The past two days' posts on the subject have been separated. Today, instead, I will combine both players into one post. Yesterday was Tom Tupa on the good side of favorites and Thomas Jones for the side I don't like. Moving on to the number eight slot in my own version of player power rankings, I focus on a par of Super Bowl winning quarterbacks -- Kurt Warner and Jim McMahon.
Jim McMahon was not a Cardinal for long -- playing only in 1994, but my dislike for him started long before. While I was not a student of the NFL in my youth, I did know who McMahon was because of the Bears. I hated the Bears. I still very much dislike the Bears (and other Chicago teams -- the Bulls, the Cubs and Blackhawks).
McMahon never impressed me. I know he won a Super Bowl and he was really, really good in college, but I saw him as a hugely overrated butthead. So when he followed Buddy Ryan to Arizona, I was less than thrilled. Of course, while he was here, he had his worst statistical season of his career.
To this day I do not understand why he was considered anything special. His career passer rating was nothing special. He threw for almost as many INTs as TDs. He wasn't all that.
...
On the side of my favorites, Kurt Warner makes it at number eight. ONLY NUMBER EIGHT? I know, that is what you are asking me even though I am not there in front of you.
He is only number eight because I am a little bitter at him for retiring and leaving the team in shambles. When he signed that two-year deal before the 2009 season, I was prepared for two seasons and then goodbye. His decision caused a tumbling down of the Cardinals successful infrastructure. I understand why he did it, but as a fan I was left saddened and a little angry.
Of course, he did lead the gosh-darn freaking Arizona Cardinals to a Super Bowl...and, at that, within a couple of minutes of a Super Bowl title. It still seems weird to even think that it happened.
He remade himself. He frustrated many, many fans with his fumbles, ill-advised throws and poor clock management. But he turned back the and looked like the guy that took the St. Louis Rams to a pair of Super Bowls.
He almost single-handedly raised the team up into the elite and left it to fall into the abyss of underperformance.
That's why I love him but not as much as others on my list.