Warner keeps unheralded St Louis on winning course

THE ST LOUIS Rams have been one of the worst teams of the past decade, their early-season promise generally dissolving into futility before theseason is even halfway over. So it is not overstating the case to say that, having won their first three games by wide margins, the Rams are the shockteam of the campaign.

THE ST LOUIS Rams have been one of the worst teams of the past decade, their early-season promise generally dissolving into futility before theseason is even halfway over. So it is not overstating the case to say that, having won their first three games by wide margins, the Rams are the shockteam of the campaign.

Even more remarkably, they are achieving their success with a quarterback with no previous National Football League experience. Kurt Warner hadimpressed in the Arena League (an indoor version of the game) and showed promise when in the colours of the Amsterdam Admirals in Europe twoseasons ago, yet he was seen merely as understudy to Trent Green, the team's first- choice passer, during training camp.

However, when Green was lost through injury in pre-season, the Rams were forced to turn to Warner, and the man from Iowa has been a revelation.On Sunday, he made it three wins in a row, his team trouncing the hapless Bengals 38-10 in Cincinnati.

Warner threw three touchdown passes in the rout, thereby becoming the first quarterback in more than 50 years to throw that number in his first threegames. "Everything's going so well right now," he said. "We just want to continue to roll with the confidence we've got."

The receiver Az-Zahir Hakim caught all three touchdowns, then added another on an 84-yard punt return, to confirm the Rams' status as the league'smost in-form team.

"I didn't expect to play this well," added Warner. "They can take me seriously or not, we're going to attack them all the same way."

Next week St Louis host the San Francisco 49ers: another victory, and everyone will be taking Warner and the Rams very seriously indeed.

The 49ers continue to defy premature reports of their demise, with an impressive 24-22 triumph over the previously unbeaten Tennessee Titans.Without their quarterback, Steve Young, who sustained a concussion in last week's win over Arizona, the Californians were led by Jeff Garcia, and his22-yard pass to Terrell Owens in the fourth quarter enabled his team to withstand a late Tennessee rally.

There is still no respite for the Denver Broncos and the Atlanta Falcons, the two teams who contested last year's Super Bowl. Both are still in searchof their first wins of the season following losses to the New York Jets and the Baltimore Ravens respectively.

Brian Griese continues to struggle as he attempts to follow in the footsteps of the retired John Elway. The young Denver quarterback gave his allagainst the Jets, but after throwing three interceptions and giving up a fumble, Griese was booed from the field. Of greater concern to the Broncos isthe status of their running back, Terrell Davis, who injured a knee ligament in the first half. If the damage is as bad as coach Mike Shanahan fears,Davis could miss the remainder of the season.

The Falcons built a 13-3 lead over the Ravens but a touchdown pass from Stoney Case to Pat Johnson sent the game into overtime, from where Casefired a 54-yard strike to Justin Armour to give Baltimore a 19-13 win.

The Dallas Cowboys maintained their unbeaten run with a 35-7 humbling of the Arizona Cardinals. Troy Aikman threw two touchdown passes forthe Texans, but Arizona's cause was not helped by their quarterback, Jake Plummer, who gave up four interceptions.

There was drama in Washington, where the Carolina Panthers built an 21-point advantage over the Redskins in the first quarter, only to let their hoststake a 35-24 lead in the third. The Panthers edged ahead again when Wesley Walls caught a six-yard touchdown, but there was still time forWashington's kicker, Brett Conway, to convert a 31-yard field goal with six seconds remaining.