Kurt Warner, age 38, is calling it quits. In addition to being a lock for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, OH, he was also the rarest of rare things in this age of all encompassing media: Kurt was a guy who TRULY took a professional sports league by storm. Kurt didn’t play his high school ball on ESPN; he didn’t come to the league with a 100 million dollar endorsement deal in tow. Not only was Kurt not drafted but he wasn’t even invited to the combine!

Kurt Warner played his college ball at Northern Iowa where he was able to parlay his on field success into a prolific career as a grocery bagger. There were stints in arena football and NFL Europe but it was mostly “paper or plastic” until the St. Louis Rams took a flier on him in 1998 and made him a backup to a couple of Big Guns named Tony Banks and Steve Bono. In 1999 the Rams signed Trent Green to be their starting QB only to lose him for the year to injury during the third pre season game. Coach Dick Vermeil actually wept at the press conference. (To be fair Vermeil wept at everything, he was the NFL equivalent of Glenn Beck, but sincere… I can’t imagine watching the Notebook with those two?)

Kurt Warner stepped in the NFL, undrafted, uninvited, UNKNOWN. All he does his rookie year is throw 41 touchdown passes and lead a Rams team that managed 4 wins the previous season to their first Super Bowl Championship. Oh yeah, something about an MVP and a Super Bowl MVP as well. He would go on to win another MVP, make 4 Pro-Bowls, and become only the second QB to lead two different teams to the Super Bowl. In three Super Bowl appearances Kurt averaged 385 yards a game! If Tom Brady was the draft day steal of the century, then Kurt has got to be the undrafted equivalent.

I doubt if this will ever happen again because nowadays the “scouting services” are ranking every kid that moves so the odds of eluding their prying eyes are infinitesimal. Forget college. Forget high school. Draft experts are now eyeing pre-teens. I can just see it now “When we come back Mel Kiper will join us to take a look at the top 10 sonograms to watch in 2010!” Farewell to Captain Kurt, the closest thing to an overnight sensation we may ever have again. He played in 3 Super Bowls or, one more than some guy name “Fav-ruh.” Perhaps if Kurt un-retires and then retires and then un-retires and then retires and then throws a season ending interception three straight years he will get his due.

- How bad did Scott Boras piss off Brian Cashman by the way??? I’m sure by now you’ve heard that Boras’ client, Johnny “26 homer, great 2 hitter, single handed stealer of game 4 of the world series” Damon, who is also one of the best clubhouse guys EVER, got let go because the Yanks can’t afford him. The Yankees have a budget? Something tells me “budget” is Cashman for “Hey Boras, you douche, your lucky Hank Steinbrenner caved to you on the A-Rod extension or the two of you would be in Toronto for 18 million a year, demanding a trade right now.”

- I’m not sure how much longer I’m going to be writing this column because I’m almost certain I’m going to be the fifth starter for the METS this year. Who else do they have?

- So we’re getting another season out of Jersey Shore….I thought Obama said we were a country that doesn’t torture? By the way I love those people from Jersey that take pains to point out that most of the cast isn’t from Jersey, as if that’s their states ONLY problem. That other shore where the senior citizens get bussed in toting oxygen tanks and social security checks isn’t a blemish at all…Shoot, Lady Gaga canceled on Atlantic City and something tells me that little troll whore would play the Staten Island Ferry if the dough was right

- I had Chris Carlin from SNY and previously WFAN in my cab the other day, talked a little NFL, most notably about my Oakland Raiders, we came to the conclusion that the only way for them to be good again is for Al Davis to die…I’m just putting it out there for you guys before I post the ad on Craig’s List…Carlin, by the way, was one of those people who pointed out the Jersey Shore cast wasn’t from there!!!! Cool dude, though, one of those people whose voice could make him sound like a dick but is definitely a softie…He’d probably play Santa at the holiday party…

- Also saw Mike Huckabee outside Fox News on 6th avenue and he is eating like he’s going to the chair-and not the host’s chair either…

- I’m still stuck on the Kurt Warner thing for some reason. The way I see it, the only thing that could keep him out of the Hall on the first ballot is his wife’s hair. But just to be safe Warner fans let’s destroy every copy of the game tapes from the Giant years…

- One week until Colts/Saints and I’m yet to find ANYONE who thinks the Saints can do this…that alone is reason for me to think they can but stay tuned as the pick will be out on Friday. I have to remind everyone I went 2-0 (Colts -7′ / +Vikings 3’) last week because my man Bower made a point to tell all of North America that I ate it on the Cowboys the week before. I didn’t even eat it, I drank it, the Cowboys got put in a juicer, and I was never in it…

- So Tim Tebow looked bad running a pro-style offense for a day and that’s supposed to be the end of the guy? How did Peyton Manning and Troy Aikman, to name a few, look after a FULL SEASON of running a pro offense? Just asking….

