Kurt Warner officially announced his retirement from the NFL this afternoon. Kurt Warner spent several years with the St. Louis Rams, New York Giants and finally with the Arizona Cardinals. He is a two-time NFL MVP and Super Bowl XXXIV Champion. Fans, put on your Kurt Warner Jersey and let’s celebrate his amazing career.

Kurt Warner started his professional football career on a different path than most players. After college he wasn’t drafted by an NFL team, but did earn a shot to try out for the Green Bay Packers back in 1994. He didn’t make the team and ultimately ended up playing Arena Football for the next three seasons. By 1998, Warner was finally given another chance in the NFL and was signed by the St. Louis Rams.

Any NFL fan knows how his stay in St. Louis was – two NFL MVP awards and a Super Bowl ring. Kurt Warner was the leader of “The Greatest Show on Turf.” I remember watching those Rams games back in the late 90s and early 2000s. I swear you had never seen a team throw the ball like they did. Their offensive power was absolutely amazing.

In 2004, Warner was released by the Rams after posting a bad season and getting injured. He signed on with the Giants, but was quickly replaced by rookie Eli Manning. At this point, most people thought his career was over.

In 2005, Warner landed in Arizona with a one-year deal. Over the next few years he was a spot starter, battling Matt Leinart for playing time. It didn’t take Cardinals coaches long to realize Warner was still the better player – even at 36 years old. He led the Cardinals to the Super Bowl in 2008 and to the playoffs again in 2009.

Warner has the second-highest completion percentage in NFL history (trailing only Chad Pennington), with a career percentage of 65.4%.[5] He also holds the highest completion percentage in a single game during the regular season, at 92.3 percent (24/26), on September 20, 2009, against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

His last two years have been somewhat magical and really helped solidify him as a HOF player. Congratulations on a great career and good luck in your post-football endeavors.

The 2010 Winter Olympics are just a few weeks away. This year they are being held in Vancouver, Canada. Reports out of Vancouver are saying they have had record snowfall and the conditions are perfect for the Olympics. The best thing about the Olympics is the friendly rivalries between countries – on and off the field.
In fact, check out this commercial the BBC put together in support of the 2010 Winter Olympics. I think they’re secretly challenging NBC to see who can make the best promo.

Don’t forget that Football Fanatics is the go to store of official Olympics Apparel. Whether you’re supporting Team USA, Team Canada, Team Finland, Team Sweden or any other country – we have gear for you. Shop today and receive 3-Day shipping for only $4.99 on any-size order.

Hey Frankie… Frankie Fanatics! If you live in Jacksonville, Florida and watch sports on TV, odds are you’ve seen the Football Fanatics commercials featuring Frankie Fanatics, our official team mascot. For those of you outside of Jax, today I want to introduce you to Frankie Fanatics. He’s a crazy, yet lovable mascot who loves football.

This is Frankie Fanatics:

You never know what Frankie Fanatics is up to – he could be at the local football fields playing ball, he could be walking around the mall or even posing for a photo shoot down by the river. Just last week he made a surprise visit to the Football Fanatics offices and pumped everyone up with team spirit.

Keep following We Are Fanatics for updates on all of Frankie Fanatics crazy adventures.

Want to see Frankie Fanatics in action? Check out this video:

Did you know the NFL Pro Bowl is coming up this weekend? That’s right – the NFL moved the Pro Bowl to the weekend BEFORE the Super Bowl this year. The Pro Bowl is a game that honors some of the games best players, voted in by the fans. However, this year it seems a little different. Due to the game being played before the Super Bowl, players who are in the big game are not allowed to play in the Pro Bowl – that comes out to 14 total players on the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts that are ineligible.

There has been a lot of negative press about the NFL’s decision to move the game to before the Super Bowl. In my opinion, the NFL made this move because they want to have their all-star game while football is still on the fan’s mind. After the Super Bowl is over people tend to check out and move on – especially since the Pro Bowl is an exhibition game and doesn’t mean anything. By moving the game to before the Super Bowl, they add a game during what used to be a 2-week break from football and create an amazing experience in Miami.

The problem with the move is a lot of the players we voted in to the Pro Bowl are backing out – whether it’s because they are in the Super Bowl or are injured. Another theory is that some players are backing out of the Pro Bowl because it is in Miami. Miami is a great city but let’s be real … it’s not Hawaii. Players used to look forward to taking the trip to Hawaii and spending some vacation time out there.

