I wanted my faith to look the same to everyone else and to be the same for me regardless of what was going on - whether I was on the Super Bowl podium holding the trophy or when I was being benched two years later and people saying that I would never play again.
Kurt Warner
There is nothing better than playing for the championship at any level of football.
That's part of the deal. You're going to be criticized. I always welcomed that. Not everyone believes what I believe. And I welcome the criticism, not because I like it, but because it means they're watching you. It presents an opportunity to share your message and share your faith.
Any time you're comfortable or familiar with something, it's easier than something you're not familiar with.
I don't think there's any question that the Arena League allowed me to flourish. I played three years in a league where the quarterback wasn't supposed to be stopped. We never wanted to kick. When I went into the NFL, I had that same mentality.
The one thing I always say to myself is I want to make sure that when a team invests in me that they get their investment's worth.
There's a compelling reason why I belong in the Hall of Fame, but I understand the argument against me. My career didn't go like most, and I'm 100 percent fine with that because that's what resonates with people.
If you have a dream, never stop preparing for that.
I was a receiver until I was a freshman in high school. I didn't play quarterback until I was a freshman.
I'd love to be placed in a position to make a difference in regards to my faith, in regards to speaking for Jesus, whether that's some type of ministry platform, being in a big-time position where I could make a difference.
I've had a great time making the transition from playing to talking about the game, and there is no better place to talk football than NFL Network.
I didn't corner the market on great stories. I'm not the only one who can do something like work at a grocery store and then win a Super Bowl. Other people can do it. You hope people will see that and say, 'Hey, that will be me.' They're going to chase after it like I did. And they're going to be the next one.
A lot of people, when they see my career, they hear or remember, 'Sat on the bench four years in college, got cut by the Packers, worked in a grocery store, and then won the Super Bowl.' That's kind of the timeline the people see when they hear 'Kurt Warner.'
The president of the United States, his role is to uphold and to fight for the rights of every person, every American.
I have been very blessed in that I have been completely fine. No headaches, no depression... absolutely no signs of post-concussion syndrome.
If the hall of fame happens, what a tremendous honor. But it's just icing on the cake.
I still feel a heavy responsibility for the people of Missouri because of the respect they have for me but also the things they've done for me.
The thing I'm most proud of in my career was to be able to help two organizations go someplace that they've never been before. Not many people get that opportunity to do it with one.
If you love something, if you're passionate about it, that's where you're going to have the greatest impact on the people around you: by living in those passions and sharing that passion with other people and sharing your gifts and what God created you to be.
I never doubted myself.
My game is more a game of thinking than anything else.
The thing about the Super Bowl is, once you got to the Super Bowl City, it was non-stop football, 24/7. You couldn't get away from it. You couldn't leave your hotel room and not get bombarded by fans. You couldn't go have a nice dinner and relax. Friends and family weren't there, so the normalcy of life changed.
I grew up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, so in Iowa, we didn't have a pro sports team, so it was all about the Hawks, and everybody was a Hawkeyes fan, and everybody had their black and gold and had something Hawkeye related.
Sometimes guys peak early. They get drafted higher, and they make it to the NFL, and they don't have a lot of growth.
I've done things that people in this league will never do.
The great ones have the ability to focus and tune everything else out and see more than the others. Average quarterbacks have tunnel vision. They see what's in front of them. The better you get, the more that tunnel expands, and the more guys on the field you see.
Nothing is a guarantee at all.
I think, a lot of guys, when they get, you know, those hits or those concussions, they think, 'OK, well, I'm just going to kind of play through it here for the short term, and it's going to get better.' I would venture to say probably 100 percent of the guys that played my sport in the NFL have been there.
The road to our dreams has many detours.
For so many years, I wished it could have been different. I wished I could have gotten the opportunity sooner. I would have loved to see what had happened had I got to the NFL right out of college and all of those different things.
It's a great game, and it's done great things for me and my family, but the bottom line is when I'm done, I want to be able to walk away and be everything I need to be for my family.
At the end of the day, it's not about starting a game in the NFL, winning a Super Bowl, or getting to the Hall of Fame. It's about representing yourself in a way that represents your faith.
One thing faith always did for me is it gave me perspective that, yeah, I was to maximize my gift and talents in the area of football, but it was always a means to glorify God and represent God.
I look terrible in caps.
You can take off a football jersey, but you can never take off your faith. That goes with you everywhere.
I had to play arena football for three years. I had to work in a grocery store for a while to make ends meet. I had to go to Amsterdam to play.
I don't think anyone has a bad perception of me. Just a limited one. Everyone thinks I pretty much sit around and talk about Jesus all the time. But I'm normal. I'm just a guy. Yeah, I love Jesus and do things a bit different, but I have the same conversations and share the same thoughts as anyone else.
The thing that I appreciate so much about my career and journey is that I do believe everybody can relate to it. There were highs and lows, obviously, before I got to the NFL. And then I got there and won a championship.
The Biggest Loser,' 'The Voice,' and 'American Idol'... they're giving people opportunities to do what they've always dreamed of doing... to me, that's great reality television.
That's what you kind of see with Matthew Stafford. He makes some incredible plays, even with his arm in different positions. But the consistency's not there that you need at the position to be one of the top quarterbacks in the league, and I think that's where cleaning up the technique will help.
You have to live life for today and for this moment.
As far as success, I have always felt that success is determined by competitiveness.
It did not matter whether it was preseason, regular season, my first playoff game, or the Super Bowl, I was nervous. And all that meant was that it always mattered to me. Anytime I was putting myself on a line, it didn't matter what it was, it was okay to be nervous because it was important to me. It was important to do my job well.
People are going to forget that I won a Super Bowl, but they're never going to forget the kind of impact you had on them personally.
I was a Cowboys fan growing up.
People think that whatever happens on the football field should define me way one or the other. A lot of people say, 'I can't believe you don't think more highly of yourself, two-time MVP, Super Bowl MVP,' but it's like, whatever. It just happens to be what I do. I want to be defined by what I believe in, by who I am.
On the football field, I keep my emotions tied up inside, but when I'm with my family, I let them out.
I'd love to be a consultant and help design an offense. That's my true passion, and I want to find an outlet where I can do that.
When I look at my situation, yes, there were a lot of things... small school, didn't play much... but I knew that when I played, I won. And I also played in more of a pro system, so I understood the game of football. That helped me translate when I finally did get my opportunity.
I've been nervous a number of times. Your first start. Playing in the Super Bowl. Your first Super Bowl. Very nerve-racking. The one thing that you can always fall back on is that you know what you are doing. You know how to play the game.
