CLIFTON, N.J. -- The offseason has been nothing but R&R for Steve Beuerlein.

	Steve Beuerlein hopes to produce more victories as an encore to his record-setting 1999 season.

As in rest and rehabilitation.

The Carolina Panthers quarterback spent the last six months recovering from five -- count 'em -- surgeries. His list of operations reads like one of Evil Knievel's old medical charts.

Beuerlein had bone spurs removed from his right shoulder and both bone spurs and bone chips taken out of his left ankle. He also had his left knee scoped and underwent hernia surgery that later required the abductor tendon on his pubic bone to be "snipped right off."

"I didn't take part in any minicamps, so that part is not good," said Beuerlein, 35. "But I'm old enough now to where I think that rest is actually a good thing for me. I don't mind taking a little bit of time off to let the body heal."

Beuerlein took a beating from opposing defenses last season while throwing for a team-record 4,436 yards and 36 touchdowns last season. Only Tim Couch (56) and Drew Bledsoe (55) suffered more sacks than Beuerlein (50), who attempted 571 passes -- second only to Brett Favre's 595. Surprisingly, Beuerlein withstood the aches and pains to start all 16 games for the first time in his career.

"It was definitely fun," said Beuerlein of his career year. "You don't get a chance to put up those kind of numbers very often."

Beuerlein, who'll begin his 11th NFL season when Carolina's veterans report for training camp on July 20, is focused on compiling more victories in 2000. Thanks to a quick-strike offense that relied on Beuerlein's right arm, the Panthers mounted a late charge in '99 that nearly landed them an NFC wild-card berth. They won five of their last seven games to finish 8-8, concluding the season with a wild 45-13 win over New Orleans in which Beuerlein threw on nearly every down to try to catch Green Bay in a margin-of-victory tiebreaker.

Beuerlein thinks a healthy Tim Biakabutuka and a defense featuring free agent Chuck Smith -- who'll be counted on to replace the retired Kevin Greene as the team's top pass rushing threat -- will help prevent Carolina from playing catch-up again.

	“	I would like to play even more consistently this year and raise my efficiency all the way around. There's always room for improvement. Just like golf, you can always shoot a better score. ”
		— Steve Beuerlein, Panthers quarterback

"I think we could be a better team offensively and not maybe have the same numbers by having a better running game," said Beuerlein, who bettered his previous career high for passing yards by over 1,800. "We were 28th in the league in rushing the ball. If we can get a better running game, it's going to take the pressure off the passing game. We'll be able to mix it up a little bit more instead of relying on the pass all the time.

"Also, with a good defense -- a defense that can shut people down -- you don't have the pressure to go out there and score 35, 40 points a week. So, you're not going to be as aggressive offensively. I think we can be a better team offensively, but it may not show up in the stats."

Still, with a pair of 1,000-yard receivers in Muhsin Muhammad and Patrick Jeffers and Pro Bowl tight end Wesley Walls, Beuerlein will get the opportunity to throw downfield. But more Biakabutuka and Natrone Means should mean less wear and tear on Beuerlein.

"One of the things I'm most proud of was that I played pretty consistently most of the year," said Beuerlein, whose 94.6 passer rating was second in the league only to Kurt Warner's 109.2. "I would like to play even more consistently this year and raise my efficiency all the way around. There's always room for improvement. Just like golf, you can always shoot a better score. In football, you can always know a little bit more about what's going on and play a little bit better."

Overall, the NFC West will be improved. Atlanta welcomes back Jamal Anderson to its running game, and New Orleans boasts a roster completely overhauled by free-agent signings that include quarterback Jeff Blake and run-stopping defensive tackle Norman Hand. Then, there's St. Louis, which kept most of its Super Bowl championship squad intact.

Can Carolina be the next NFC West team to reach the Super Bowl? Why not, says Beuerlein.

"We've been referred to as the stepchild for a longtime," Beuerlein said. "The NFC West has been the (conference's Super Bowl) representative two years in a row. ... It's going to be a good battle for our division, but we've got as good of a shot as anybody."