By Jessica Piazza

TWIF Featured Columnist

“A Girl’s Glimpse of the Game”

With the Arizona Cardinals’ defeat to the New Orleans Saints Saturday, Kurt Warner has become the center of the rumor mill with talk surrounding his potential retirement.

Warner is no doubt a talented and accomplished quarterback, and ranks among top quarterbacks all-time in career passer rating.

But has the 38-year-old’s career run its course? If the devastating loss against the Saints isn’t a sign to such a thought actually happening, I don’t know what is.

Arizona’s 45-14 loss in New Orleans came on the heels of their spirited 51-45 overtime victory against the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs, in which Warner threw for 379 yards and five touchdowns, and more importantly, with zero interceptions.

Following that uplifting defeat of the Packers, Warner said he would not make any rash decisions on his retirement – stay after a big win, or go after a big loss.

Yet, the disappointing setback against New Orleans might be hard for him to ignore.

Warner once again was unable to pull out a victory in the Louisiana Superdome, and now is 0-3 there during his career (losing once before to the Saints while with St. Louis, and also in 2001 in the Super Bowl against New England).

However, the Cardinals’ injuries in the first half surely did not help, as cornerback Dominique Rogers-Cromartie went out with a sprained left knee, and safety Antrel Rolle left with a head injury.

Warner himself followed suit when a powerful blow to the chest from Saints’ defensive end Bobby McCray took him out in the second quarter.

Lucky for Warner he just had the wind knocked out of him, though it was unlucky that the disheartening loss wasn’t the storybook ending Warner was hoping for – should he hang up his cleats.

Nevertheless, Warner has undoubtedly had some career highpoints and achievements that cannot be overlooked. In addition to throwing more than 100 touchdown passes for two NFL franchises, he has set the record for most passing yards in a Super Bowl with 414 in Super Bowl XXXIV against the Tennessee Titans.

To add to Warner’s accomplishments, he was also named NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP in 1999, and again named the league’s MVP in 2001.

And with his rags-to-riches quarterback story quite well known to all those who follow the NFL, it’s obvious that tenacity and persistence is in Warner’s blood.

Early in his NFL career, after being released from the Packers in 1994, he took a $5.50/hour job at the Hy-Vee grocery store in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he grew up; all the while still holding onto his dream of becoming an NFL quarterback.

His grit and determination eventually earned him a contract with St. Louis in 1998 after a brief stint in the Arena Football League, and his pro-football career took off from there.

Though it hasn’t been an easy ride, it’s evident that Warner is a hardworking and ambitious athlete willing to put his entire heart into the game.

Although every NFL athlete hopes to end their career on top, Warner has an entirely different set of priorities off the field. He and his wife Brenda have seven children between them, one with special needs. So between his wife and children, Warner has eight very good reasons to retire.

And Warner has made it known that his family will have plenty of input as he considers his future, and that they will be a big part of the process. Although he and his wife have faced many trials and tribulations throughout their relationship (such as the death of his in-laws in a 1996 Arkansas tornado, his arduous quest to NFL success, and his embracing of Christianity), they have managed to create a strong foundation for themselves and their children.

While it seems reasonable for Warner to throw in the towel and focus more on his family at this point in his life, and after suffering a severe concussion earlier this season, it still must be an extremely difficult decision for Warner.

Especially considering how hard he has worked to achieve his NFL dreams. Especially after the trials and tribulations he’s been through during his NFL career, being released by St. Louis and having to earn his stripes once again as a backup for the New York Giants and Arizona Cardinals.

So will his never quit attitude prevent him from ultimately retiring? Or will his familial responsibilities be enough to sway him from the gridiron? We’ll all know soon, as Warner himself said he’ll have a decision in two-to-three weeks.

Or better said, again by Warner himself, after beating the Packers two weeks ago, “I don’t think you ever want to stay too long, but you never want to go out before it’s time.”

Stay tuned.