Tag: kurt warner

Baker Mayfield notes health improved this week, internal talk difficult this year

In excerpts of an interview with Kurt Warner, Mayfield is encouraged by his health, notes “internal stuff” being difficult and discusses Lamar Jackson:

The Cleveland Browns face-off with the Baltimore Ravens in Week 14. In advance of the game, Browns starting quarterback Baker Mayfield sat down to talk with Hall of Famer quarterback Kurt Warner to discuss the state of his health, the team and more.

Of interest is that Warner took to his own YouTube channel a few weeks ago to defend Mayfield’s play in Week 12 against the Ravens. Warner noted the limitations of looking at only one half of play but didn’t feel like Mayfield was the cause of the problems.

As a former NFL quarterback, Warner may have had some bias when evaluating Mayfield but also has experience very few do. Later, Warner made more comments about the Cleveland quarterback that were not as glowing.

In a video released on Sunday, Mayfield noted that he was feeling much better especially his feet and legs. When discussing dealing with being the focus of a lot of talk, the quarterback not only talked about outside noise but “internal stuff” that has been difficult this year.

While he didn’t name him, part of the “internal stuff” is related to the relationship with Odell Beckham Jr but Mayfield’s vague statement leaves room for interpretation beyond that.

Warner noted the interest in the matchup of quarterbacks on Sunday noting Lamar Jackson was drafted in the same class as Mayfield. Cleveland’s quarterback noted the differences in style between the two.

See the portion of the interview noted above here:

Kurt Warner praises Mac Jones’ early development but doesn’t know what his upside is

It will be fascinating to see how far Bill Belichick can bring Mac Jones in this new era of Patriots football.

New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones has enjoyed so much early success that he’s building increased expectations.

Not only are the Patriots, now the No. 1 team in the AFC, looking like Super Bowl contenders, but Jones looks like he could develop into one of the top pocket passers in the NFL. Jones has his limitations, which is typical for a rookie. He has also been rock solid in doing what the Patriots need him to do to win games, which has led to a six-game winning streak, the longest active streak in the NFL. That’s what has drawn the attention of Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner, now an NFL analyst for NFL Network.

“Sometimes he might get to his check-down a little too fast, but he’s a rookie,” Warner told ESPN last week. “Even if it’s getting a check-down for 4 [yards], and passing up a play for 12, you can live with that. … People want to compare him to who Tom Brady was in ’01. He’s doing more for this team, and playing better than Tom Brady did in ’01.

“To me, that’s the compliment you’re looking for. Is he Tom Brady? No. Is he one of the best guys in the league? No. But … what he’s doing at such an early stage, and playing within himself and understanding he can win that way, that’s impressive. There are guys that have been in the league a long time that don’t see the field and understand their reads like he does.”

Follow the Patriots Wire Podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts

Jones’ biggest perceived weakness has been his reluctance to throw downfield, but it seems he’s improving in that regard. His air yards per completion have gone up over the last six weeks (when the Patriots went 6-0) when compared to the first six weeks of the season (when the Patriots went 2-4). His average depth of target has decreased over the last six weeks when compared to the first six weeks —a stat that complicates the picture, slightly.

Jones has been 15 of 41 during the 2021 season on throws that travel 20 yards or more past the line of scrimmage (deep balls). He’s throwing a deep ball on 11% of his passes. Compare those numbers to the Chargers’ Justin Herbert, one of the elite deep passers, who is 22 of 42 on deep balls and throws deep balls on just 9% of his passes. Jones is throwing downfield ever so slightly more often than one of the premier passers. The rookie QB is also struggling to complete those passes at an elite clip. He’s also doing so with a tremendous supporting cast on the offensive line and at tight end.

Jones is making progress on every type of throw. But there’s still some question as to how far he can come from a developmental standpoint.

“We’ve seen him make some really good throws, but I don’t know what his upside is,” Warner told ESPN.

It will be fascinating to see how far Bill Belichick can bring Jones in this new era of Patriots football.

[listicle id=115609]

Video: Kurt Warner defends Baker Mayfield with nuanced film breakdown

Limitations of the breakdown were noted but a Hall of Fame QB defends the Browns QB in this short film breakdown:

Most people have made their minds up about quarterback Baker Mayfield. The only opinion that matters is that of the Cleveland Browns organization. Some fans/media/analysts believe the former #1 overall pick is not good enough to be a franchise quarterback while others believe they’ve seen it but that injuries and other limitations are a problem.

What has been universally agreed upon, including by the quarterback himself, is that he has not played well enough for most of the season. Mayfield has repeatedly stated as much while general manager Andrew Berry reiterated that they believe he is healthy enough to win them games.

