Rams quarterback Kurt Warner was released from a New York hospital Monday and returned to St. Louis after suffering a “mild to moderate” concussion against the Giants.
It was Rams coach Mike Martz, however, who seemed like he was confused.
“I called a terrible game,” Martz said after the Rams’ 23-13 loss.
Martz, who said Marc Bulger would start this week against San Francisco, said he should have pulled Warner when he became foggy after a first-quarter sack. Martz said Warner “wasn’t himself. He looked confused when you gave him a play.”
Martz also called just 13 rushing plays, only nine for the great Marshall Faulk, and 55 passes, a curious ratio in a game that was never so lopsided that the Rams were out of it. Down by 10 in the fourth quarter, Martz twice passed up field goals to go on fourth down.
Bulger was 6-1 as a starter last season when Warner was hurt. “I’m just going to count on starting Marc, basically,” Martz said. “I’m going to err on the side of caution.”
The Rams believe Warner was injured when he was sacked by Michael Strahan in the first quarter. Warner was 34-for-54 for 342 yards. He threw for one touchdown and was intercepted once. He was sacked six times and fumbled six times, losing three of them.
Wannstedt watch: If Dave Wannstedt was on a hot seat in Miami before Sunday’s 21-20 loss to Houston Texans, the heat has increased. His Dolphins play the 0-1 New York Jets on Sunday at the Meadowlands, where the Dolphins traditionally have problems. One team is going to be 0-2.
“I know the expectations and everything that’s being talked about,” the former Bears coach said. “But nothing has changed in my mind one bit on how I feel about this team. I like the guys we’re going into battle with.”
Houston forced three turnovers and played with more poise in the fourth quarter. Wasted timeouts left the Dolphins without any when they desperately needed one in the final moments. They were flagged for 15 penalties, including four declined or offset.
“Dumb stuff,” Wannstedt said. “There’s no excuse for it.”
Viking ship-shape: The best-laid plans of the Minnesota Vikings looked like a blueprint against the Packers in Green Bay.
New defensive coordinator George O’Leary’s retooled group harassed Brett Favre and stopped Ahman Green. The 29th-ranked pass defense in the league last year, starting a secondary that never had played together before, intercepted Favre four times.
New free safety Brian Russell had one interception. New cornerback Denard Walker’s tight coverage on Javon Walker resulted in a tip that strong safety Corey Chavous picked.
Free-agent linebacker Chris Claiborne from the Lions led both teams with eight tackles, an assist, a sack and a fumble recovery. Top draft choice Kevin Williams started at left defensive end and contributed four tackles.
Special teams also came through without error. First-year kicker Aaron Elling was 3-for-3. Former XFL Chicago Enforcers back John Avery returned two kickoffs and had one touchdown reception.
Bad call: Instant replay never was intended to create perfectly called games, and this is why it never will: The touchdown supposedly scored by Tennessee’s Derrick Mason in the back of the end zone Sunday night against Oakland was ruled a push-out.
Because it’s a judgment call, it is not subject to review. But replay revealed it wasn’t even close. Mason didn’t get either foot down, and it was his own momentum more than a shove that carried him beyond the end line. Chalk up a 25-20 Raiders loss to a bad call and add another paranoia paragraph to Al Davis’ “Why Me?” book.
Two Jakes: In their quarterback search, the Bears briefly courted Jake Plummer before signing Kordell Stewart. The Jake they didn’t pursue was Jake Delhomme. The Bears wanted somebody with more game experience than the little-used New Orleans backup.
Carolina took a chance on Delhomme, who couldn’t beat out 37-year-old Rodney Peete in the preseason. But Delhomme came off the bench Sunday to beat Jacksonville with three second-half TD passes, and Monday coach John Fox named him the starter.
Generic quotes: Fill in the blanks:
– Quote A: “We look and correct our mistakes, which were basically turnovers. I don’t care if you’re the greatest team to ever play in the NFL, you can’t have a lot of turnovers.”
– Quote B: “Losing is sometimes just as valuable as winning, especially the first game of the season. It’s still early, so we’ll take this and build on it.”
Bears quotes? Dolphins quotes? Patriots quotes? No, they are Packers quotes, the first by Ahman Green, the second by Hannibal Navies.
Springboard: The Bears’ loss was their worst since 1977, when they were blown out by the Oilers 47-0 in Houston. They won their next six games, including a 12-9 overtime win against the New York Giants in the season finale to make the playoffs for the first time since their 1963 championship.
First-game chances: Dating to 1978, when the league went to 16 games, but not counting the strike-abbreviated 1982 season, teams winning their first game are more than twice as likely to reach the playoffs. Of the 346 teams that won openers, 182 went to the playoffs and 100 won division titles. Of the 346 losers, 82 went to the playoffs and 45 won division titles.
