ESPN writer: Kurt Warner should be in Hall of Fame
Aug 6, 2016, 11:00 AM | Updated: 8:03 pm
(AP Photo)
(AP Photo)
Kurt Warner will not be entering the Pro Football Hall of Fame this weekend.
No, the player who threw 208 touchdown passes for the St. Louis Rams, New York Giants and Arizona Cardinals will watch as the Class of 2016, which includes Brett Favre, Tony Dungy, Kevin Greene, Marvin Harrison, Orlando Pace, Eddie DeBartolo Jr., Ken Stabler and Dick Stanfel is enshrined in Canton, Ohio.
Maybe one day, Warner will get the call and have his very own bust. Until then, he will remain near the top of most lists that talk about the best players who are not in the Hall of Fame, and probably should be.
Recently, ESPN’s Kevin Seifert ranked 10 players who he thinks should be in the Hall of Fame, and Warner came in at No. 2 behind only Terrell Owens.
Warner was his team’s primary starter (as defined by starting more than half of its games) in only eight seasons, so his cumulative statistics fall short of most modern-day Hall of Fame quarterbacks. (He ranks No. 35 in league history in touchdown passes and No. 36 in yards.) But Warner made those seasons count. Most notably, he is one of only three quarterbacks to take two teams to the Super Bowl. That those franchises — the St. Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals — were previously, and at times subsequently, moribund should not be forgotten. Finally, he was arguably the most accurate quarterback of his generation, and one of the best in league history. Warner has the NFL’s second-best career completion percentage (65.5) among quarterbacks with at least 100 starts.
Warner’s case is indeed legitimate.
Though his career did not last as long as some of the other all-time greats, he did throw for 32,344 yards and 208 touchdowns with just 128 interceptions. He was a four-time Pro Bowler, two-time First Team All-Pro selection, an MVP and a Super Bowl MVP.
Add in the teams he took to the Super Bowl and yeah, no one would argue if he was inducted.
