Warner, Big Red would be a match made in heaven

[RamDez]

This just goes to show what a fool Bernie the Dolt is .........................

Warner, Big Red would be a match made in heaven

By Bernie Miklasz
Of the Post-Dispatch
Saturday, Mar. 05 2005

If there is a god of football, then surely Kurt Warner will sign a free-agent
contract with the Arizona Cardinals. The greatest quarterback in St. Louis NFL
history will join hands with Bill Bidwill in a plot to overthrow the Rams and
take over the wide open NFC West.

Warner as a Cardinal would be delightful, delirious entertainment for football
fans in St. Louis. And for some, such an arrangement would spark intense,
conflicting emotions.

How many Warner fans here would defect from the Rams to the Cardinals? How many
of red, No. 13 "Warner" jerseys would be sold in St. Louis stores?

Warner doesn't always hold onto the football, but he still has a firm grip on
many fans here. They seem convinced that Warner can, in fact, walk across the
Mississippi River. And when the Rams defense and special teams got squashed in
the playoffs by Atlanta, the Post-Dispatch ran letters that pinned the loss on
Marc Bulger, who replaced Warner as the Rams' starter in 2003.

Warner's more zealous fans resent Bulger and seem to believe Mike Martz was
sent to earth by the forces of evil and darkness to destroy Warner. So imagine
the Rams and Cardinals playing twice a year, with Warner setting up to throw
against the Rams' shaky defense at The Edward Jones Dome, the scene of St.
Kurt's greatest football glories.

Imagine . . .

Warner riding in a Popemobile-type vehicle through the streets of downtown St.
Louis, waving to weeping fans, as he makes a triumphant arrival at The Ed ...
Martz being hung in effigy from lamposts outside the Dome ... hustlers selling
Bulger voodoo dolls outside the stadium ... Warner leading Arizona to victory,
with the home crowd turning against the Rams, and cheering for the Cardinals as
if the clock had been turned back to 1974 ... Brenda Warner sitting in her
former seat at The Ed, leaning over the rail to give Kurt a kiss as he leaves
the field ... Bidwill and Warner hugging in the Arizona locker room.

This catastrophe would ruin Martz's mood, and quite possibly his career.
Day-after talk show callers would speak in tongues and demand Martz's
resignation.

Our town would tingle over the revival of Martz vs. The Warners. Warner isn't
yet a Cardinal but he's already stirring the cauldron, making cryptic comments
about the untold story of his demise in St. Louis.

"It's hard, because the media has made so many determinations on what's wrong
with me and why I'm not in St. Louis anymore," Warner told media while visiting
the Cardinals' facility last week. "Nobody knows the whole story. It's not
something I'm going to talk about, but I know the reason I'm not in St. Louis
is not because I can't play this football game."

The Cardinals are a nice fit for Warner, who has drawn interest from Chicago
and Detroit. Coach Dennis Green isn't sold on his young quarterback, Josh
McCown, and the Cardinals are aggressively recruiting Warner. Chicago and
Detroit aren't as willing to commit to Warner as the starter, and Warner says
he doesn't want to be a backup.

The Cardinals are an improving team with money to spend and have three gifted
young wide receivers in Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and Bryant Johnson.

Warner was 5-4 as a starter for the New York Giants last season, but he was
benched after becoming shaky in the pocket. In his final four starts with the
Giants, Warner was sacked 24 times and fumbled eight times. But in New York,
Warner showed flashes of the impressive passing style that helped him win two
league MVP awards in St. Louis.

Please make this happen.

Warner vs. Martz in a battle for the NFC West, with the winner also capturing
the hearts of many St. Louis football fans.

If Bidwill signs Warner, he'd have more fans in St. Louis now than he did when
the Cardinals played here from 1960 through 1987.

And that would be Warner's first miracle in the desert.

[HUbison]

Bernie, Bernie, Bernie....slow day at the office, pal?

How many Warner fans here would defect from the Rams to the Cardinals?

I have never believed in having sports "heros". I have never been one to look at one of these athletes and say "that's someone I look up to". That changed with Kurt Warner. He is someone that not only I look up to, but would be proud if either of my sons tried to emulate him as an example of a sports gentleman. He is everything I would want to be if I were a professional athlete. HOWEVER, he is no longer a Ram! I will cheer for him whenever his success is not in conflict with the Rams success. But when his progress is equivalent to the Rams regress, I will hope to see his back on the ground with a Ram defender in his face, just like any other opposing QB. I admire, respect, and will always be a fan of Kurt Warner, but he is not a Ram.

How many
of red, No. 13 "Warner" jerseys would be sold in St. Louis stores?

Bernie, a true fan won't look for the name on the back of the jersey, but the one on the front.

[RamsFanSam]

If you look at my signature pic, you will notice my daughter wearing a Bulger jersey....standing next to an autographed Warner jersey (in the case) and below a Warner poster. In the case, hidden from view is an old LA Rams belt buckle, an autographed Henry Ellard football, and an autographed Deacon Jones helmet. The walls are painted gold, the trim is blue (the pic doesn't really show it, but the colors are a perfect match to the uniform colors), there is a Rams pennant and a Rams clock on the wall, and I still want to carpet the floor in astroturf. (preferably authentic from the EJD). Even the bed linens are blue & gold. So what's my point? It is a RAMS themed bedroom...not a Warner themed room. Even though he is no longer a Ram, I will never forget what he did for the team and for my interest in football. I, too, wish him luck wherever he goes, but like HUBison, in a choice between the Rams and KW.....sorry, Kurt. Good luck...and remember, I hope you make it to the playoffs, only to be beaten by the Rams.

