Cardinals QB Kurt Warner announced that he will retire from football after 12 season in the NFL.

Warner was one of the great stories of the league. The devoted Christian and former Arena league player went from stacking shelves at the supermarket, to taking over for an injured Trent Green in St Louis. Warner eventually took the Rams to 2 Super Bowls, winning one (SB XXXIV). Warner also won 2 league MVPs as well.

Once Warner left the Rams, he had a brief stint with the Giants before going to Arizona. Warner rejuvenated his career with the Cardinals and made Arizona become a respectable team. Warner led the Cardinals to Super Bowl XLIII before losing to the Steelers.



For the 2009 season, the 38-year-old Warner still had a good year, completing over 66% of his passes and throwing 26 TDs. The Cardinals fell short to the New Orleans Saints in the 2009 NFL Divisional Playoff round.

Kurt Warner will be missed, but not as much as his feisty wife, Brenda Warner. We've seen Brenda transform from an ugly duckling, to a swan, right before our eyes.




Enjoy your swan, Kurt. You were definitely one of the great ones.


A couple of "Did You Know?" Facts:

-Only quarterback to throw for over 14,000 yards with two different teams (St. Louis Rams, Arizona Cardinals)
-2nd Highest career passer rating, Playoffs - 104.6 (Bart Starr is first)
-Tied Johnny Unitas with 4 consecutive games with a passer rating over 120 (against Brett Favre and the 10-1 Vikings on 12/6/2009)
-2nd Highest Average Passing Yards Per Game, Career (Min. 100 games) - 260.4 yards/game (Peyton Manning is first)
-Only NFL quarterback to throw 40 touchdowns and win a Super Bowl in the same season (1999).

Excuse me for taking a brief hiatus. The Ravens once again, found a way to rip my heart out, and stomp on it like a Dave Chappelle skit.


To make matters worse, my boo Philip Rivers pulled a Peyton Manning (before his SB win, of course) and choked in the playoffs....... AGAIN! I had to regroup, this football weekend was just too much for me to handle in such a short period of time.

Luckily for me, I've ignored the local sports media stations, ESPN and the NFL Network so I could collect my thoughts and create a new blog post. Here's my thoughts on this weekend's divisional games:

-If you thought the Saints were going to be one and done in the playoffs, raise your hand.......

Looks like you were dead wrong! I had no idea how to look at Cardinals-Saints game, but I sure thought that the score would have been similar to last week's wild card game with the Green Bay Packers. After scoring on their first possession, they looked totally out of their game. Once Kurt Warner's INT and hit happened, it was pretty much a wrap.

Warner said he planned to retire, but then recanted that statement right before the playoffs. My guess is after that hit, he's gonna call it a career.

-Hello Reggie Bush!

I've waited your whole NFL career for a game like Saturday's, and you came out on fiyah! Five carries, 84 yards and a punt return resulted in 2 TDs for the day for Mr. USC. I guess Kim Kardashian's presence and possible marriage proposal bet has that effect on him.

-Shout out to the homeless dude at the Saints game.

Good to see New Orleans giving back to the community. Oh wait........... that's Brad Pitt.

- I love my Ravens, and I always will, but they were not on their game this weekend. The football gods clearly weren't working in their favor. From the awful personal foul call on Ray Lewis, to Ed Reed's INT being punched out and fumbled, the Ravens couldn't catch a break if they paid for it.

My biggest issue with the game was the offensive game plan of the Ravens. There was no sense of urgency, and the play calling was atrocious. Cam Cameron didn't adjust and neutralize the speed of the Colts defense, and I have no idea why. Saturday night, I was yelling, "Off with his head!", because I had an issue with majority of his play calling that night. But what's done is done...... yeah, I'm still salty. Sue me.

-Just when you think old man Favre is OLD MAN Favre, he sips on that damn Fountain of Youth again, and makes plays the same way he did 15 years ago.

Favre threw for 234 yards and 4 TDs in the Vikings 34-3 rout over the Cowboys. I don't think I've ever seen a dude so old (in football years), play so well. I stopped slurping the Favre kool aid once he went to New York, but I can't take away anything he's done this season. He's been a great addition to Minnesota.


- With most NFL games, there are upsets on the horizon. I don't think anyone saw the Jets going to San Diego and coming out with a win and advance to the AFC Championship. But that's exactly what they did. The Chargers moved the ball for majority of the game, but only scored 14 points in the game, with the Jets eventually taking the win, 17-14. Shout out to former Ravens defensive coordinator-turned-head coach Rex Ryan. He's doing big things in the Big Apple.