Super Bowl-winning quarterback Kurt Warner chimed in on his thoughts on Mayfield. Warner took a limited sample, the first half of the game against the Baltimore Ravens, and tried to explain what he saw. From the breakdown, Warner noted the biggest problem on certain plays as:

  • Drops
  • Routes run poorly
  • Less than optimal route combinations
  • A misstep by Mayfield
  • Mayfield’s fumble which “happens to all of us” according to Warner

A high-level quarterback breaking down film of another quarterback deserves respect. Warner attempts to explain the failures of the offense in the first half.

Unfortunately, Warner also only broke down the first half in a game where things seemed to get worse as time went on. Warner also seems defensive of quarterback criticism, in general.

Take a look at what Warner had to say:

Watch: New trailer for upcoming Kurt Warner movie, ‘American Underdog’

Watch the latest trailer for the upcoming movie about Kurt Warner’s NFL career, “American Underdog.”

Kurt Warner’s path to the NFL has been turned into a feature film and it will be released this holiday season. “American Underdog” chronicles Warner’s journey from being a grocery store worker to NFL MVP and Super Bowl champion with the St. Louis Rams.

In the movie, Warner will be played by Zachary Levi, with Dennis Quaid starring as former Rams coach Dick Vermeil. The film will be released on Christmas Day, so it won’t be long before fans get to relive Warner’s remarkable story in theaters.

The latest trailer was released on Wednesday, showing more clips of the upcoming movie.

Josh Allen back in the franchise record books after Bills win

Josh Allen back in the franchise record books after Bills win:

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbw1j59gmjw5gdj player_id=none image=https://billswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

It seemed each week during the 2020 NFL season that Josh Allen was managing to tie or break Bills franchise marks and NFL records.

He was once again named as the AFC Offensive Player of the Week after last Sunday’s winning performance against the Washington Football Team.

Allen has now been named player of the week seven times in just 46 career starts and five times in his last 19 games. For context, 15% of the games that Josh Allen has started in the NFL, he’s been named AFC Offensive Player of the Week

The young QB’s stat round up in the victory is impressive and, yet again, a historic one.

He went for 300+ passing yards with 4 TD passes which was the 5th-such game in his career. Per Elias, Patrick Mahomes (9), Dan Marino (9), Andrew Luck (6) and Kurt Warner (6) are the only other players with 5+ games in their first four seasons. That performance also broke a tie with Jim Kelly for most such games in Bills history.

But that’s not all.

The win against Washington was the 18th game in his career in which he posted a 100+ passer rating. The Bills are 17-1 in those games, and 9-0 in Allen’s career when he throws for 300+ yards in a game.

He also broke the Bills’ franchise record for rushing TD’s by a quarterback when he added his 5th TD on the day. His 26th career rushing score passed former Bill Jack Kemp (25) for the most rushing TDs in team history by a QB.

Allen continued to make NFL history in the game, becoming only the Fourth player ever to put up multiple career games with 300+ passing yards, 4+ TD’s passes, and a rushing TD. He joins Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning (2), Aaron Rodgers (3), and Drew Brees (4) as the only other QB’s to do it.

He also became the fifth-fastest player in NFL history to reach 100 total touchdowns, accomplishing the feat in his 47th career game. Patrick Mahomes (39), Dan Marino (33), Deshaun Watson (44), and Kurt Warner (46) were the only ones to do it sooner.

His career year in 2020 that saw 37 TD tosses to set a Bills single season franchise record helped in that effort, which may leave some to wonder how much sooner he may have accomplished the feat had he been given a receiving corps earlier in his young career.

One thing is for certain, Allen is back to his record breaking and history making ways ahead of Sunday’s matchup with the Houston Texans.

[lawrence-related id=88573,88662,88714]

Watch the first official trailer for ‘American Underdog,’ a movie about Kurt Warner

The first trailer for “American Underdog” is here, previewing the upcoming movie about Kurt Warner’s NFL journey.

Kurt Warner took an unconventional route to the NFL, making his story one of the most fascinating in league history. He went undrafted out of Northern Iowa and eventually landed a tryout with the Packers but was cut before the 1994 season began, which left him without a job.

He then had a stint in the AFL and then NFL Europe before the Rams gave him a shot in 1998, starting out as a backup and then taking over the offense in 1999, leading St. Louis to a Super Bowl XXXIV victory and winning NFL MVP twice.

To celebrate his incredible journey, a film is being made about Warner’s career. It’s called “American Underdog” and will be in theaters this Christmas Day, starring Zachary Levi as Warner.

