BARTELSTEIN’S WORDS PUT WARNER IN A BIND

At a time when few NFL observers believe that free-agent quarterback Kurt Warner will do anything with an offer from a team other than the Cardinals other than take it back to them with a chance to match, agent Mark Bartelstein claims that Warner’s coming visit to the 49ers arises from a genuine interest in possibly heading to a new team. “People assume things are being done to create leverage and that’s not true,” Bartelstein said. “Anyone who knows Kurt Warner knows that’s not the moral plane he operates under. He would never do something to create leverage.” Wait. So is Bartelstein saying it’s immoral to create leverage? Or is he saying that Saint Kurt won’t engage in the most basic aspects of prudent business? Sorry, Mark. But we ain’t buying it. Warner has said he wants the Cardinals to pay him “market value.” So Warner is establishing his “market value” in the hopes that the Cardinals will cave. The problem is that Bartelstein’s tactics could push Warner to leave Arizona when he doesn’t really want to. If, after all, the Niners top the Cardinals’ two-year, $20 million offer and the Cards match it and Warner stays in Arizona, it’ll look like Warner created, applied, and capitalized on leverage. (Which, apparently, will damn him to Hell. On the bright side, he’ll have a lot of company there.) Then again, if Warner leaves for San Francisco, Warner will be contradicting his repeated proclamation that he’ll play for the Cardinals or no one. If Warner leaves, Bartelstein has tried to give Warner a way to save face in advance by suggesting that “some feelings have been hurt” based on Arizona’s offer. Really? The Cardinals want to pay the man $10 million a year as he approaches his 38th birthday, and Warner’s feelings are hurt? Though we’re not yet prepared to declare that Kurt Warner is a fraud, we’re confident that his agent is making Warner look like one.