Week 5 of the NFL season might be a bit early to make such a judgment, but the question begs to be asked. How is it that Rams quarterback Kurt Warner slipped through the football cracks until now?

	Despite a 5-0 start, many fans don't believe Kurt Warner and the Rams are for real.

When the 28-year-old Warner took over for the injured Trent Green two weeks before the season started, those close to football asked, "Kurt Warner? You mean that running back from Seattle a while back?" Well, after three wins, 894 passing yards and nine TD passes, they're not confusing the two any longer. But if Warner's this good, why did it take him so long to become an overnight success?

"He slipped through (the cracks) the same way Jamal Anderson and Terrell Davis did," Rams wide receiver Isaac Bruce said with a definitive tone. "There are a lot of scouts who work hard at their jobs, but not everybody is going to find that diamond in the rough."

Coming out of Division I-AA Northern Iowa (where he only started his senior year) in 1994, Warner was invited to Green Bay's training camp as an undrafted free agent. But there was one small problem with that. Well, actually, three big problems. The three quarterbacks in front of him on the depth chart were named Brett Favre, Mark Brunell and Ty Detmer. Instead, a dream shot at making it with the Packers turned into a three-year stay with the Iowa Barnstormers of the Arena League, a one-year stint with the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe and then a year of holding a clipboard in St. Louis last season.

"I always believed that I had the ability, and I always hoped that I would get the opportunity," Warner said. "But I can't say that I knew it would happen."

Well, it finally did happen, and the idea that good things come to those who wait doesn't sound like just an old, overused adage anymore. For Warner, it sounds real.

He took over for Green, who himself looked frighteningly adept in the Rams' system before he was lost for the season, in the second-to-last preseason game. Not only has Warner looked incredibly sharp in helping the Rams light up the scoreboard, but this is also a guy everyone seems to like -- not exactly a bad marketing combination. He's grounded, he's mature, he's never short of praise for his teammates and he couldn't care less about being the league's lowest-paid starting quarterback. (He makes the league minimum for second-year players.) In addition, Warner circulates fliers about the Rams' locker room, inviting people to a weekly Bible study at his house. He even helped start the Barnstormers' YMCA Youth Alliance and worked as a counselor for at-risk kids.

Clearly, Warner has his head on his shoulders and his priorities in order. But he also has plenty of talent and his head in the game. Teammates find it amazing how calm and collected he is in the heat of battle. After usually reliable Ricky Proehl dropped a sure touchdown pass in a recent game, Warner, somehow, was more positive than ever in the huddle and clapping his hands.

	Kurt Warner Quarterback St. Louis Rams Profile
	1999 SEASON STATISTICS COMP ATT YDS TD INT RAT 62 90 894 9 2 125.0

Sure, he's played in a bunch of games over the years and dealt with the speed and craziness of Arena football, but with all due respect to his other teams, the NFL is where the big boys come to play -- the whole bright-lights, big-city notion. It's a bit different on this side of the fence, and fans and media members alike wouldn't have been surprised if Warner had struggled a bit after having the reins to a potentially explosive yet historically underachieving offense thrown in his lap a little more than a month ago.

"I stepped in and tried to get focused and tried to take control of the team," Warner said of his move into the starting role. "I never saw any of the players waver in confidence or knowing that I had the ability to lead this team."

They had no reason to waver, because Warner has been through a lot already, and he's persevered time and again. His 10-year-old stepson has been blind since an accident took his sight in infancy, and his parents-in-law lost their lives in a tornado last year. It's doubtful Warner will get rattled by a blitzing linebacker or third-down pass that sails on him.

Rams offensive coordinator Mike Martz says his quarterback has fought and scraped to this point, and judging by Warner's track record, Martz couldn't be closer to the truth.

"However he got here, we're just so fortunate to have him," Martz said. "He's kind of been in the right place at the right time. He's got an opportunity to play and have it all on his shoulders, and he's meant to be in that situation. He's ready to be a starter in this league."

A starter and then some. In a wide-open NFC West, Warner and the Rams have the potential to make some serious noise with an offense that appears capable of putting up 30 points anytime it steps on the field.

For Warner, being the talk of the NFL and defensive meetings everywhere must make him feel light-years away from the days when he was busy seeking tryouts just to make a team. He's a hidden gem who just happened to fall through the cracks of the NFL, other teams must be thinking. But Warner simply looks at being the leader in St. Louis as his chance to shine. Finally.

"I think there are a lot of guys out there who just don't get the opportunity to play and the opportunity to be successful," he said. "You just never know what a player is all about until he gets in there and gets a chance to play."

No kidding.

"That night (of Green's injury), as we were walking out of the locker room, Isaac (Bruce) walked over, grabbed me by the arm and said, 'Look, we're going to be just fine with Kurt,' and I said, 'I know,' " Martz recalls. "There just was that feeling. His personality does that to you. You don't worry about him."

While the Rams know they don't have to worry, their opponents are beginning to realize they better start.

Material from Pro Football Weekly.
Visit PFW's web site at http://www.profootballweekly.com