There's a compelling reason why I belong in the Hall of Fame, but I understand the argument against me. My career didn't go like most, and I'm 100 percent fine with that because that's what resonates with people.
— Kurt Warner
The president of the United States, his role is to uphold and to fight for the rights of every person, every American.
A lot of people, when they see my career, they hear or remember, 'Sat on the bench four years in college, got cut by the Packers, worked in a grocery store, and then won the Super Bowl.' That's kind of the timeline the people see when they hear 'Kurt Warner.'
My game is more a game of thinking than anything else.
Any time you're comfortable or familiar with something, it's easier than something you're not familiar with.
The great ones have the ability to focus and tune everything else out and see more than the others. Average quarterbacks have tunnel vision. They see what's in front of them. The better you get, the more that tunnel expands, and the more guys on the field you see.
Anytime you mention Jesus or faith, people are turned off. I think it scares a lot of people.
People think that whatever happens on the football field should define me way one or the other. A lot of people say, 'I can't believe you don't think more highly of yourself, two-time MVP, Super Bowl MVP,' but it's like, whatever. It just happens to be what I do. I want to be defined by what I believe in, by who I am.
If you can stand up for your faith when you're on top, you can stand up for it now that you're at the bottom.
Any time you make a change, and a major change, as you try to establish something, there's a lot of question marks there on what's going to happen moving forward.
I was lucky enough to play in three Super Bowls and two Arena Bowls.
So many guys come onto the scene who aren't supposed to be there. You pull for one, and then you see there's another and another and another, and you start to say, 'Who cares where a player was drafted? He can play football, and he can play at this level.'
I never doubted myself.
That's part of the deal. You're going to be criticized. I always welcomed that. Not everyone believes what I believe. And I welcome the criticism, not because I like it, but because it means they're watching you. It presents an opportunity to share your message and share your faith.
When people look back at my career, I want them to see a fierce competitor, but more importantly, I want to be remembered for my consistency of character and the legacy I hope to leave through my First Things First Foundation.
One thing I know is if I have my best player, I'm not going to let another team take him out of the game so I can throw to somebody else. I'm going to find a way to get my best player involved so they can't take him away.
I have seven kids. I want to watch my kids grow up. I want to participate in their activities. There's a lot I wanted to accomplish beyond football. It all starts with making sure my heart's healthy.
My story is more real life than most. Most Hall of Famers have great careers before they get inducted. I'm not supposed to be part of this conversation.
Having seven kids, you love being in a position where you know how you act, what you say, and how you help someone can ultimately impact their long-term success or belief or confidence.
I have been very blessed in that I have been completely fine. No headaches, no depression... absolutely no signs of post-concussion syndrome.
Sometimes guys peak early. They get drafted higher, and they make it to the NFL, and they don't have a lot of growth.
Joe Montana was a guy I enjoyed watching.
Kurt Warner is not who he is without the city of St. Louis.
I think, a lot of times, where people see they're insufficient or lacking in certain areas, they feel they're being judged even when they're not. And they condemn themselves more than anyone else does.
I don't think there's any question that the Arena League allowed me to flourish. I played three years in a league where the quarterback wasn't supposed to be stopped. We never wanted to kick. When I went into the NFL, I had that same mentality.
That's what you kind of see with Matthew Stafford. He makes some incredible plays, even with his arm in different positions. But the consistency's not there that you need at the position to be one of the top quarterbacks in the league, and I think that's where cleaning up the technique will help.
I've done things that people in this league will never do.
There is nothing better than playing for the championship at any level of football.
The reality is you don't have to be the No. 1 pick to make it big anymore.
When I'm talking about one of the things that define my career and what is most special to me, stats, they are what they are. The bottom line is you want to impact the place you go and the people you're around, and I hope I've done that in my football career, both on and off the field.
You can take off a football jersey, but you can never take off your faith. That goes with you everywhere.
Of all the awards given to NFL athletes, the Walter Payton Man of the Year is the one that stands out above the rest to me because of what it represents.
I've had a great time making the transition from playing to talking about the game, and there is no better place to talk football than NFL Network.
Part of high cholesterol is that you can look at yourself in the mirror, and you can feel great and think there's no issues. But silently, they can be affecting your heart.
I'd love to be a consultant and help design an offense. That's my true passion, and I want to find an outlet where I can do that.
I always felt like wherever I was, I'd be successful.
I was content playing Arena football. If a better opportunity hadn't come along, they would've had to throw me out of the league to get rid of me.
My brother was a Chargers fan, so we watched Dan Fouts a lot growing up.
I was a Cowboys fan growing up.
Sports have an amazing way of banding people together from all walks of life, building relationships that would have never happened.
I don't think anyone has a bad perception of me. Just a limited one. Everyone thinks I pretty much sit around and talk about Jesus all the time. But I'm normal. I'm just a guy. Yeah, I love Jesus and do things a bit different, but I have the same conversations and share the same thoughts as anyone else.
I've always said, if everything was equal, from money to retirement to endorsement opportunities - all that stuff - if everything was equal, I'd play Arena football over the NFL. It was built for quarterbacks. It was just backyard football.
It's a great game, and it's done great things for me and my family, but the bottom line is when I'm done, I want to be able to walk away and be everything I need to be for my family.
I believe that I've got a unique knowledge and understanding of this game, and I'm able to see it differently than a lot of people.
No matter how badly you play, you want to come out healthy.
It's not the way I threw the football - it's not particular games that I won - but that they remember that here's a guy that believed, that worked hard. Although things didn't always go in his favor, he continued to press through, and with his faith in himself and his faith in God, he was able to accomplish great things.
People are going to forget that I won a Super Bowl, but they're never going to forget the kind of impact you had on them personally.
I felt like there were always people who said football should be over here and faith should be over there. But that drove me.
I am humbled the Lord has given me such an amazing life to impact others.
If you can play the game later in your career very similar to how you played earlier in your career, then it bodes well for you to play longer and play better longer.
