Eric Sorenson
Kurt Warner has always had a drive to be great.
That greatness has even stretched from NFL fields to the basketball court in his backyard which has hosted a fair amount of competitive and spirited games.
Warner’s accomplishments on the gridiron could garner the ultimate sign of respect in the next couple weeks when the selection committee gathers here in the Valley and decides if the former grocery store stock boy-turned Super Bowl Champion quarterback is worthy of 2015 Hall of Fame induction in his first year of eligibility.
In November it was announced Warner was one of 26 semifinalists.
According to one NFL insider and HOF voter “KW” has an excellent chance but it’s no lay-up.
“There’s going to be two issues as far as I can see with Warner,” SI.com Senior NFL Writer Peter King told Sports360AZ.com’s Brad Cesmat in a phone interview Tuesday. “One is the brevity of his greatness…being great was not very long so that will probably play against him some despite the fact that obviously he had a ridiculously strong career at the time that he did play.”
King continued.
“The other thing, as usual, is we enter this day with so many strong candidates from past years,” he explained. “Like Will Shields. Like Charles Haley. I think those are probably the two big names that I keep thinking, ‘man, those guys have got to get in.'”
King says trying to predict who will get voted in on a year-to-year basis is difficult because each writer enters the room with their own unique, pre-conceived notions. Further, voters must balance those biases against the presentations from others pitching their own players.
It’s easy to see why, at least inside the room, it’s far from a fluid situation when the select group gathers the day before the Super Bowl.
King takes the approach of keeping an open mind on voting day.
Warner is joined by former St. Louis Rams’ teammates Orlando Pace, Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt as semi-finalists.
