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Miami defense no match for Rams' Warner, Faulk

© St. Petersburg Times,
published October 1, 2001

ST. LOUIS -- Even the Dolphins couldn't beat Kurt Warner indoors.

Warner threw four touchdowns and Marshall Faulk scored three times Sunday in a 42-10 victory in a game pairing previously unbeaten teams.

Miami was supposed to pose a tough test, but the Rams, who sputtered at times in their first two games, totaled 451 yards in offense, and Warner led a 99-yard drive in the third quarter.

Warner remained unbeaten at home, going 16-0 in the Dome at America's Center counting regular seasons and playoffs. The Rams lost three in a row at home in November, but Warner was out with a broken finger.

"We are not used to teams moving the ball like that on us," Dolphins cornerback Patrick Surtain said.

The Dolphins were ranked eighth in the league on defense, and their reputation was probably better than that.

"He is that good, let's face it," Rams coach Mike Martz said of Warner. "People need to start realizing that you don't line up against a defense like that and do what he did."

In the first two games, both outdoors and on the road, Warner had four touchdown passes and three interceptions. Sunday, he was 24-for-31 for 328 yards with no interceptions.

"I played in a dome in college. I played inside in Arena Football. I just love playing inside," Warner said. "It's my element."

It was a delayed home opener for the Rams, who were to have opened Sept. 17 against the Falcons. Besides the ceremony honoring victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, offensive line coach Jim Hanifan, a U.S. Army veteran, waved a large American flag at the 50-yard line before the national anthem.

Perhaps more impressive than the 99-yard drive that made it 28-10 was Warner's 1-yard touchdown to Faulk on the last play of the first half to make it 21-10. Warner passed while in the grasp of linebacker Scott Galyon, and after the pass he was slammed to the turf by Jermaine Haley and Brock Marion. "It never hurts quite as much when you get a touchdown out of it," Warner said.

Warner opened the game going 8-for-8 for 68 yards on a 10-play drive capped by a 3-yard touchdown pass to Ricky Proehl, giving him 13 straight completions in a span of two games. He also hit Torry Holt in stride on a 45-yard score in the fourth quarter.

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