ST. LOUIS -- It's official: Kurt Warner is back.
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The MVP quarterback took snaps Wednesday for the first time in
more than five weeks and reported no problems with the little
finger on his throwing hand. He felt so good, in fact, that he
joked after practice about requiring further surgery.
"I feel good, real good," Warner said.
Before his acid test, Warner said there were no worries.
"I've been kind of banging it around a little bit and checking
it out to see how it feels," Warner said. "So I really wasn't
worried at all.
"Actually, it was less painful than I thought it might be
taking the snaps."
Warner looked good, too, zipping passes all over the field.
"He didn't skip a beat," coach Mike Martz said. "He looked
just like he did before he got injured. It's pretty amazing."
In fact, Martz said Warner returned with better mechanics.
"The more you play, some things start to deteriorate," Martz
said. "I think the time off has helped him. He's a little fresher
and more compact; he's back to where he was in the beginning."
Warner said there's no reason why he can't pick up right where
he left off.
"I especially think so after practicing today," he said. "If
I can make all the throws today, and my reads were quick today,
there's no reason to think they won't be that same way on Sunday."
Warner was injured on an awkward snap from backup center Steve
Everitt near the end of the half of a 54-34 loss at Kansas City. He
wore a plastic protective piece on the finger during practice, but
team doctors say he shouldn't have to wear that on game day.
He's anxious to make his return from a five-game absence on
Sunday at Carolina. The team is every bit as anxious after going
2-3 without him, although they're careful not to blame backup Trent
Green or speak of Warner as some type of savior.
"We should have gone 5-0 with him at the helm," middle
linebacker London Fletcher said. "I know Kurt is the reigning
league MVP and Super Bowl MVP, but it doesn't matter. If we
continue to do the things we've done these last five games, we're
going to lose again."
Warner also defended Green, who has 16 touchdown passes and five
interceptions but has borne the brunt of criticism in St. Louis.
"I definitely don't think Trent was the problem," Warner said.
"I think it's ridiculous that people are pointing to him in any
way."
Still, Warner undoubtedly will give the Rams a lift. He's 22-4
as a starter and has thrown for 300 or more yards in 17 of those
starts.
He topped 300 yards the first six games of the season, leading
St. Louis to a 6-0 start, and leads the NFL with a 111.6 passer
rating.
Oddsmakers figure Warner will make a big difference and return
the Rams, who had scored 40 points in four consecutive games before
the Chiefs game, to their high-flying days. They're eight-point
favorites Sunday against the Panthers, coming off an impressive
31-14 victory over the Packers on Monday night, and the over-under
is 58 points -- the highest in the NFL by 13 points.
"It's not going to be a giant difference performance-wise,"
center Andy McCollum said. "But it's definitely good to see Kurt
back."
McCollum didn't put a soft touch on the snap to make sure Warner
didn't get hurt again.
"No problems at all," McCollum said. "He said it felt good,
too, and he sure looked good throwing."
Warner has been throwing for more than a week. Two surgical pins
were removed last Monday and he was cleared for full duty last
Friday, two days before the Saints loss.
The last hurdle is strengthening his grip. Warner said it was 85
percent on Monday, the last time he was tested.
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VIDEO
  Rams head coach Mike Martz reports on starting QB Kurt Warner's return to the field. wav: 117 kRealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6 |
