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Warner to have surgery Rams quarterback to be sidelined 8-10 weeksPosted: Monday September 30, 2002 3:59 PMUpdated: Monday September 30, 2002 6:38 PM
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Kurt Warner will be sidelined 8-to-10 weeks with a broken pinkie on his throwing hand, the latest blow for the winless St. Louis Rams. The two-time MVP was injured in the first quarter of Sunday's 13-10 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, which dropped the defending NFC champions to 0-4, their worst start since 1963. Warner will have surgery Tuesday. "He's very upset, but he understands," head coach Mike Martz said. "There's nothing you can do about it." Two years ago, Warner had surgery on the same finger on his right hand and missed five games. It will take longer for him to heal this time because it's a compound fracture. Martz described the injury as a "T-shaped break at the base of the finger." Warner will have pins inserted into his pinkie and should begin moving the finger in about a month. The pins will come out after five weeks and X-rays will monitor the healing process during rehab. "There is a risk that if you go back too soon, even though you're feeling good, that you can recrack the bone," said Dr. Matt Matava, one of the Rams' orthopedic surgeons. Warner landed on his hand after he was hit during a safety blitz by Roy Williams and his pass was intercepted by the Cowboys' Greg Ellis. That was Warner's eighth interception of the season, to go with just one touchdown pass. Warner is 14th in the NFC and 25th in the NFL in passer rating at 66.4, even though he's completed 70.1 percent of his passes, best in the conference. Backup quarterback Jamie Martin's wife, Kelly, gave birth to the couple's second child Monday morning. Martz said Martin was supposed to come in and review game tape later in the day. Martz said the Rams were close to signing another quarterback, but only to back up Martin and Marc Bulger. Martin, who was 24-for-37 for 262 yards with a touchdown and an interception against Dallas, will make his second career start in nine NFL seasons Sunday in San Francisco. Martin separated his shoulder in the preseason opener and didn't play for the rest of the preseason. In the regular season, Warner had been getting almost all of the snaps. "I was trying to be cautious and trying to figure out exactly what he felt comfortable with, but he had an awful lot of success for a guy who hasn't done any of this stuff," Martz said.
"I just believe in him. I know he can do it, and I know our
players believe in him."
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