From out of nowhere

The resurrection of Kurt Warner's career, from the end of the original three-year fairy tale in 2001 to the out-of-the-blue sequel of 2008 - how has this happened?

How did the quarterback from Cedar Rapids add such an unlikely rebirth to an already incredible career? How did the shooting star who fell from the sky in 2002 make a second pass of the heavens this season?

The reasons appear to be plentiful, and they came together just like they did for Warner in St. Louis nine years ago when he came from nowhere to lead the Rams to a Super Bowl win.

a) He got the opportunity to be a starter.

b) He was in an offense with some of the NFL's top playmakers.

c) He maintained good health for an entire season.

d) He played just as well as he did for the St. Louis Rams from 1999 through 2001 when he won two league MVP awards and helped take the Rams to two Super Bowls and one world title.

e) He listened to his coaches.

Let's begin with the last point. Because it's a big one in how Warner has been able to pilot the Arizona Cardinals to their Super Bowl date here today against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

With starting quarterback Matt Leinart knocked out for the year midway through the 2007 season, Warner got 11 starts. He threw two or more touchdown passes in each of the Cardinals' final eight games. Yet, he wasn't handed the '08 starting job.

One reason is that Leinart is a first-round draft pick who still carries a lot of promise. Another is that Warner lost six fumbles last season.

So head coach Ken Whisenhunt, fresh off his first year as Arizona's coach, required the 37-year-old Warner to learn some safety measures before he was again put in charge of the offense.

"The biggest thing I'll say is Kurt worked on a lot of things with his game," Whisenhunt said after the Cardinals' 32-25 win over Philadelphia in the NFC title game, "from moving in the pocket, which you saw today, to protecting the football.

"A lot of times old quarterbacks aren't willing to do that. That's a credit to his humility and his competitive drive. The reason we're here today in great part is because of what Kurt has done for us."

Added Cardinals offensive coordinator Todd Haley: "I think Kurt bought into what we were selling him. Last year we could see he could still play. He had to work a little harder in ball security and making a little better decisions at times, but he worked really hard."

The numbers tell the tale: Warner had 30 touchdown passes and just 14 interceptions. Guess what? He also lost seven fumbles. But none were in Arizona's three playoff victories.

And, he threw a career-high 598 passes in the regular-season, completing 67 percent for 4,583 yards. So, the opportunities to be sacked and stripped of the ball were plentiful.

"When I see Warner," Pittsburgh defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau said, "I look at all his productivity: where his numbers are, his completion percentage, and how he moves an offense every place he's ever been.

"I think anybody who has to sit in that pocket and have guys come from all angles, they're going to lose the ball every now and again. I've never looked at him as an accident-prone quarterback at all. He's just a real productive guy."

Haley and Cardinals quarterbacks coach Jeff Rutledge devised several drills to drill ball protection into Warner's head.

"It has to be a thought, obviously," Rutledge said here last week. "You want it to become a natural thought. It's not something where you want to think ‘I've got to protect the ball.' You've got to do it enough in practice to get it to become a habit, and then a good habit."

"He's a guy who has high risk-reward," said Arizona offensive quality coach

Dedric Ward, who was Warner's teammate at Northern Iowa in 1993. "He's a guy who is confident putting the ball in tight quarters. I think he's shown that consistently, year in and year out.

"But take the small stuff the defense gives you. Not forcing the ball down the field and being smart in the pocket as far as protecting the ball, those are the two main things we tried to communicate to him."

Warner took those things to heart, then helped Arizona become second in the NFL in passing yards per game, and third in scoring.

Now let's go back to some of the other things listed near the top of this story.

Whisenhunt gave Warner a fair chance to claim the quarterback job last summer when some people assumed it would be Leinart's.

Receivers Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin had Pro Bowl seasons. It wouldn't have seemed likely, but they've become a more-

formidable duo than Warner had in St. Louis with Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt.

Injuries plagued Warner between the end of the 2001 season and his renaissance in Arizona. He has been more dedicated to year-round workouts now than ever.

"I've seen quarterbacks get it on in the weight room but this is the first time I've seen a 37-year-old get after it like that," said Cardinals center Lyle Sendlein.

But he remains a pocket passer with limited mobility who dares teams to blitz and takes beatings.

The play of the year in the postseason was the flea flicker the Cardinals used to burn Philadelphia for a 62-yard touchdown pass to Fitzgerald. Warner pitched the ball to running back J.J. Arrington, who threw back to the left to Warner.

Warner fired the bomb to Fitzgerald knowing a charging Brodrick Bunkley would clobber him after he let go of the pass. Bunkley got called for roughing the passer.

Marshall Faulk, one of Warner's star teammates in St. Louis, marveled at the play here last week.

"He threw the ball to Fitzgerald, gets leveled, earholed, roughing the passer," Faulk said. "Kurt's still on the ground, looking downfield to make sure Larry caught it.

"Most quarterbacks throw that ball and duck."

Coaches can't teach the willingness to take that hit.

Warner always says you can't write a story about him without mentioning his faith in God. So here are the player's own words from a Super Bowl news conference:

"You embrace the idea that ‘Hey, I am in a position to make a difference for my football team and I am in a position to change the world around me because of the platform I have been given.'

"I realized a long time ago that God put me in this place particularly, and I am going to try to grab hold of that responsibility."

He grabbed it this year. And held on to it.

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