Most Valuable Player/Person

I had a chance to interview former NFL MVP Kurt Warner earlier tonight in Buffalo. He's in town for tomorrow morning's Call to Courage Award ceremony at the Hyatt Hotel. Warner will get the annual "Call to Courage" award, presented by former Bills QB Frank Reich. I can't think of any professional athlete more deserving. First, on the field, Warner still can tell the most compelling success story in recent NFL history. Overlooked in the draft, cut by the Packers, Warner actually was stacking groceries in Iowa before he got his shot in the NFL. Once he got a chance to play, he led the Rams to two Super Bowls, won two NFL MVP awards, and was the MVP in the Super Bowl. But that's just on the field. Off the field, Warner is a bona fide good guy who works hard to use his celebrity to help others less fortunate. He's been quoted as saying, "Football is what I do, it isn't who I am." I asked him to elaborate tonight, and here's what he said: "So many people want to gain their identity by what they do. To me, I am who I am. I'm a guy who loves Jesus. I'm a guy who loves my wife. I'm a father. Those things are the things I want to define me. I don't want to be defined by what I accomplish on the field, or what I don't accomplish." Warner is the real deal. He just may wind up as the starter again this year for the Arizona Cardinals. And after you talk to him for 30-minutes or so, you can't help but root for the guy.