Bernie Miklasz, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
"I can't believe it's been 10 years since the 1999 season, and the rollout of "The Greatest Show on Turf," Warner to Bruce, Mike Jones and "The Tackle," and the triumph of Super Bowl XXXIV.

But as I watched Warner explain his decision to move into another phase of his life, the melancholy lifted. Let's realize how fortunate he is. Warner leaves with his health intact to savor a fulfilling life with Brenda and their seven children. Warner exits the stage as a winner, having led futile franchises in St. Louis and Arizona to three Super Bowl trips.

Warner departs on his terms. He isn't broken down. His skills haven't deteriorated. He didn't stay too long. Warner wasn't an aging Willie Mays losing a fly ball in the sun in 1973. He wasn't a diminished Muhammad Ali, getting battered by Larry Holmes. He wasn't Michael Jordan, fading into irrelevance in the odd colors of the Washington Wizards. He wasn't John Unitas, limping around as a San Diego Charger." Full story.

Pete Prisco, CBS Sports
"Warner is the type of player the NFL loves. He's great, he's accommodating, he's helpful to any teammates who ask and he doesn't get into trouble.

You won't find this father of seven in a Tiger-like scandal. That's why he's the kind of player opponents admire." Full story.

Brad Seal, SportsFanLive
"The career of Warner is amazing enough, but it’s his personal life that astounds me. This is a guy that married a woman who was a former Marine with two children and was living on food stamps and had just lost her parents when a tornado destroyed their home.

Then Warner hit it big and became a millionaire. We’ve seen that story before. An unknown marries a sweetheart for stability. Then he hits it big and suddenly his world opens up and that’s followed by affairs and divorce. It happens so often we think of it as normal for celebrities.

Warner takes the road less traveled by being a devoted husband to the wife he married BEFORE he was famous and to her kids from another man whom Kurt officially adopted. He also has five children with his wife. It’s nothing new to see an athlete with a bunch of children, but Warner actually takes care of his." Full story.

Tim Kawakami, San Jose Mercury News
"What he was in last few games is why Warner will get into the Hall of Fame: In a compressed career, he was one of the most dangerous and most accurate QBs in the pass-first era of football.

As we get further from that 1999 sensation, the more significant the ”Greatest Show on Turf” Rams become, in my opinion, and the greater role Warner assumes in the history and evolution of the game.

I wasn’t a great fan of the sudden transition to a pass-crazy, kill-shot offensive era, but it’s here, and teams are winning in that system.

Which started with Warner, Marshall Faulk, Mike Martz, Dick Vermeil and the 1999 St. Louis Rams, and we all saw a lesser (but still dangerous) echo of that with last year’s Arizona Super Bowl run." Full story.

Paola Boivin, Arizona Republic
"Warner's zeal for helping the needy is as strong as his passion for football. He has the potential to make a profound social impact in a way only a select group of professional athletes has done." Full story.

NFL network has just announced that Cardinals Hall of Fame-bound quarterback Kurt Warner will hold a press conference on Friday to announce his retirement.

Eeek!

This isn’t good news for Cardinals fans, but it may not be as horrible as many are speculating.

There will be no replacing what Kurt Warner has done for this team. There’s no question that the Cardinals aren’t as good a football team without Warner and his presence on the field. There are few, if any, more consistently accurate QBs in the history of the game, and even fewer that can lay claim to turning two otherwise losing franchises to heights neither has witnessed in literal generations.

The retirement of Warner throws the spotlight directly on former 1st-round draft choice Matt Leinart. Many have already written the 4th-year pro off as a bust. But I am firmly in the minority with a solid wait-and-see attitude.

There will be many retrospectives on Warner in the coming days, including mine. But this is a big blow to a team that had its work cut out for it to stay on top anyway, both in the division, and among the handful of NFC ‘elites’.

---SCOTT Z BRADY

The NFC West writers have weighed in on Sunday’s championship games. Who do you agree with?

TOUCHDOWN JAYSUS says:
New York Jets 23, Indianapolis Colts 19
Jets use the same formula ... run and defend … to keep Manning off the field. The Jets hold the Colts to field goals with blitzes and tight pass coverage. The Jets continue to play more inspired than anyone else, while the Colts struggle to put it all together in the favorite role.

Minnesota Vikings 34, New Orleans Saints 31
Saints can't match the Vikings offense, which controls the game with Peterson up the middle and Favre hitting various receivers down the field. Percy Harvin proves to be the X-factor that Reggie Bush was a week ago.

CHRIS FARMER says:
I'll take the Colts because the starters have a scapegoat on which to place the blame for ruining their perfect season. Also, the Colts helped the Jets into the playoffs, and will surely take pleasure in kicking them out. Plus, Darrelle Revis can't cover everybody—at least, not all at the same time.

I'm going with Drew Brees and the Saints because they are a team of destiny. They got their mojo back last weekend, and the home crowd will help lift them to their first ever Super Bowl.

DAVE DENICKE says:
I'll go with the chalk on this. I'll take the Saints over the Vikes, 24-20, and the Colts better than the Jets, 17-13.

RON CLEMENTS says:
New Orleans 37, Minnesota 26
Indianapolis 23, N.Y. Jets 13

And your editor chooses the Newses … New Orleans and New York in the Super Bowl at the New Dallas Stadium. He was only interested in the Saints and Colts had they both finished the regular season undefeated.

The Cardinals had an amazing season. Let's face it, how many teams play in the Super Bowl, lose, and make the playoffs the next year? The Cardinals won 10 games in the regular season, a first in over 30 years, and beat the Packers in the Wild Card weekend which will go down as one of the best playoff games of all time.

In the off season, the biggest question mark will be whether Kurt Warner decides to play another year. My guess is that he will come back next year to fulfill his contract. The guy is getting older yes, but he can throw the rock with incredible accuracy better than most QBs in the league.

The other question mark is the return of Anquan Boldin. It seems likely, that the Cardinals will part ways with Boldin and grant him his wish to be a #1 WR for another organization. I love Anquan, but the Cardinals have proven they can win without him. So, if he's not happy in Arizona, then I say let him go elsewhere.

The defense was really improved over the 2008 campaign, so I feel like we are solid there. The offense in every aspect was great this year as well. So, draft wise I believe the Cardinals need to look for a QB (especially if Warner decides not to return), some offensive lineman, and a few defensive backs and the Cards should be in great shape for years to come.

---RION JOHNSTON

For those of you wondering how Coach feels after finishing in the divisional round of the playoffs, here’s the AP story on Ken Whisenhunt’s season-ending press conference.