for him. He is such a great guy."

Warner's ability to rebound after being left for dead might be his greatest attribute.

Warner was named Super Bowl MVP after leading St. Louis to victory in Super Bowl XXXIV, and was the league's MVP in 1999 and 2001. Two years later, he fumbled six times in the 2003 season opener against the Giants and was replaced by Marc Bulger.

Warner then played for the New York Giants in 2004, winning five of his first seven games. But after several poor performances, the team decided to go with rookie quarterback Eli Manning.

With his career in jeopardy, Warner signed a one-year deal with Arizona. He struggled during that season, but was re-signed to help groom Matt Leinart, Arizona's future franchise quarterback.

Leinart failed to establish himself as a premier NFL quarterback, and Warner recaptured his starting position in 2007. He started Arizona's final 11 games after Leinart sustained a collarbone injury. Warner threw for 3,417 yards, 27 touchdowns and 17 interceptions last season.

Warner was named Arizona's starter in Week 1 this season and guided the Cardinals to an NFC West title and a first-round playoff victory against Atlanta.

"First thing, you have to give Kurt a lot of credit because he competed for the position and had the opportunity to win it," Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt said of Warner's training-camp battle with Leinart. "That's not easy to do for a quarterback that's had the success that he has had, especially for us last year.

"What I think that did was set him up to have a good season, and he has done that and more."

Warner, a Pro Bowl selection after throwing for 4,583 yards with 30 TDs and 14 interceptions, continues to play like a quarterback getting younger, not older.

Now his job is to make sure Arizona's season does not end.

"Very seldom do teams that are in the playoffs for the first time in a long time just run the table and win the Super Bowl," Warner said. "It's always a process, and you're always growing and learning. That's one thing we've learned this year is that even though we've played really good at times and beaten some really good teams, we haven't been a great football team all year long. ... I just look at it as part of the process and know that we're along that line and haven't arrived yet."

Reporter Anwar S. Richardson can be reached at (813) 259-8425.

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