And that stunning 20-17 loss in Super Bowl XXXVI continues to haunt Warner and cause him great pain. Maybe that's why he talks more about that game than the joy of his victory over Tennessee in Super Bowl XXXIV. He just hasn't been able to let that loss go.

``I think about the game that we lost more than any game that I've ever played in,'' Warner said during Tuesday's media day.

Even after delivering St. Louis a world championship by throwing a 73-yard touchdown pass to Isaac Bruce to break a 16-16 tie, Warner can't shake the Patriots upset.

``It's probably a little unfortunate because I probably should be hanging on to the one that we won,'' Warner said. ``It's just that, in that year, we were favored. We were expected to win that game. And so when you don't win, you feel like you miss an opportunity to make history. It's stuck with me more than any other game that I've played in. I'm going to do my best to make sure I don't have to think about this one too much.''

Warner, back in the NFL title game with the Arizona Cardinals, hopes for a better ending Sunday against Pittsburgh than the day Tom Brady and the Pats drove 53 yards in the final 1:21 to set up Adam Vinatieri's historic winning field goal against the 14-point favorite Rams.

Once the Rams had tied the game, Warner was sure they would win.

``There was never any question at that point,'' Warner said. ``We were playing well down the stretch. We had gotten into a rhythm. We had momentum on our side. We felt like if we could get the Football, we'd move it and get ourselves into position to win. To the Patriots' credit, they didn't give us the ball back.

``It was tough watching the kick. You don't have the ball in your hands. There is nothing you can do to change the outcome. When you watch it go through, that's when all of the emotions start to hit you. You've just lost the Super Bowl. You didn't take advantage of a special opportunity.''

Warner will try to erase most of that memory Sunday, but it won't be wasy. He'll have his hands full attempting to crack Dick LeBeau's defense. Even with his incredibly quick release and a talented arsenal of receivers, Warner will be put to the test with Steelers rushers coming at him from every direction.

``They're going to do things we've never seen before with all their playmakers and all the different guys they can move around,'' Warner said. ``Our recognition of what they're doing, where they're coming from, who we're blocking, who are the free guys . . . I think that's going to be a huge key come Sunday evening on how much success we have.''

Warner has gone from being a grocery store bag boy to league and Super Bowl MVP. And now, for his encore, and perhaps final act, he has once again pulled himself up from the scrap heap. He's emerged from washed-up quarterback to returning playoff hero with a third Super Bowl appearance on tap.

Warner has claimed all week he doesn't know if this will be his final game. But he does have an idea what he hopes will be his lasting impression.

``The dream of this game is, when I walk away that everybody that played with me or in the organizations that I was with say, `We were a better team, we were a better organization, I'm a better player because of that guy,' '' he said. ``That's what I want my legacy to be. I want people to remember me for the impact I had on them and not necessarily the impact that I had on this game.''

- kguregian@bostonherald.com