Bulger bumps out Warner at QB

ST. LOUIS -- Kurt Warner's two MVP awards were of absolutely no use to him on Monday, when Marc Bulger was named the St. Louis Rams' starting quarterback.

Coach Mike Martz made his choice a day after Bulger's strong play after halftime in a 27-24 overtime victory over the San Francisco 49ers, but emphasized it wasn't necessarily a long-term decision.

"Marc Bulger will be our quarterback this week," Martz said. "Where that goes, who knows? How long that is, let's not worry about it."

Martz's decision apparently had nothing to do with Warner's health. He sustained a concussion in the first half of the opening 23-13 loss to the Giants, but has not missed any practice and ran the scout team last week.

"What I based this decision on was a lot of things, and those are things I'll keep to myself," Martz said. "I think it's better left that way."

Instead, Martz said he made the decision in the "best interests" of the team. The overriding factor: Bulger moved the team.

"That's why he's in the saddle right now," Martz said.

Bulger lost two fumbles in the first half Sunday, but was 15-for-17 for 155 yards the rest of the way.

"I got into a little bit of a rhythm," Bulger said. "Once halftime came I was able to sit there and say 'I'm not playing that bad, don't do anything stupid, protect the ball and regroup.' It worked this time."

Martz said Bulger improved as the game wore on.

"Had he not gotten better every quarter, I'm not sure I'm standing here and saying this is our decision," Martz said. "But he did. The fourth quarter I thought was exceptional, so we're going to pick it up from there and see where it goes."

Bulger, who finished 25-for-36 for 236 yards and two touchdowns, is 7-1 as the starter for the Rams the last two seasons. Warner is 0-7 in that same span and had six fumbles in the opener.

Martz said he hadn't been able to talk to Warner about his decision. Players had the day off Monday.

Martz said he felt a "tremendous sense of loyalty" to Warner, who led the Rams to two Super Bowls in a three-year span from 1999 to 2001 and helped them win a championship after the '99 season. He expects him to be ready whenever the team called upon him next.

"Kurt is not a has-been," Martz said.

On Sunday, Martz said Warner relayed in plays from the sideline without complaint.

"You can't handle it better than the way Kurt handled it," Martz said. "He handled it like a pro, and you know he's dying inside. He has to be."

The Rams paid Warner a $6 million roster bonus in February after the parties were unable to agree on a restructuring of his contract. But Martz said he has full support of the Rams' front office.

"This is a very important decision and I can't imagine a better situation for a head coach," Martz said. "They're very supportive of the decision."

Rams players also are behind Bulger.

"We have all the confidence in the world in Marc Bulger," offensive tackle Kyle Turley said. "He definitely played an excellent game. I've got a lot of respect for that kid."

Offensive guard Andy McCollum said Bulger acts like a seasoned veteran instead of a one-time sixth-round draft pick who was an unknown backup before getting his shot last year.

"Marc's the man out there," McCollum said. "He's doing a great job out there running the show."