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Kurt Warner signed a one-year, $4 million
contract with the Arizona Cardinals. Warner was the starter for the New
York Giants last year until he was replaced by Eli Manning. Will Warner
be the starting quarterback in Arizona or is he there to back up to Josh McCown? If you saw Warner’s press conference I believe it is his job to
lose. In case you missed Warner’s comments, it appears that he will be the
number one quarterback in Arizona. "From the beginning of this process,
I was looking for the best situation for myself and my family and the
Cardinals clearly represent that," Warner said in a statement released
by the Cardinals. "We are very impressed with the direction the
organization is headed in and couldn't be more excited to be a part of
it. Even though this is a one-year deal, I really don't want to go
anywhere else and would like nothing more than to end my career by
helping the Cardinals win a championship." I think Kurt Warner is a
sleeper quarterback heading into the 2005 season and here are my reasons.
Green isn’t the greatest game coach but
his teams win plenty of games and they do it with offense. The Cardinals
who had plenty of holes to fill drafted Larry Fitzgerald with the 3rd
pick in the 2004 draft even though Anquan Boldin was coming off of a monster
rookie season where he had 101 receptions, 1,377 yards, and 8
touchdowns.
In 1998 as head coach of the Minnesota Vikings Green drafted
Randy Moss even though he had Cris Carter and Jake Reed as his two
starting receivers. Green can’t help but draft offense and rumor has it
that Green will draft a top back with his first pick to replace Emmitt
Smith or make a trade with Buffalo for Travis Henry.
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2. Anquan
Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald |
Warner was able to lead the New York
Giants to a 5-2 record as the starter but his numbers were not that
impressive. Warner threw six touchdowns and four interceptions in 2004
but he did complete 62.8% of his passes. The New York Giant’s were
conservative on offense and wide receivers Ike Hilliard and Amani Toomer
failed to catch a touchdown all season long. Warner won’t have problems
throwing touchdowns to Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald who both
caught 8 touchdowns in their rookie seasons. Boldin was injured most of
last year but if he is healthy they could arguably be the best pair of
young receivers in the game.
The Arizona Cardinals almost made the
playoffs last season but Green decided to bench then starter Josh McCown
for a few games for some unknown reason. The Cardinals have a good shot
at making the playoffs this year playing in the NFL’s weakest
division. The Rams, Seahawks, and 49ers are far from powerhouse teams. If the Cardinals protect Warner, get a running back and have both
receivers healthy they could be a dangerous team in the NFC. Arizona
is a team that fantasy owners should keep an eye on.
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