Kurt Warner doesn't believe in superstitions...or does he??

Religion overtakes superstition. This is what Arizona Cardinals quarterback, Kurt Warner, says he believes. It is why he picked the number 13 to be his jersey number. A born Christian, Warner says that his faith informs of everything, including his jersey number. He chose 13 because spirituality has no room for superstition. Now this is very ironic to me because he chose the number 13 because of the superstition that 13 is an unlucky number. The number and Warner have gone back and forth with Warner getting the best of it a majority of the time. After Warner won the Super Bowl with the Rams, the number probably caused the emergence of Tom Brady and Warner's loss in the next Super Bowl he appeared in. After that, it appeared 13 had gotten the best of him as he was seen as a backup quarterback at best. A wily veteran who was meant to mentor the future quarterbacks of organizations. That didn't sit well for Warner in New York with the Giants so he left for Arizona, smart move on Warner's part. Lucky for him, Matt Leinart was only good in college and choked under pressure in the NFL, opening the door for #13 once again and Warner took advantage of it. Making it to his third Super Bowl last year, Warner showed he was still one of the top quarterbacks in the league, even though he lost in the big game... again. So although he did get to the Super Bowl three times, he only tasted victory once. And if Santonio Holmes doesn't make a fantastic catch at the end of last year's Super Bowl, Warner would have gotten his second ring, seems kind of unlucky if you ask me. So for a guy who doesn't believe in superstitions, it seems as though his career says otherwise. Only four other players in the entire league have the jersey number 13, one of which is on the Rams, which might explain why they can't win. The only way they can win is if the number 13 jersey is worn by Warner, so the backup quarterback who wears it, Brock Berlin, is the reason the Rams are terrible.

-Josh

Pre-Game Slap Attack

Most NFL players get pumped before each game or have a pre-game ritual. Most of the time it could be knocking into one another player on your team or listening to their favorite playlist on their ipod. John Henderson is an exception to that stereotype. Before each game the trainer for the Jacksonville Jaguars is asked by Mr. Henderson to slap him, yes, slap him as hard as possible in the face. A big 335lb man is willingly asking to be slapped in the face. If you don't believe it, then take a look at this video.



Believe it now?

John Henderson isn't the only NFL player to have an interesting pre-game ritual. Marshall Faulk, former running back of the Indianapolis Colts and St. Louis Rams habitually, without fail, wore black on his way to the stadium. Even Curtis Martin, running back for the New York Jets reads Psalm 91 before each game. Do these players truly believe what they wear or what they read, or even pre-game physical pain is going to alter the game?

The more competitive the league gets, the stranger the superstitions of these players seem to be.

-Heather