With Thursday’s announcement of finalists for the NFL’s Hall of Fame class of 2015, Kurt Warner has the opportunity to become a first ballot Hall of Famer. Warner boasts one of the greatest underdog stories in recent sports history, going from a grocery store clerk to Super Bowl champion. Warner also appeared in two other Super Bowls that he was unable to win. Aside from his appearances in the Super Bowl Warner is a four time Pro Bowler and two time league MVP. That being said I am in doubt of his credentials as not only a first ballot Hall of Famer but as a Hall of Fame candidate in general.
Although Warner has an impressive stat line, my concern is that he benefited heavily from the support of all-star talent and he never performed on a consistent basis. Warner had three successful seasons in the NFL and in all three he was bolstered by talented rosters. In his miracle ’99 season and subsequent career with the Rams he significantly benefited from Hall of Fame talent in the form of Marshall Faulk, Tory Holt, and Isaac Bruce (the latter two on the list as potential Hall of Fame candidates when it was initially announced). Then when he became an Arizona Cardinal he excelled due to the presence of Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. With eleven seasons in the league and only three successful ones it’s hard to say he did not leave something to be desired. Although at times injury plagued Warner was quite underwhelming between the ’03 to ’08 seasons.
He may deserve a spot among the NFL elite, as of now I don’t see enough to make him a first ballot HOFer.
