Quarterback Kurt Warner has a 9-4 record in his career in games following those in which he has thrown at least three interceptions.
 
 
Kurt Warner has had games where he's had a bunch of interceptions before and the Cardinals' quarterback knows there will probably be another one somewhere in the future.

But Warner has also learned over the years to set aside the clunkers – especially as they are unfolding on a Sunday – because that's what's necessary for both he and his team to be successful.

"If I throw an interception, the worst part is I hurt the team," Warner said. "If my stats aren't any good, I don't care. I want to win. That's I'm not sitting here (in a game) saying, 'I've thrown three interceptions and I don't want to throw four.' It's, 'Shoot, we still have a chance to win this game and I will have to make those plays if we are going to win.'

"Now, if I throw three balls into double coverage and I'm not seeing things and just being stupid, I am probably going to second-guess myself a lot more than if a ball gets tipped at the line of scrimmage and gets picked, or like the one with Jerheme (Urban) or the screen (returned for a touchdown). Sometimes it just happens that way. You still want to be aggressive and give my team chances to win based on what I do well."

Warner feels he doesn't make a lot of bad decisions, which helps him put the interceptions into perspective. Bouncing back from a bad game – like his five-interception day against Carolina last weekend to head into Chicago this week – is easier than managing feelings after a couple of interceptions during a game.

Warner has 11 interceptions in seven games, the same number as Bears counterpart Jay Cutler. Like Warner, Cutler has endured his share of criticism this season.

"You go to any franchise in the league and talk to the quarterbacks and whenever things are going bad, we're going to take some of the lumps," Cutler said. "When things are going really good, we get more praise than probably is deserved. I understand that."

The Cardinals, whose offensive inconsistencies reach across the lineup, need Warner playing at a high level. Yet there was little lingering concern after Warner's struggles against the Panthers.

"Kurt was trying to fight his way back into the game for our team," coach Ken Whisenhunt said. "Like a cornerback, a quarterback has to have a short memory. You can't get worried about making those throws and I think that's what makes Kurt so good is he isn't afraid to make those throws. He trusts his arm and he trusts his players."

In his career, Warner has thrown at least three interceptions in a game 13 times, including the playoffs. Only once, in 2001, did he follow such a performance with another, and in those 13 follow-up games, Warner's passing rating is a solid 94.7.

More importantly, the record of Warner's teams in those follow-up games is 9-4.

"I have never been in one of those stretches where it has gone five or six games and I can't hit the broad side of a barn and everybody is saying, 'Dude, what are you doing?' " Warner said. "The coaches, I think, are like 'We'll have eight out of 10 where he's on the money, and we might have a couple where he is off and it hurts us.' The benefits of how I play hopefully help us more than hurt us."

BOLDIN BACK TO WORK
 
Wide receiver Anquan Boldin (ankle) returned to the practice field Friday after missing Wednesday and Thursday and will be a game-day decision whether he is active, Whisenhunt said. While there has been much speculation this week whether the Cardinals would rest Boldin's lingering injury for a week, the Pro Bowler looked impressive in his limited work.

Backup cornerback Michael Adams was added to the injury report as questionable after being limited with a sore hamstring. Three other Cardinals are listed as questionable for Sunday: linebacker Gerald Hayes (back), defensive end Kenny Iwebema (knee) and wide receiver Sean Morey (illness). The rest of the players on the Cards’ 14-man injury report) are all probable for Sunday.

DEFENDING HOME TURF

The Cardinals are in another stretch of mostly road trips – beginning with Chicago, they are away for five of their next seven games – but after the shocking result against Carolina, the Cardinals players insist they won't let the rest of the home schedule get away from them.

"When you're at home, you have to take that energy and (mesh) it with the things you learned all week about football and convert it," defensive end Darnell Dockett said. "We just have to find a way to be more consistent, especially at home. We have to find ways to win at home, because when you're at home, you've got people that want us to win, you've got the crowd behind you."

Said defensive end Calais Campbell of the negative reaction some fans had late in the Carolina game, "I can't blame them; we haven't given them a lot to cheer about. That's one thing we have to focus on and coach said it: No more losses at home."