[txramsfan]

Bernie should have been at the Poplar Bluff/Webster Groves game

[psycho9985]

It could be worse.Just think if sanfran picked him up,that I really couldnt handle.

[txramsfan]

I really don't care

[Goldenfleece]

I have to wish Warner the best of luck because in the right situation he can likely be brilliant again, but it is scary to think about the potential for the Cardinals offense with the firepower they have now and a well-protected Warner. I think he could find a lot of success under a Dennis Green run system, but I don't expect many would root against the Rams just because another team was on the rise with a former Rams great. Many of the Rams faithful had to endure a decade of disastrous seasons in the 90s, and they haven't left yet.

[theodus69]

There is alot of mixed emotions here. Bernie obviously pulled a print from a past april foolsday article. But to be a fan as long as I have been and to see this team get hammered for years and then the likes of the 99 season to appear, well that was just F'n Beautiful! Warner is just a guy who came out of nowhere and performed like a God on the Field . Gave the Fans what we all have wanted for years. He Pounded the Training camps and never gave up. And even today he's still striving for what he believes he still has( and I hope to God he does)!!! :ramlogo: But beware the fact , If he pulls out more Magic with the Cards, well as it is said the west is wide open, he could really make things screwed for us!!!!!But for what all he has did for me as a fan, I my heart I'm still gonna pull for him!!!! Maybe some of you don't care, but the direction of this team of ours as of late , hasn't gave me that warm fuzzy feeling! Good luck Kurt and I hope you don't end up reining over us. If you do well....................It may be bitter sweet! :ramlogo:

[psycho9985]

This is how I want to remember Kurt Warner

[Nick]

I will cheer for him whenever his success is not in conflict with the Rams success.

And if he were to become a member of another NFC West team, then I would imagine any success he would have would be in conflict with the Rams, even if it's not against the Rams.

I wish Warner the best with his life and career. I'll always remember him as one of the Ram greats, and one of my favorite players of all time. But on the field, there's only one team I root for, and it's St. Louis.

If Warner joins an NFC West team, so long as he's an active player, he'll just be another Matt Hasselbeck or Tim Rattay to me - someone that I hope the Rams crush when we play them, someone whom I hope does not find success or victories in the NFL.

[WisRamsFan]

He signed a one-year deal today. Maybe Bernie better pre-order his jersey now since they are going to be the hottest item in St. Louis. :bored:

[HUbison]

If Warner joins an NFC West team, so long as he's an active player, he'll just be another Matt Hasselbeck or Tim Rattay to me

Hasselbeck or Rattay never worn the horns, so I think that alone should keep him a notch above them even in the most ardent "now is now" fan. And we're splitting hairs here, but just because he's in the NFC West does not mean that all of his success amounts to steps back for the Rams.

I know that some people go out of their way to talk about how Warner "doesn't matter" or how some fans "don't care" whenever Warner's name is mentioned. That's fine. If that's how some react to the uber-Warnerites that can go overboard with their support then so be it. However, the fact is, Warner is a symbol of the new Rams, when everything started going right for this team. It's hard to not feel some sentimental value to Warner. As I said, some will go out of their way to show that they've cut all ties, and fine, so be it. But unless, he is facing across from the Rams, I see no reason to not cheer for the guy. But that's just me. There are those that don't agree and they're entitled to that opinion, just as I'm entitled to mine. I don't consider them lesser Ram fans, nor they should they me.

[Nick]

But unless, he is facing across from the Rams, I see no reason to not cheer for the guy.

Sorry, I'm not going to cheer for a Cardinal. I'm not going to cheer for Wistrom, a Seahawk. It's as simple as that. When it's outside the division, I wish them well... unless they're competition for a wild card spot. But with teams inside the West, I want to see them fail. It gives the Rams more of a cushion.

[Yodude]

Hasselbeck or Rattay never worn the horns, so I think that alone should keep him a notch above them even in the most ardent "now is now" fan. And we're splitting hairs here, but just because he's in the NFC West does not mean that all of his success amounts to steps back for the Rams.

I know that some people go out of their way to talk about how Warner "doesn't matter" or how some fans "don't care" whenever Warner's name is mentioned. That's fine. If that's how some react to the uber-Warnerites that can go overboard with their support then so be it. However, the fact is, Warner is a symbol of the new Rams, when everything started going right for this team. It's hard to not feel some sentimental value to Warner. As I said, some will go out of their way to show that they've cut all ties, and fine, so be it. But unless, he is facing across from the Rams, I see no reason to not cheer for the guy. But that's just me. There are those that don't agree and they're entitled to that opinion, just as I'm entitled to mine. I don't consider them lesser Ram fans, nor they should they me.

That was very well said Hub! :smile:

[talkstoangels61]

#1 here fellow fans! Idon't believe that Kurt would have left the Rams if not for Mike Martz! So in my eyes Kurt is still family here!!! Just like many others Deacon,Jack Youngblood ,Snow,Dickerson,etc.... What gives here with some of you? A Q. B and HUMAN-BEING that strives to be a great player,role model,human being,etc.......That helped bring us Ram fans a ring and yet i still hear negative comments on threads about this man! Un-believable! Let me ask a few of you a ? What if it would have been you as our QB?......Lets put this business s**t aside here!! A man's only as good as his words in my belief! What?...didn't hear afew of you there!
Let's not get this KW ,MB s**t started again!.....It was never either one of those great Rams players faults! Need to look else where! on that
Good Luck Kurt and ,I for one will be behind you 100%. You were apart of a team that gave me what i had been yearning for my entire football life! A Superbowl victory! And i thank all of our players for doing that for not only yourselves but, many of us longtime diehard fans! Sa lute'