The first trailer for the movie was released on Tuesday, showing clips from the film. It highlights Warner’s time working in a grocery store, all the way to his rise to stardom with the Rams.

Watch: Kurt Warner breaks down D.J. Moore and Robby Anderson’s route running

With Sam Darnold taking over QB1 duties this year, he has one of the league’s top 1-2 punches at the position.

Not every NFL team has a 1,000-yard receiver on their roster. The Panthers were blessed to have two last season, with both D.J. Moore and Robby Anderson going over the mark despite some highly-questionable play at quarterback by Teddy Bridgewater.

With Sam Darnold taking over QB1 duties this year, he has one of the league’s top 1-2 punches at the position. Watch Hall of Famer Kurt Warner break down the route running of Moore and Anderson.

[lawrence-related id=638977]

[vertical-gallery id=638966]

Watch: Kurt Warner breaks down how Christian McCaffrey will help Sam Darnold

If nothing else, he’ll benefit from having the best pass-catching running back in football on his side.

Sam Darnold has plenty of talent, but he didn’t have a good supporting cast with the Jets. New York never really had a true No. 1 wide receiver during his time there and they didn’t have much of a run game, either.

Darnold won’t have that excuse here in Carolina. If nothing else, he’ll benefit from having the best pass-catching running back in football on his side. Watch Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner break down how Christian McCaffrey will be Darnold’s best friend on the Panthers.

[lawrence-related id=638945]

[vertical-gallery id=639012]

Former Chiefs HC Dick Vermeil to be portrayed by Dennis Quaid in upcoming Kurt Warner biopic

Former #Chiefs HC Dick Vermeil will be portrayed by Dennis Quaid in an upcoming film about #Rams Hall of Fame QB Kurt Warner | from @EdEastonJr

The movie theaters are open around the country, featuring some of the best in cinema in every genre. A story surrounding former NFL MVP Kurt Warner will provide plenty of insight into the former quarterback and those around him during his improbable run with the 1999 St. Louis Rams.

The new film is titled “American Underdog: The Kurt Warner Story.” It stars actor Zachary Levi as Warner, featuring his rise to fame from a journeyman quarterback struggling to keep a job. The film will also showcase plenty of the people around Warner, including his then-head coach Dick Vermeil, who actor Dennis Quaid plays in the biopic. Vermeil famously rolled the dice on naming Warner an unproven backup as his starting quarterback after starter Trent Green suffered a season-ending knee injury in the preseason.

Vermeil spent three seasons as the Rams head coach, briefly retiring after winning Super Bowl XXXIV. He would coach the Kansas City Chiefs for four seasons, notably winning the AFC West in 2003 with a 13-3 record. Warner’s biopic is set for release on December 10th isn’t the first time Vermeil has been portrayed in a film as he was also featured in the 2006 film “Invincible.”

Actor Greg Kinnear played Vermeil in that biopic about former Philadelphia Eagles longshot Vince Papale. In an ESPN interview set around that film’s release, Vermeil praised Kinnear’s performance due to his son’s evaluation.

”My son called me,” said Vermeil, ”and his exact words were, ‘Dad, he nailed you.’ He said it will be scary for me to see someone else being me and doing it so well! That’s a funny thought, huh? And I think my son was especially interested in what it would be like to see someone else playing his dad; he was very impressed. My son’s known me for 49 years, so you can’t fool him; he’s been looking at me for a long time.”

We haven’t heard any early reviews on Quaid’s performance yet, but there is a glimpse of the former Chiefs coach in the trailer. Any chance Vermeil’s tenure in Kansas City will have a moment on the big screen one day as well?

“American Underdog: The Kurt Warner Story” is slated for December 10th release.

[vertical-gallery id=95080]

WATCH: A first look at Zachary Levi as Kurt Warner in ‘American Underdog’

Get a first look at the movie that tells the story of former Arizona Cardinals great Kurt Warner.

Arizona Cardinals fans are very familiar with the story of quarterback Kurt Warner. Part of the Cardinals’ history is Warner’s story. Now there will be a movie about his life and career.

“American Underdog” will premiere December 10. Zachary Levi plays the role of Warner and Anna Pacquin plays the role of his wife, Brenda.

Check out this clip that gives us a sneak peek at some of the movie, some insight from both Levi and Pacquin and commentary from Kurt and Brenda.

If you like underdog stories, loved what Warner did in his Hall of Fame career or just love the Cardinals, make sure to watch the movie.

Check out the clip below for the first look.

The only question for this is whether they will include anything from his playing days with the Cardinals or if it will culminate only with his championship with the Los Angeles Rams.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

Latest show:


Previous shows:


and