(COMTEX)     Warner named NFL MVP
 
Jan 9, 2002 (The Sports Network via COMTEX) -- St. Louis, MO (Sports Network) -
St. Louis Rams quarterback Kurt Warner was named the NFL s Most Valuable Player.
This is the second time in three seasons that Warner has captured the award, and
the third year in a row that a Ram has been named MVP as Warner won in 1999 and
RB Marshall Faulk won in 2000. The Rams are the second team in NFL history to
have a player chosen as MVP in three consecutive seasons (Green Bay Packers,
1995-97).
 
Warner becomes the sixth repeat winner of the MVP award, joining Jim Brown
(1957,  65), Johnny Unitas (1964,  67), Joe Montana (1989,  90), Steve Young
(1992,  94), and Brett Favre (1995,  96,  97). This is the 28th time a
quarterback has won the award and the fourth time a Ram has won it as Roman
Gabriel won in 1969, Warner in 1999, and Faulk in 2000.
 
He was present along with his wife at a news conference Wednesday afternoon, but
Warner was unable to speak. He suffered an injury to his vocal cords in the
Rams' 31-13 win over the Atlanta Falcons in Sunday's regular-season finale. The
Rams (14-2) have earned homefield advantage throughout the NFC playoffs and they
will begin their postseason schedule Sunday, January 20.
 
Warner s 2001 season puts him in elite company in NFL history. He threw for the
second-highest single season total in passing yards in league history,
completing 375 of 546 passes (68.7 percent) for 4,830 yards with 36 touchdowns
and 22 interceptions. Warner completed passes to 11 different receivers in
leading the Rams across the 500-point plateau for an NFL-record third
consecutive time.
 
The four-year veteran led the NFL in passing yards, touchdown passes, passer
rating (101.4), yards per attempt (8.85), third down passing (109.5), and was
third in the NFC and third in the NFL in fourth quarter passing (101.4), leading
the Rams to a team-record 14 wins.
 
Selected to his third straight Pro Bowl, Warner tied an NFL record with nine
300-yard passing games, including a season-high 401-yard effort at New England.
His 280-yard passing game in the season finale against Atlanta moved him to
second behind Dan Marino on the NFL s single-season passing yards list. Warner s
36 touchdowns rank second in team history, while his 375 completions ranked
sixth on the NFL s season list.
 
In 2001, Warner set team records for completions, completion percentage, passing
yards, most seasons with 4,000 or more passing yards (two), and most games with
300 or more passing yards in a career (26). He also tied a team and NFL record
for most 300-yard passing games in a season and tied a team record for most
games with four or more touchdown passes in a career (six).
 
The award is presented by the Associated Press.
 
 
 
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