Arizona QB Kurt Warner may have more lives than your typical neighborhood alley cat. He didn’t start for the University of Northern Iowa until his senior season and was cut quickly by the Green Bay Packers in his only invite to a pro camp in 1994. Still looking for an NFL opportunity, Warner signed on with the Arena Football League in 1995.

After leading the Iowa Barnstormers to consecutive Arena Bowl appearances, Warner signed with the St. Louis Rams for the 1998 season, but first went off and played with NFL Europe’s Amsterdam Admirals. He led NFL Europe in passing yards and touchdowns, then served as the Rams’ backup that fall.

Two NFL MVP awards followed, as well as a victory over Tennessee in Super Bowl XXXIV nine years ago. It wasn’t long, though, before injuries compromised Warner's career and he had to compete for starting jobs. He was signed by the New York Giants to start before the 2004 season, in order to give draftee Eli Manning time to acclimate to the pro game. Warner stumbled and Manning took over before the season was over, and it appeared the end was near for the veteran.

Warner signed with Arizona in 2005, but his long-term future as a starter was far from secure. Nearly four years later, Warner, now 37, has prevailed over Matt Leinart, the 10th overall pick in the 2006 draft. On Sunday, he leads the surprising Arizona Cardinals -- the NFL franchise with the most losses over the last 24 seasons -- against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII.

The veteran quarterback seemed to find new life once again a little more than a year ago. Leinart was the starter when the 2007 season began, but he struggled and suffered a season-ending collarbone injury in Week 5. Warner took over, though the Cardinals lost his first three starts. His days as an NFL starter appeared numbered once again, but he's turned back the clock.

Beginning with Arizona’s 31-21 victory over the Detroit Lions on Nov. 11, 2007, Warner has produced some of the finest numbers by a starting quarterback.

Warner since November 11, 2007 (with NFL ranks)
(including postseason)

Attempts. . . . . . . . . . . .999. .(1st)
Completions. . . . . . . . . 661. .(1st)
Pass Yards. . . . . . . . . 7,715. .(1st)
TD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59. .(1st)
25+ Yard Completions. . . 55. .(T-1st, Philip Rivers)
Passer Rating. . . . . . . .97.4. .(2nd, minimum 250 attempts)
Completion Pct. . . . . . 66.2. .(3rd, minimum 250 attempts)

Warner seems to be at the peak of his most recent professional rebirth. Although the Cardinals lost four of their last six regular-season games, Warner has been at his best since Arizona’s season finale, a 34-21 victory over the Seattle Seahawks.

Warner in Last 4 Games

Date. . . . . Opp. . . . .Att. . . . Cmp. . . .Pct. . . . TD. . .Int. . . . Rate
12/18. . . . .Sea. . . . . 30. . . . . 19. . . . .63.3. . . . 4. . . . 1. . . . 117.1
01/03. . . . .Atl. . . . . .32. . . . . 19. . . . .59.4. . . . 2. . . . 1. . . . . 94.7
01/10. . . . Car. . . . . .32. . . . . 21. . . . .65.6. . . . 2. . . . 1. . . . . 93.2
01/17. . . . Phi. . . . . .28. . . . . 21. . . . .75.0. . . . 4. . . . 0. . . . 145.7

Total. . . . . 4-0. . . . 122. . . . . 80. . . . . 65.6. . . 12. . . . 3. . . . 114.5

Warner has two terrific targets in Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. If everyone’s on the same page Sunday, Warner could make the improbable climb to the top once again.