Warner looking to party like it's 1999

Kurt Warner. This was the name that defined the season in the NFL in 1999.

Thrust into a job that the St. Louis Rams coaching staff spent a great deal of that summer fine-tuning for their new prized quarterback Trent Green, Warner went on to produce the best incarnation of the sports-version of a Cinderella tale to-date.

Warner was the MVP of the football world, leading the Rams to a 23-16 victory in Super Bowl XXXIV, while posting deliciously hideous numbers during the regular season, and solidifying his place amongst the best passers in the league.

Along came 2000, and Warner was to be taken on a different journey, and Cinderella's stay at the dance was going to be short and rocky.

Coming off a year where he threw only 13 interceptions, he was victimized in 2000 with 18 picks by defenses, which read his body language and where he wanted to go with the football. Most of the yardage that built up on his personal meter was a product of the fantastic work his talented offensive teammates did with the ball once they got it in their hands.

He wasn't bulletproof anymore, suffering a broken finger, which kept him out of five games. He got his spot back once he was well enough to throw again, but a late appearance by Y2K seemed to throw Warner and the St. Louis Rams off in 2000. They finished the season losing the NFC West to the New Orleans Saints, and were sent home by the Saints in the first round of the playoffs.

For Warner, year two was uncooperative, as midnight maintained its stronghold on the clock, and the large pumpkin and mice refused to make a coach and horses for another magical go-round.

It wasn't a big drop-off between campaigns, because his numbers were those that more than a handful of quarterbacks in the leagues would have given their signing bonuses for. However, when you get invited to the dance one year, and Prince Charming's taking some other chick the following year, there is an urge to show one's self worth as soon as possible.

Warner has ridden his short-time success on the confidence in his abilities, his teammates' confidence in him, the arsenal of offensive personnel he has to work with, and his strong faith in God. Arguably, the latter is his most helpful co-pilot, but it doesn't hurt that the rest of the package can add a little something to the mix, too.

Even with the missteps on offense last season, opposing defenses know that the Rams are still the most potent offense out there, and Warner's deft ability to run that particular program on a weekly basis makes them so.

Trent Green, in his five games in the top spot, showed that another person, as well as Warner, could run the program. After all, it did start out as his show pre-Rodney Harrison.

Green is in Kansas City now, and Warner is being looked upon as a passer that needs to play all 16 regular games for the Rams to be successful. His backups are Joe Germaine and rookie Marc Bulger of West Virginia, or better yet, two players Rams fans don't want to see at quarterback as much as they did not want to see Warner in the hole before he showed what he could do two years ago.

Even though the Rams success will be mostly shouldered on how the defense has improved from last year's horror show, the offense, which is still intact, has to continue to put the onus on themselves to remain dominant, and Warner has to regain the equity of being worthy enough to wear those glass slippers once again.

All of those who believe in fairy tales are counting on it.