| In case you haven’t noticed,
something really special is happening in the NFL. We are witnessing, on a weekly basis,
some of the best QB play ever seen in professional football. I am referring to, of course,
Rams QB Kurt Warner. But I fear that he may not be getting his props. We all know what
he did last year. The rags-to-riches story so improbable that not even Horatio Alger could
have dreamed it. The former grocery-store stock boy and Arena League player takes over an
NFL team and re-writes franchise passing records en route to one of the most improbable
Super Bowl titles in recent memory.
This season, Warner’s play has been out of this world as the Rams have jumped to a
5-0 start. His statistics are even gaudier than last year’s.
But I think we are beginning to take Kurt Warner for granted. Why do I suspect this?
Well, I was leafing through a listing of the Pro Football Weekly Players of the
Week and was shocked that Warner didn’t win the honor until this past week. In
theory, Warner’s exploits could have earned him the honor every single week.
Let’s run through the weekly winners, and their accomplishments, compared to what
Warner did in that week.
In Week One, Eagles RB Duce Staley ran for 201 yards and one touchdown in a 41-14 win
over the Cowboys. Impressive stuff. What did Warner do? Completed 25-of-35 passes for 441
yards and three touchdowns in a 41-36 win over the Broncos. But he also threw three
interceptions. I guess that negates all the good stuff.
In Week Two, Jaguars WR Jimmy Smith went nuts in a loss to the Ravens, catching 15
passes for 291 yards and three touchdowns. It was the fifth-highest single-game receiving
total in NFL history. Warner, meanwhile, completed 35-of-47 passes for 386 yards and one
touchdown in a 37-34 win over the Seahawks.
In Week Three, Chiefs QB Elvis Grbac completed 20-of-33 passes for 235 yards and five
touchdowns in a 42-10 win over the Chargers. In the same week, Warner completed 23-of-34
passes for 394 yards and two touchdowns in a 41-24 win over the 49ers. While Grbac’s
five TD passes is impressive, I still believe the wrong QB from Missouri got the Player of
the Week award.
In Week Four, 49ers RB Charlie Garner rushed for 201 yards and one touchdown in a 41-24
win over the Cowboys. Yes, 201 yards is a ton of rushing yards, but it’s not that
impressive against a Cowboys team that can’t stop the run. Look back to Week One,
when Duce Staley did the same thing. We are rewarding Garner for something that he’s
supposed to do. As for Warner, all he did was complete 12-of-19 passes for 336 yards and
four touchdowns.
And finally, in Week Five, Warner got the highly valued Pro Football Weekly
Offensive Player of the Week honor. What did he have to do to finally get a little
recognition? He had to complete 24-of-30 passes for 390 yards and four touchdowns in a
57-31 trouncing of the Chargers.
After closely examining Warner’s success thus far, I vow not to take him for
granted any more. I promise to be blown away when looking at his stats line following
every game, provided he keeps up the pace. I will remind myself that we don’t see QB
play like this every day. We should cherish it while we can. |