It will definitely be interesting to see if the television ratings are up or down for the Pro Bowl on Sunday. In my opinion, they’ll get more viewers but people won’t be as excited to see a game that doesn’t have Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Brett Favre, Philip Rivers, Reggie Wayne, and Drew Brees.

What a great weekend of Conference Championship football – the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints proved that they are the best teams in each conference and will battle it out in the Super Bowl in two weeks. We’ll get to see two of the best QBs in the NFL and two tremendous offenses air it out against each other in the warmth of a Miami, Florida night. Fans, Football Fanatics currently has a huge selection of AFC & NFC Champs apparel for sale right now. I’m talking shirts, hats, sweatshirts, and more. Shop today and get 3-Day shipping for only $4.99.

Which game from yesterday did you enjoy the most? The AFC game started out great – we saw the Jets get out to an early lead, I’m sure it scared some Colts fans. But Peyton Manning did what he always does – come back and win games. The Colts narrowed the gap heading into halftime and then shut the Jets offense down completely in the second half, giving them a 30-17 victory.

The NFC was a nail biter down to the end. Brett Favre and the Vikings were marching down the field late in the fourth quarter to try and go up by a score, but Favre had his second interception of the day. Regulation ended with a 28-28 tie and we went into overtime. The Saints won the toss and received the ball first. It only took them a few minutes to get into field goal range and seal the victory. New Orleans is now headed to the Super Bowl for the first time in their history.

Here is a small sample of what we have for each team.

Indianapolis Colts

New Orleans Saints

The NFC Championship game will be played on Sunday night between the Minnesota Vikings and the New Orleans Saints. There are great story lines in this game: Brett Favre returning to the NFL, possibly leading the Vikings to the Super Bowl and of course there’s the Saints who are a story in and of themselves. The Saints are one of only five teams in the entire NFL to have never played in a Super Bowl. Will this be their lucky year?

One thing I love about the Saints in their ability to spread the ball. The Saints are one of those teams that can beat you on the ground and through the air. They have a three-headed monster in the backfield with Thomas, Bush and Bell plus a very fast and talented receiving core with Colston, Henderson and Meachem. Let’s not forget the man leading the offense – Drew Brees. He’s one of the best quarterbacks in the league and can see the field as good as anyone. On defense the Saints are risky – they tend to give up a lot of points but also create turnovers. The Saints had 26 interceptions this year, five of which were returned for touchdowns.

The Minnesota Vikings are going to have a tougher fight because the game is in New Orleans. That dome gets loud and becomes one of the toughest places to play on gameday. But the Vikings have a man at quarterback that is no stranger to big games. Brett Favre has played in plenty of them in his 19 seasons. The Vikings had a strong running game with Adrian Peterson and they have have two Pro Bowl wide receivers in Sidney Rice and Percy Harvin. If the Saints strike fast there’s no doubt in my mind the Vikings can’t keep up. They also have a great pass rush and defense lead by Jared Allen.

Of both the games this weekend I am looking forward to the NFC Championship Game more. These two teams are exciting – they score points, yet play fast defense at the same time. Who do you think is going to win the NFC Championship? Post a comment and let me know.

Don’t forget that Football Fanatics will have NFC Champs apparel & merchandise for sale immediately following the game.

The NFL Playoffs are winding down. Only two games are left, the AFC and NFC Championship Games. Today we will take a look at the first game on Sunday, the AFC Championship between the New York Jets and the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts are the favorites, with good reason. They have the best quarterback in the game and are playing at home. But is that enough to stop the Jets who just beat Cincinnati and San Diego?

The keys to victory for the Indianapolis Colts are to 1. Keep the ball in Manning’s hands and 2. Get this game into a shootout. If the Colts can get up early and score two touchdowns in the first quarter I don’t see any way the Jets can keep up with them. The Colts offense is a powerful machine that can score at will on anybody … even the Jets stout defense. The stadium will be loud and behind the Colts on every play.

If the Jets want to win, their best chance is to keep Peyton Manning and the Colts offense off the field. The Jets will need to use their running backs (Thomas Jones and Shonn Greene) to sustain long drives and eat up the clock. If they can force a turnover or two that may be enough to stay in front. A low scoring, defensive battle is just what the Jets need.

Who do you think will win the AFC Championship Game this weekend?

And don’t forget, Football Fanatics will have AFC Champions apparel & merchandise available for sale immediately following the game.