- 2009 Jets = 2008 Ravens in every way imaginable. Unless they win on Sunday. Then they're the 2009 Jets

-What is up with NFL kickers??? The 2009 NFL season is the official season of NFL kickers missing FGs. During the regular season, kickers made 80.5% of FG attempts, the lowest percentage since 2003. Sean Suisham and Nate Kaeding missed 4 FGs on Sunday alone. For the Cowboys, 6 points didn't mean much, but it could have maintained momentum. For Kaeding (who, by-the-way, was selected to this year's Pro Bowl), he missed 2 FGs that ultimately decided the game's outcome.

Kaeding also missed FGs in past playoff games against the Jets and the Patriots. If I'm Suisham and Kaeding's teammates, I'd be windmilling out of control until I'm over it. *in Herm Edwards's voice* You get paid to kick the ball- that's it!

*extra point* My final Ode To Rivers of the season.... I still love you!


-If you haven't checked out Showtime's Inside The NFL, there was a great remix they showed after the regular season was over. Whoever does these remixes is talented. I was amused. Enjoy!

I'm sure most of you were like me and were plastered to the TV the entire weekend, with your full attention on the NFL Playoffs. Whether it was a blowout, total domination or an OT game, all of the games were good to me. It's the playoffs, so anything that can happen, did happen. Here are my thoughts over the weekend's games:

Ocho Cinco celebrated his birthday on Sat, the same day as his playoff game against the New York Jets. That was pretty much all there was to celebrate though. The Bengals looked dazed and confused, and Palmer looked like a deer in headlights. The Jets beat the Bengals the week before to secure their playoff spot, so they had all the confidence in the world coming into Cincy's house. While Bengals RB Cedric Benson did run wild on a league-leading Jets defense with 169 yards, Gang Green simply made more plays and beat the Bengals convincingly, 24-14. There may have even been an Ocho Cinco tears sighting. But it was hard to tell.

*extra point* How does Mark Sanchez play more like a veteran than Carson Palmer on such a large stage???

Sanchez has said numerous times that Palmer was someone he looked up to, back from their days in Southern Cali when Sanchez attended Palmer's high school games. But it was Sanchez who was schooling Palmer on Saturday, passing 12/15 for 182 yards and a TD. It was kind of sad to see, the Bengals just can't get right in the playoffs.


The Cowboys.... wow!!! First off, let me congratulate you on your playoff win. It was long overdue. But good lord, who knew you were gonna come out swinging like that?! You made the Eagles look like some regular team that didn't belong in the dance. Even Roy Williams came out to play and caught some good passes, which means he was in RARE form. I'm finally a believer that the Cowboys have a serious chance of representing the NFC come February. They earned it, and Tony Romo had a very good day.

*extra point* I must say, the highlight of the night was McNabb "taunting" the Cowboys fans. I didn't find it taunting at all, I thought it was kinda funny.... But I'm not a Cowboys fan so...........


*2 pt conversion* Okay I'm officially scared............


There is nothing I love more than what I saw yesterday. The Ravens treated the Patriots like they stole something, and I was like a proud mama, cheesing the entire time. They came to play and they did just that, which was one of the best games the Ravens played the entire season. Of course I wrote a column about it on Gridiron Gals, but I had to show my boys some love over here too. They beat the Darlings of the NFL, there is nothing cooler than that.

*extra point* Shout out to the Ravens fans that went to Boston. Baltimore may not be recognized as a well traveled team, but we do more than alright. Just ask Vince Wilfork.


By far the best game was the Packers-Cardinals game. It had the most offense out of all the games this weekend. The Pack were down 17 points in the 1st qtr, but found their way fighting back and staying alive in the game, eventually tying up the score 45 all and taking the game to OT. Over 1,000 yards of total offense and 96 totals points from both sides combined. The biggest thing that has me scratching my head, is the Packers were ranked #2 overall in defense prior to yesterday's game, but still managed to give up over 500 yards of offense.

So with such a high scoring, offensive game, imagine every one's surprise when the play ended because of defense. If I didn't see if for myself I, wouldn't have believed it.


Congrats to the Cardinals. That was the most exciting game of the weekend. You earned that win.

*extra point* I kinda feel bad for the Packers. Aaron Rodgers was clearly hit in the face mask which startled him and the fumble then came. I hate ticky tacky calls and giving the QBs extra leniency, but that was a blatant call that was missed. I'd bet money that if Brady or Manning were the guy behind center, three flags would have come out. The officiating this season has been horrific, and it showed again in the OT game.



*2 pt conversion* That being said.... the Packers shouldn't have let them get up 17-0 in the 1st qtr. I'm just saying........


This weekend's matchups are set and ready. The Cardinals travel to the Crescent City to play the Saints while the Ravens go to Indy to play the Colts on Saturday. On Sunday, The Cowboys head to Minnesota and the Jets will be in San Diego to face my boo Philip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers. I doubt that any of these games will disappoint, unless your team is on the losing end when the game is over. Each team earned the right to be there, so I expect big things for the Divisional Weekend.

*extra point* I found this on Blitz Nation and I couldn't resist.... What in the world is LT doing???? And Why??????

