Kurt Warner: The Definition of Persistance

Times are tough here in America—and around the world. As we watch the stocks continue to plunge, day after day, see unemployment rates rise, and believe the next President can live up to his billing, we look around us for hope and the possibility that better times are around the corner.

Kurt Warner's career was over. It was over after he was let go by the St. Louis Rams in favor of Marc Bulger because Warner was just a flash-in-the-pan quarterback that could no longer stay healthy.

Thanks for the Super Bowl...please clean out your locker; we'll see you at the reunions every 20 years.

It was finished after the New York Giants benched him in favor Eli Manning. Apparently Warner couldn't hold on to the football any more, and leading them to a winning record and taking shot after shot from opposing defenses wasn’t enough.

His career was going to end quietly in Arizona; where most careers go to die, and people go to retire. (Emmitt Smith and Edgerrin James ring a bell?) They gave him a year to see if he had anything left in the tank. He showed he was on reserves. He could throw a pretty pass, when he held on to the football, but you never knew what team would catch it. 

The following year, Arizona hired him to be Matt Leinart's stunt double, until they could shore up their offensive line and Leinart could develop the requisite skills to be a NFL starter. 

Funny thing happened on his way out of the NFL, he became the top MVP candidate and is leading his team to the NFC West crown and possibly a first-round bye. Keep in mind this is nine years after his remarkable Super Bowl run and five years after the team he led to a Super Bowl win cut him lose. You can chalk it up to a multitude of factors.

The NFC West is absolutely morbid this year. Besides Detroit...San Francisco, Seattle, and St. Louis post the three worst records in the NFC, aiding the Cardinals' 7-3 record.

The trio of receivers he has around him. Both Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald are two of the premiere receivers in the NFL and are hands down the best tandem that any team has to offer. I find it incredible that Boldin came back so quick from having his face broken. 

Also, don't sleep on Steve Breaston. He was a star receiver at Michigan and is proving to play above a No. 3 receiver. He will be a satisfactory replacement should Boldin bolt from the Cardinals.

Then there is Matt Leinart and his inability to grasp professional football. His career is far from finished, but this is a major disappointment for the Cardinals' organization. Maybe things were too easy for him at USC, with all those weapons around him. Hopefully, during this down time he is reinventing and rededicating himself to being the quarterback he is talented enough to be.

(By the way, talk about the sum being greater than its part. All of the offensive weapons that USC had during it consecutive titles run haven’t quite lived up to the NFL billing.

Reggie Bush is a fine player, but he isn't exactly the second coming that he was hyped up to be.

Matt Leinart is backing up Warner in Arizona. It must be weird watching his backup at USC Matt Cassel tear it up for the Patriots.

LenDale White is playing the backup role to rookie Chris Johnson but does have 11 touchdowns for an undefeated team. I always thought he was be a great running back, if he could keep his weight down and focus up. I’m not saying that he is not doing that, maybe Johnson is that much better?

Mike Williams is out of the NFL after being a top 10 pick by Detroit.)

Back to Warner...

All of these factors wouldn't be possible it wasn't for the grit and determination that Warner has been able to conjurer up during the down times in his career. It's not easy to relate to professional athletes, because of their physical abilities and millions of dollars.

But I'm not talking about his feats between the lines, but his perseverance that gave him a shot to be on the field.

But most of us can relate to being let go from a job and facing down the barrel of shotgun, wondering what's going to happen next? How am I going to pay these bills? Or how will I provide for my family?

There is no right or wrong way in facing a crisis; we do the best we can. But I think the lesson we can learn from Warner is to keep your head up during the hard times. His employers didn’t want him, and most felt his career was over.

His livelihood was coming to an end. Yes, he is a glorified professional athlete, but maybe it’s a little easier to relate to him. 

We know his story—grew up in a small town in Iowa, attended the University of Northern Iowa, was a Hy-Vee stock boy, resurrected his career with Arena Football, got a shot in NFL Europe, worked his way up to an NFL backup, lived the dream as the Super Bowl MVP, fell down to earth as a NFL washout, and got back up to be a MVP candidate.

He showed me to keep the cynics at bay and don't let the negative voices inside your head or the people around you to bring you down. Because there is light at the end of the tunnel and sometimes things can turn out better than we ever imagined.

Stick to what you know and go back and do what you do best. The story is different for everyone, but hopefully we can have similar outcome.

Kurt Warner's Cinderella story has been written many times over. The grocery store stock boy to Super Bowl MVP, orchestrating the "Greatest Show on Turf." This year, he is proving the skeptics wrong again and showing his career is far from over.

What we didn't know is that the story for Warner wasn't over yet, and the ups and downs Kurt Warner has faced, not just before his NFL career started, but during the course of his career are lessons we can all take to heart during these difficult times.