Kurt Warner Retires—Passes Torch to Matt Leinart

Arizona Cardinals' quarterback Kurt Warner has officially retired from the NFL .  News broke of a press conference earlier in the week, and the veteran signal-caller spoke to the media, declaring his decision to end his career.

The loss of Warner, who has three straight Pro Bowl-esque seasons in Arizona as the starter, creates an immediate hole for the Cardinals, on a team (and in an offense) that has the talent to compete for a Super Bowl, but needs a quarterback that can carry the offense and make sound decisions.

Warner just did that in the past two seasons, leading Arizona to back-to-back playoff appearances (including a Super Bowl berth in 2008), for the first time in nearly 15 years.

However, with Warner going on 39 and having lost the "fun" he had playing the game, citing the daily grind and game-planning as part of his reasons for retiring, the Cardinals now must look to transition to a new quarterback, almost surely to be Warner's backup, and former first round pick, Matt Leinart.

While most of the Arizona Cardinals family is soaking in an end of an era, Leinart and his coaching staff are already preparing.

Maybe not literally, but perhaps they should be.

After being selected by the Cardinals with the 10th pick of the first round in the 2006 NFL Draft, Leinart threw for over 2,500 yards and 11 touchdowns (along with 12 picks), before an injury ended his season and gave Warner a second story to tell.

Warner's second run to a Super Bowl appearance may not live up to his "rags to riches" story in which his career started, but it sure does come close.

Warner did so well after taking over for the injured Leinart, that Arizona kept him as the starting quarterback for the next three seasons, two of which Arizona made the playoffs, and one in which Warner led them to their first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history.

Since Leinart was drafted, Warner has thrown for 3,400-plus yards in each season, along with 83 touchdowns, while Leinart has just three touchdowns and eight interceptions over that span.

In Leinart's only start since Warner took over, a game against the Tennessee Titans earlier this year, he went 21-31 for 220 yards and no touchdowns.

It was a decent showing, albeit in a loss, but it reminded the Arizona brass that if Warner were to retire at the end of the season, they still have a heck of a young quarterback on their hands.

Spot duty in a loss to Green Bay may have changed their mind's, however, as Leinart threw for just 96 yards off of 21 attempts, throwing two interceptions and no touchdowns.

An ineffective stint in Arizona's first-round loss to the Super Bowl-bound New Orleans Saints didn't offer much optimism, either.

Regardless of your opinion on Leinart's ability to take over to lead the Cardinals, Kurt Warner's Hall of Fame resume , or the Cardinals future in general, two things are certain:

Kurt Warner cannot be replaced as easily as many people will suggest, and in that same breath, someone's got to try.

Let the Matt Leinart experiment begin.

That is, of course, if Warner's inner Brett Favre doesn't wake up.

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