Kurt Warner was fidgety. He had played only one quarter of football in the past two weeks, and that one quarter more closely resembled a preseason game for all the creativity it offered.
Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt had elected to rest his starters for most of a lopsided, 33-7 regular-season ending loss to Green Bay because the game held no significance for the Cardinals. The NFC West champs knew they would be hosting the Packers again in an NFC Wild Card game the following week (Jan. 10, 2010) at University of Phoenix Stadium.
But inactivity wasn't the only thing fueling Warner's restlessness.
"I had watched some film and thought I had picked up on something that (the Packers) were doing, so as we were putting in the game plan and I was designing the plays for that week, I really felt like if we hit a certain thing we could get a real advantage against them," Warner said.
Warner noticed the Packers liked to play two-man coverage with two defenders deep and a man underneath.
CARDINALS RINGS OF HONOR
Owner Charles W. Bidwill
Coach Jimmy Conzelman
OT Dan Dierdorf
QB John "Paddy" Driscoll
HB/DB Marshall Goldberg
CB Dick Lane
HB Ollie Matson
HB Ernie Nevers
S Pat Tillman
HB Charley Trippi
CB Roger Wehrli
CB Aeneas Williams
S Larry Wilson
QB Kurt Warner
"We felt when we either stacked our receivers or had a three-man combination where we had a back in the backfield and the two receivers real tight, the Packers would combo coverage that," Warner said. "So if we brought a receiver across the field and took the back out into the flat on the far side of the field, we would get matchups with linebackers on our wide receivers."
Warner was right. Cardinals receiver Early Doucet took advantage of one of those coverages for a 15-yard TD catch early in the first quarter, and receiver Steve Breaston scraped a linebacker in coverage to go over the top for a 17-yard TD catch late in the fourth-quarter.
But the brilliant game plan the coaching staff and Warner devised that day was overshadowed by one thing: The brilliance of Warner. In a performance that had national columnists slack-jawed in the press box, Warner threw more TD passes (five) than incompletions (four) in Arizona's 51-45 overtime win that was sealed by Michael Adams' strip sack on QB Aaron Rodgers and linebacker Karlos Dansby's 17-yard fumble return for a TD.
When the Cardinals induct Warner into their Ring of Honor on Monday night at halftime of their season-opener against the San Diego Chargers, they will be honoring a player who meant as much to the franchise off the field and in the locker room as he did between the lines.
"To be that grounded and be that great a football player is a rare thing," Cardinals center Lyle Sendlein said.
But for the thousands of fans who attend that game and ceremony, Warner's presence will also afford them a trip down memory lane, a chance to recapture a magical run that is unparalleled in the team's Valley history.
"Kurt would go in the flow every once in a while where it seemed like he was unconscious, because he had this look in his eye," said receiver Larry Fitzgerald, Warner's favorite Cardinal target. "He was almost like a great shooter in basketball. There were flashes where he just couldn't mess up, so you knew if you were where you were supposed to be it was money; the ball would be there."
Warner played for the Cardinals from 2005-09, leading them to back-to-back NFC West titles in 2008 and 2009 and leading the franchise to its only Super Bowl after the 2008 season.
His 65.1 completion percentage, 91.9 passer rating, 22 career 300-yard passing games and 22 straight games with a TD pass are all franchise records.
In a phone conversation earlier this week, the future Hall of Famer admitted to being overwhelmed by the honor.
"Any time where you get recognized as an individual, especially in a team sport, it's a really humbling experience because there are so many things that go into a team's success," he said. "It's one of those things where you wish you could put everybody's name up under yours."
Warner's grocery-bagger-to-NFL-star story was well-chronicled during his 12-year career. But there was so much more to his truly unique man than the ridiculous numbers he put up in front of the fan base.
The media loved him because he always had the time to talk and his responses were at once thoughtful, analytical and articulate.
The community loved him because he always shared his time, whether through his myriad charitable works or community appearances.
The coaching staff and management loved him because he was like another coach on the field and served as an exemplary representative of the franchise.
"Any time you're recognized for something as big as this it always gets emotional, because it's really about who you are and the character that you bring and the impression you left behind," Warner said. "It represents more than just a football team or some football skills that I may have had. It's something I want my kids to see as they grow up and forge their paths.
"So much of life is about having an impact, touching the lives of those around you. Being good at what you do or making money along the way is great, but that impression that you make is what still has the greatest impact."
Follow Craig Morgan on Twitter