- I saw Miss Virginia win Miss USA last night with Rush Limbaugh sitting in as a judge. She was the only black finalist. I’m sure under any other President she would’ve lost but under the “socialist, Marxist, wealth redistributing administration” we have right now it only makes sense that she won. Can’t wait for his show Monday when he proclaims that he hopes she fails!!! Listening to Rush, Levin, Hannity, Savage, BECK, ya start to wonder if they really hate this Obama fellow or if maybe, just maybe, juuuuuussssssttttt maaaaayyyyyybbeeeeeee….they have to oppose every word he says because it’s good business. Juuuuuuuuussssssssstttttttt maybe, these ENTERTAINERS, are doing what’s best for their show and it’s, I mean their, bottom lines…

- The other day I heard Rush bitch that Obama is handling 911 like it was a crime…last I checked killing a few thousand people WAS AGAINST THE LAW in just about every state I know of, and while I didn’t find any laws that said it was illegal to steal a plane and fly it into a building, I’m pretty sure it’s frowned upon in most circles…

Jimmy Failla can be reached at JIMFAILLA@yahoo.com or the Ann Service Taxi Dispatch on w’ 21st street because he’s making something of his life. Honest.

Jimmy Failla is a guest contributor “Wheelhouse Radio” program that airs every Sunday – Thursday @ 8pm ET/5pm PT at www.blogtalkradio.com/thewheelhouse and at www.errorfm.com @ 2am ET/11pm PT

You can visit The Wheelhouse’s official website where you can download “high quality” shows and see all the latest happenings with the show at www.wheelhouseradio.com

If you would like to subscribe to “The Wheelhouse” on iTunes simply subscribe for free at iTunes by typing in “Wheelhouse Radio!”

You can catch out Jimmy Failla at his official website at www.jimmyfailla.com you can also check out his blog at http://jimmyfailla.blogspot.com/

Wear a Kurt Warner Jersey: Reebok Red Replica #13 Arizona Cardinals Jersey.

Read First Things First: The Rules of Being a Warner.

Read Kurt’s story in All Things Possible: My Story of Faith, Football, and the First Miracle Season.

Watch the Greatest Show on Turf on the NFL: America’s Game: 1999 St. Louis Rams DVD.

Order the Madden NFL 10: Official Strategy Game Guide by clicking here.

Shannon Sharpe knows how to make an entrance. The NFL Hall of Fame tight end parachuted into Denver’s Invesco Field at Mile High on Sunday afternoon. Sharpe was inducted into Denver’s Ring of Fame. Check out the video of Sharpe here, recorded from two different angles.

Sharpe was always one of my favorite players. I loved his outspoken nature, not to mention his play as a tight end. Sharpe was absolute money back in his day. Sharpe is just as outspoken today as an analyst and radio host. Sharpe isn’t on television to make friends. Sharpe takes no prisoners and is one of the most entertaining broadcasters in the NFL.

Another angle on Shannon Sharpe parachuting into Invesco with some very loud Denver fans!

Get your NFL jerseys on Amazon.com by clicking here.

Read the Football Outsiders Almanac 2009: The Essential Guide to the 2009 NFL and College Football Seasons by clicking here.

Place your NFL bets with BetUs.com or Bodog.com.

Play and Win Fantasy Football with the National Football Post – Buy Now

Use Fantasy Football Commissioner for all of your FF needs at www.fflcommish.com/.

Your favorite NFL teams and players gone big – Fathead.com

Order the Madden NFL 10: Official Strategy Game Guide by clicking here..

Greetings, and welcome to the inaugural edition of Gridiron Grumblings here at the Camel Clutch Blog. For this first blog, I’d like to take a look at some of the prevailing stories of the day in the NFL, as well as give you a “sleeper” fantasy pick, and finally, take a look at a favorable prop bet for the regular season.

Hall of Forgettable

The newest members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame – Bob Hayes, Randall McDaniel, Bruce Smith, Derrick Thomas, Ralph Wilson and Rod Woodson, were inducted Saturday and man, can’t you just feel the excitement? Can’t you? You can’t? Neither can I. For a sport that enjoys the number one spot in America, football really, ahem, drops the ball on their Hall of Fame. First of all, six people went in this year…way too many.

