Judge on Roethlisberger
Midway through the NFL's regular season, I had a phone conversation with Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner. During that call, we chatted about a variety of subjects, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame came up.
Warner was then in the middle of an outstanding season, one that made him a strong candidate for his third MVP, so I told him he would be getting his bust in Canton someday.
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| Kurt Warner falls short of Joe Namath only in flamboyance. (Getty Images) |
Thanks to Warner, that's possible. If the Cardinals beat the Pittsburgh Steelers next Sunday in Super Bowl XLIII, it would be Warner's second Super Bowl victory. He would be the only quarterback to win two with two different teams.
That has led to the great debate. Is Warner now a lock for the Hall?
"Absolutely," Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt said. "Being a two-time MVP, winning a Super Bowl, getting two teams there, and being able to come back and play at a high level and get this team there makes him a Hall of Fame player. My answer is definitely yes."
I agree.
Two words will convince you as well. They are: Joe and Namath.
Warner's numbers dwarf Namath's. Those who say Namath should get in for service to the league, such as making the AFL relevant when he engineered the amazing New York Jets upset of the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III, are correct. I do think he belongs, as does Warner.
Warner's story is every bit as intriguing as the legend of Namath. From grocery stock boy who wasn't drafted to MVP and Super Bowl MVP is an amazing story, one we will remember years from now. His three-year run as a quarterback for the St. Louis Rams (1999-01) is as good as any quarterback has ever had.
Warner will be relevant 40 years from now. He's one of the quarterback faces of our generation, just as Namath was for his. That has to mean something.
So let's look at the numbers. We'll start with games started. Namath started 130, Warner 101 so far. And he has two years left -- at least. So he should be right with him in terms of starts when his career ends.
In 29 fewer starts, Warner has 28,591 passing yards. Namath had 27,663. Warner has 182 touchdown passes. Namath had 173.
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Now we know this is more of throwing era, and the stats back that up somewhat. Warner throws it 32.3 times a game, while Namath threw it 26.9 times a game. That will inflate some of the numbers, except as of right now Namath has 205 more attempts.
What it doesn't impact is completion percentage and yards per attempt. When Namath played, the league's quarterbacks were more down-the-field throwers. That could explain his poor career completion percentage of 50.1, while Warner has a career mark of 64.1. But the per-attempt numbers don't back that up. Warner averages 8.0 yards per attempt in his career. Namath finished at 7.4 per attempt.
So who's really the mad bomber?
Namath also threw 220 interceptions in his career, compared to 112 for Warner. That's a big reason why Warner dominates in passer rating -- an overrated stat by the way -- with a rating of 93.8 to 65.5 for Namath. Warner's number is fourth best of all time.
Each won a Super Bowl, Namath with the Jets after the 1968 season and Warner with the Rams after the 1999 season. Each won MVP honors in those games. Warner also took the Rams to another, which they lost on a last-second field goal by Adam Vinatieri of New England. Warner also won two regular-season MVPs, while Namath won one.
As for playoff record, Warner is 8-2 in the postseason. Namath was 2-1 as a postseason starter. He only went to the playoffs in two seasons, although both as division winners during his time with the Jets.
Namath was the first man to throw for 4,000 yards in a season, doing it in a 14-game season, but Warner has done it three times.
Yes, the NFL is different now. It is more wide open. Teams throw more. The doubters will say Warner's numbers are inflated by that, but there are too many numbers that aren't impacted by more throwing that give Warner the edge.
Plus, do those who keep saying that ever insist that the running back stats from the 1970s are inflated because they ran it more? Never. You can't have it both ways.
The critics will say Warner has started all 16 games only three times in his career because of injuries and being benched. Namath started all 14 games only five times in his career.
If Kurt Warner made guarantees in the media and wore white shoes instead of thanking God the way he does, he'd probably be considered a much stronger Hall candidate.
Warner is a family man. He doesn't spend his nights out drinking and chasing women, which helped make Namath's profile even bigger.
He was Joe Willie. Broadway Joe. All of that.
Warner? He's Kurt.
"They can debate all they want," Warner said of the Hall talk. "I'm just in the Super Bowl again. I like that."
Getting there should give him a bust in Canton. If he beats the Steelers, it should be a guarantee he gets inducted.
Exhibit A: Joe Namath.
I rest my case.
mjdoc 
