Kurt Warner: Future Hall of Famer

Admittance to the Hall of Fame is the highest honor an athlete can earn. It rewards years of success and achievements by recognizing the individual as one of the greatest of all-time. Players like Joe Montana, Barry Sanders, and Reggie White epitomize this honor. There are also current players, guys like Tom Brady, Brett Favre, and so many others who are shoo-ins to be someday enshrined in Canton, Ohio. And add another name to the list of future Hall of Famers... Kurt Warner.

Kurt Warner? Yes, Kurt Warner. An undrafted player who played in the Arena Football League and NFL Europe before becoming the starting quarterback for the Rams during one of the greatest three-year runs in football history. Nicknamed “The Greatest Show on Turf,” Warner's Rams scored over 500 points an unprecedented three straight years. During that stretch, Warner won two NFL MVP awards, and led the Rams to the playoffs all three years, resulting in two Super Bowl appearances, and a Super Bowl championship following the '99 season, in which Warner completed an improbable Cinderella dream season by winning the Super Bowl MVP award.

Warner's list of accomplishments during those years is pretty impressive. Warner, who was listed as the backup before the '99 season, had thrown only 11 passes in his career. He became the first QB in NFL history to throw three touchdown passes in each of his first three starts. He proceeded to lead the NFL in completion percentage and yards per attempt each of the next three seasons. He topped the league in touchdown passes and passer rating twice, only missing out in 2000 due to an injury that sidelined him for five games. His record as a starter for those three years was 35-8.

When Warner was hurt again in 2002, backup Marc Bulger proved to be a solid starter, and the Rams subsequently released Warner following the 2003 season. Warner was signed by the Giants before '04 to be the starter. He got the Giants off to a 5-4 start, in the thick of the playoff hunt, before the job was handed to first round draft pick, Eli Manning, who promptly lost six of seven starts with the team.

Given new life in Arizona in '07 when Matt Leinart was injured, Warner played very well as the starter. He threw 27 touchdown passes, just one short of the Cardinals' single-season franchise record. In 2008, he beat out Matt Leinart for the starting job, and through six games, had the Cardinals at 4-2 and in first place in the NFC West. His 12 touchdown passes and 104.8 passer rating project to his stats as the league MVP with the Rams.

At 37, Warner is still one of the most productive quarterbacks in the league. He is second all-time in career completion percentage (65.4) and third in passer rating (93.8). He's been to as many Super Bowls as Brett Favre, and won more MVP awards than Tom Brady. He's had success with three different teams. And how do you keep a guy with two MVP awards out of the Hall of Fame? Look at the other guys who have won two MVP awards – Peyton Manning, Brett Favre, Steve Young, Joe Montana, Johnny Unitas, and Jim Brown. He may not have Favre's streak or Manning's iconic status, but there is no denying this: Warner belongs in the Hall of Fame.