This drags along the ceremony, as if anybody is watching, and really makes it seem like something that is not very special. Most people, even if they are not fans of the sport, would probably agree that baseball has the best HOF of any major sport, and one of the reasons is that they are super selective about who gets in (I’m looking at you Bert Byleven). Football really needs to take a look at cutting down the number of people put in each year, and think about making this part of the regular season somehow. The fact that it is tied in with a pre-season contest, albeit the first one of the year, really makes it seem like a non-affair. Putting it on the NFL Network, which a significant portion of America does not or cannot get, is not helping either. Step your game up Roger Goodell!

First Round Mistakes
Has anyone else noticed that first-round players are holding out longer and longer these days? While millions are sent to the unemployment line each week, these guys are willingly not showing up for guaranteed work, where they will earn MILLIONS of dollars before they even play a snap. I understand you can’t have a number 15 pick signing for more than a number 9 pick, but the draft was in April.

Draft picks should have to sign by a certain date, or they are considered ineligible for the season, and cannot reenter the following year’s draft pool. They would then only be eligible as free-agent rookies, diminishing their earning potential. Common sense has to prevail at some point, and having all these unsigned guys hurting not only their own development, but the progression of their teams, is beyond reprehensible to the average Joe who is trying to scrape together some dough to get his family to a game.

Fantasy Fodder
TE Greg Olsen, Chicago Bears

With a new quarterback in town who likes to sling the ball down the field in Jay Cutler, and a lack of support in the receiving corps (Devin Hester, Rashied Davis), Olsen looks to have a breakout year at the tight end position for the Monsters of the Midway. Olsen, who was a highly touted prospect out of the U, had five touchdowns last season playing with quarterbacks as mediocre as they come. Cutler will look for a security blanket across the middle until he gets acquainted with the offense, and that is Greg Olsen. Look for 75 receptions and 8 to 9 trips to the end zone this year for this editions’s Gridiron Grumblings Go-2-Guy (GGG2G).

Get That Dough – All lines courtesy of sportsbook.com

Atlanta Falcons Win Total Regular season: Over 8.5 (-125) Under 8.5 (-105)

Coming off an impressive season that culminated with a trip to the playoffs against the eventual NFC champion Arizona Cardinals, the Atlanta Falcons are poised to make a return visit to the post-season on the back of quarterback Matt Ryan and running back Michael Turner. Add to the mix future Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez at tight end, along with the newly re-signed Roddy White at wideout, and this is a potent offense. Defense be damned, these guys could all go the Pro Bowl, and are more than enough to win more than the 8.5 games that Vegas has set.

Let’s look at the schedule:

1: Home vs Dolphins: Fins are a fraud, and can’t open the season on the road, in the dome with a win.

2: Home vs Panthers: Delhomme ain’t my homie, and he ain’t getting it done at the Georgia Dome.

3: at Patriots: The D gets lit up like a Christmas tree as the Falcons catch an L here.

4: Bye

5: at 49ers: I don’t care how great Mike Singletary is/was, unless he can still put on the uni, Gonzo will run wild here.

6: Home vs Bears: Cutler will provide problems, but the Bears aren’t in a position to win on the road on the turf…yet.

7: at Cowboys: Romo will be back with Jessica by this time, but she will have dropped the weight so he will be happy again. Romo to Witten all day, I hate to say.

8: at Saints: The revolving door that is the New Orleans secondary will be spinning like a top. Roddy White goes wild in this one.

9: Home vs Redskins: Jason Campbell is no Matt Ryan. And the ‘Skins aren’t getting it done this year either.

10: at Panthers: Hard to win on the road in your division, I’ll say the Panthers running game holds it down here.

11: at Giants: Ryan is good, but not good enough to win at the Meadowlands in late November…even with the hobbit Eli across the way, throwing up INTs like his name was Favre.

12: Home vs Tampa Bay: College teams would put a hurting on the Bucs this year. A romp.

13: Home vs Eagles: This will be the most entertaining game on their schedule all year…very close, Eagles by a FG at the horn.

14: Home vs Saints: They are the Saints for crying out loud…you can’t lose to them at your place.

15: at Jets: Another Meadowlands trip, but the J-E-T-S are not the G-Men, not even close.

16: Home vs Bills: T.O. will be suspended or hurt by this point…easy win for the Dirty Birds.

17: at Tampa Bay: Resting the regulars for the playoffs, but still a win.

That’s 11 wins, well over the 8.5, so there is room to play with in case there is a funny bounce or a ref with retinal damage involved. Take it to the bank, the Falcons win more than 8.5 games this year, as the schedule makers were very kind.

I hope you enjoyed reading Gridiron Grumblings…feedback or story ideas welcome at bryanriegel@gmail.com.

Bryan

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