So, in what was likely a slow day at TMZ, they decided to hit up former Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner and ask him some football questions. Of course, as only TMZ can do, they found a way to stir up a little controversy.
After asking him about Michael Vick and Geno Smith, they asked him whetherhe felt more allegiance to St. Louis or Arizona.
And...bam! He said Arizona...sort of. If you didn't catch the embedded video above, it goes like this:
First, you have to note the non-verbal gesture -- he cringed at the question, meaning he knew there was no great way to answer it.
Then he said it -- Arizona wins!
"If there was one, I would probably feel a little more allegiance to Arizona than I do to St. Louis, just because of the fact there's a number of people, whether it's teammates or in the upper levels. So, being the last place I played, being that I still live there, there's probably a little more allegiance there. But (I'm) still a huge fan of St. Louis and everything they gave me."
CONTROVERSY!!!!
OK, there really is nothing here. The only edge he gave to Arizona was the fact is that he still knows people and has friends on the Cards (Larry Fitzgerald, as well as a few others like Darnell Dockett, Calais Campbell and Lyle Sendlein).
He still uses the Cardinals to put together and promote his "Ultimate Football Experience."
He is only a few years removed form his playing days that ended here, while he is a decade removed from the Rams. The coaching staff has changed, there are no more teammates, the front office is different. It's different.
As a fan, though, it is a little comforting to know that he favors our team, even just a little bit. And with the NFL Network promos that feature him, it always seems to be as if Arizona is an afterthought. So we can feel good that he actually came out and said it.
But if he had to pick which one was more special, it would probably have to be St. Louis because of what he accomplished there -- the Super Bowl win, the MVPs, the big contract, the historic offense, the rags to riches story. His time here was a resurrection and helped take a moribund franchise and help it become competitive.
Ask him 10 years from now, when his Cardinals teammates are out of the game and he is even further removed. I would imagine that he would probably not have one or the other.
But for now, we'll take it.
