Kurt Warner's Rise Out of the Ashes

A hundred years from now, the names of today will be a long lost memory against the modern day fans of then.

I won't be here for that, but I can imagine what the talks will be like.

Possibly about how Joe Montana was the best quarterback ever, but by that time the debate will probably be between Tom Brady and Peyton Manning or whoever comes after them.

The Favre's and the Elway's will be long forgotten. Johnny Unitas will be a very distant memory, almost as if he never existed. The likes of Dan Marino and Troy Aikman will be like old stories—bedtime stories if you will.

Where will Kurt Warner's name be? Will it be lost amongst the mist?

In our world of sports athletes come and go, some are remembered for the play and some are remembered for their heroics.

But every once in a while, a huge surprise comes along that nobody expected, and they fill one of the holes that was left by a prior great before them.

That is the way Kurt Warner shall be remembered.

It all started when......

Warner was just a kid with a desire to play the game of football. He grew up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, playing for Regis High School.

He would go on to play for the University of Northern Iowa. He had a successful college career, but not one that would get him drafted.

After working out for the Green Bay Packers in 1994, he was signed, then released by the team.

With no hope left, he returned to Iowa to be a shelf stocker at the Hy-Vee store in Cedar Falls.

Somehow he got noticed by a local Arena Football team: The Iowa Barnstormers.

Warner would lead the Barnstormers to back-to-back appearances in the Arena Bowl.

He was picked up by the St. Louis Rams in 1997 shortly after his stint with the Barnstormers.

He played in the NFL Europe for the Amsterdam Admirals.

It wasn't until the beginning of the 1999-2000 season that Warner would get his shot. Then-starter Trent Green went down in the preseason leaving the quarterback duties to the backup, Warner.

Warner didn't disappoint. He threw 41 touchdown passes that season, leading the Rams to the Super Bowl and coming out with a win. He won the league MVP that year and captured the Super Bowl MVP.

Not only did he capture those awards, but he also captivated a world of sports and captured the hearts of every fan in America.

Who was this guy? Where did he come from?

He was the most known unknown in the league. Now with the spotlight on him, Warner was revealed as the person that inspires. The great leader.

Warner said everything right, and was an immediate fan favorite.

He led by an example that rivaled other quarterbacks in the league. He was playing his dream, and doing a fine job at that.

Warner led the Rams back to the Super Bowl only to suffer a heart wrenching loss to the New England Patriots.

The following years would show the start of his slide from excellence. Nagging injuries caused Warner to be less productive, and the critics jumped all over him.

They called his career a fluke—a miracle of God even.

His run couldn't last this long. His fun was over.

Warner would eventually be cut by the Rams in 2003.

He signed on with the New York Giants and after a lackluster season in which he started, but was replaced by the rookie phenom Eli Manning and again released of his duties.

The Resurrection

It was after this season that Warner was signed to a one-year deal with the Arizona Cardinals.

During the 2005 season, Warner was the starter off and on, suffering yet another injury plagued season that ended with a torn MCL in week 15.

He started out the 2006 season hotter than ever and looking like the player of old, but after only four games, he was replaced by another rookie phenom, Matt Leinart.

It was during the 2007 season that Warner started to turn heads. He was named the backup before the season began, but it was Leinart's crumble under pressure that made Warner step up to the challenge.

Warner would relieve Leinart of his duties on many occasions bringing the Cardinals back from defeat and into the hands of victory.

After Leinart broke his collarbone, Warner was named the starter the rest of the season.

The result was an 8-8 record, the first non-losing record the Cardinals have seen in a very long time.

Last season was truly magical for Warner. He beat out the incumbent Leinart for the starting job.

Warner took up the reigns and led his team to and NFC West Championship, and NFC Championship and a Super Bowl appearance.

He then signed a two year extension in the offseason to return to the Cardinals.

But we all knew these great statistics, the facts of his rise up from the ashes, but it's his character that will live on forever.

His undying loyalty to his charities, his leadership capabilities.

Warner has never been shy to express his faith.

"Looking at the big picture, I know my role in this is to help share my faith, and to share my relationship with the Lord in this capacity. The funny thing is my wife, when I tell her about some interviews that I've done, she's always asking me, 'Don't talk about the Lord in every answer that you give.' I come back and tell her, 'Hey, they try to cut out as much of those (religious comments) as they can. So if I don't give it in every answer, then it's never going to be there, because they're not going to use those quotes,'"

That quote sums up his faith. He's not in it to make millions of dollars, or even to be recognized by thousands. He's in it to be a witness for God.

That is where he separates himself from the rest, where the conversation as to who is the best quarterback ever takes a sharp turn.

Warner is a walking movie, a tale  nobody sees ending. We don't know where this book will end, or what the conclusion is.

Warner sees everything in reality. Maybe this is just a game and he's just another piece in it, but when his playing days are over, he should be remembered as having some of the best seasons and having the best leadership skills ever seen.

Warner should be remembered forever for his heart more than for his play—how he carried his teammates and never shunned them out.

Or how he still to this day is encouraging Leinart to step up and take over this team, knowing that would cost him his starting job.

Warner cares more about his teams success than his own success.

Isn't that what it's all about? Playing for the guys next to you, going through the battles and conquering together?

This is the ultimate team sport, and Warner is it's ultimate leader.

His name is already etched into the history books, but his legacy has really just begun.