VS.



Hello boy and gals. The Super Bowl has come and gone and it was probably one of the best games of the season, and more. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals gave everyone watching a great show, with Pittsburgh ultimately hoisting the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the game.

Some have already dubbed this game the Super Bowl for the ages. But it seems that we have already forgotten about the game that was played almost to the day, of a year ago. While I do agree that was a very good game, I cannot forget the biggest upset in Super Bowl history, when the New York Giants beat the then-undefeated New England Patriots in a thriller.

So I decided to break down each production in categories and try to figure out in fact, which Super Bowl was better. Let’s take a look at how both games compare against each other

Singing Of The National Anthem- Jennifer Hudson was nothing short of incredible. Her version of the Star Spangled Banner was one I would never forget. With the tragic passing of her mother, brother and nephew, this was Hudson’s first performance since the horrible ordeal. And she did not disappoint. I was in tears by the end of her performance.

Not since Whitney Houston’s rendition have I felt such a way about the National Anthem. Jordin Sparks sang last year’s anthem… I wasn’t impressed. But shout out to American Idol for producing star power from both ladies, who can thank the show for their claim to fame. However SB43 wins this by a landslide. There was no competition



Best Story Line Leading up to Game- There were so many story lines for last night’s game. Would Hines Ward play with a bad knee? Would Pittsburgh get their 6th Super Bowl title? Would Kurt Warner get his AARP card before he wins another Super Bowl?

These were good story lines and all. But none was greater than New England’s, "path to perfection", being only the 2nd undefeated team along with the 1972 Miami Dolphins going into the Big Game. This was the perfect David and Goliath story, with David… I mean the New York Giants slaying the Mighty Men of Boston. New England will never be able to shake that off, even with 3 other Super Bowl wins this decade. This one will be the dark cloud over their glory. SB 42 wins this one easily



Commercials- This year's commercials really struggled to be consistently good. With a recession in the economy, there was a noticeable decline in creativity and production. There were a few moments, though. The Doritos Crystal Ball commercial was hilarious. The Denny's commercial was good also. But the WTF Commercial Award goes to the Sobe commercial with Ray Lewis in a white leotard dancing. That commercial had "suspect" written all over it.

The E Trade commercial with the new baby was kinda funny, but not as good as last years. Much better commercials from the 2008 SB were Justin Timberlake's Pepsi commercial, the Sobe commercial with Naomi Campbell doing the Thriller dance and even the Will Ferrell commercial for Bud Light were better. SB 42 gets my vote on this one




Halftime Show- Bruce Springsteen vs Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.. Hmmmm. One comment about Tom Petty... It gave me the best 20 minute power nap ever.

Now, let me say that I can only think of about 3 Springsteen songs. “Born in the USA” being the most recognizable. But last night, he ripped it. He was great! The last time I was anywhere near entertained for the Halftime Show, Janet’s boob popped out, and my mouth fell to the floor.

Prince’s performance 2 years ago was good. But it was expected, because Prince is the man. Every video he does is like a performance anyway. So he didn’t do anything out of the ordinary. Last night’s performance was strong and full of life. I couldn’t ask for a better performance. SB 43 by a MILE!



Best Clutch Play-



Ben’s TD pass last night to Santonio Holmes will go down as one of the greatest TD catches in a SB. But I saw first hand Holmes' ability to make plays like that on any occasion. He has really blossomed into a very good WR for his team. However, the Manning to Tyree catch in the 4th quarter will always be the greatest play ever in a Super Bowl. Manning should have been sacked, and the game should have been over. But he somehow finds a way out of no way to get the completion to Tyree, who was basically a no name to anyone outside of New York. While I loved the dynamic of both plays, the Giants catch beats this one by a hang nail.



Yes Larry..... Yes!


Overall Performance of Game- Last year’s game had its moments, but it was a defensive struggle for a while there. I'm a big fan of defensive games (I'm used to having an inept offense and a defense that carries the team), but when I watch the Super Bowl, I want excitement for 60 minutes. And last night’s game was a nail biter. If anyone told me that Arizona would put up 400 total yards and lose, I would say to them, "The devil is a LIAR!!". Even until the end, there was over 2 minutes left in the 4th quarter after a Cardinals score, I told my colleague, “There’s way too much time on the clock for Ben to score. I’ve seen him do this too many times before…”. I’m gonna go with SB43 on this one, it had more exciting moments than the Pats-Giants game



After tallying up the votes, this was a close one. But in the end, Super Bowl XLIII won by a close margin of 3-2. I don't want to take anything away from last year's game. It's still a Top 5 in my book. But with so many different angles in story lines leading up to the game, the outcome of the game and the consistent excitement of the game, Super Bowl XLIII turned out to be a great production. Kudos to the NFL for having another successful season. Games like last night's is why this is America's Game!





OT Special- Mike Tomlin.. I think I like you. *blush*