Rams say they're looking to the future, not to past two losses

ST. LOUIS -- At 0-2, Kurt Warner and the Rams can do nothing but look ahead.

"He's won an awful lot of games here," coach Mike Martz said Wednesday of his quarterback, who has taken most of the heat for the two defeats.

"When you go back and count them it's pretty substantial and he's not used to losing, and I think he takes that personally, as great competitors do."

Warner, the NFL's two-time MVP, appeared demoralized after Sunday's 26-21 loss to the New York Giants, saying "this one's completely on me."

He was particularly upset about his last pass, which was intercepted by New York's Will Peterson just after the two-minute warning. He threw outside to Torry Holt when the wide receiver was breaking inside.

"It was a mental mistake on my part which isn't real characteristic of me, and that's what frustrated me the most," Warner said. "We were in a position to go down and win that game and I took us out of it."

But the smile was back on Warner's face on Wednesday as the winless Rams began preparations for Monday night's game at Tampa Bay (1-1).

"It didn't take long to get away and kind of think about it and watch the film," Warner said. "It's just one of those things."

Martz expects vintage Warner against the Buccaneers.

"He's tough and he'll fight through this. This is when Kurt is at his best," Martz said.

Actually, it's not as if Warner has hit rock bottom. He's completed 72.5 percent of his passes the first two games for an average of 290.5 yards per game.

But he has one touchdown pass and three interceptions, two of them last week against the Giants. Last year, Warner led the NFL in passing yards, had 36 touchdowns and 22 interceptions and tied an NFL record with nine 300-yard games.

Defenses thus far have taken away the long ball, and Warner is learning to be more patient.

"The big thing so far is we haven't been able to throw the ball downfield like we wanted to yet," Warner said. "We've been very effective to a point, we just haven't been able to get those shots that have been there."

The Rams are still calling their trademark deep routes, but more often than not Warner has to check out of them.

"That's my job," he said. "I'm not going to just take a stupid throw just to throw it and hope it works out. If there's an opportunity to complete the play, I have no problem taking that shot, but when a team's got it covered up pretty well you check it down and you let one of your other playmakers make a play."

The Bucs almost certainly will be another team that forces Warner to take small bites instead of big chunks.

"The big challenge is to put together a drive where you don't make mistakes," Warner said. "It's tough to make a 16-17 play drive against them.

"We have to be very efficient and take whatever they give us."

Warner and Martz both insist there's nothing wrong with his right thumb. A sprained ligament last year hindered him on deep throws.

Even though the Rams are 0-2 for the first time since 1998, matching their loss total from last season, Warner knows things could be a lot worse.

"We're fortunate we're only one game back in our division right now, but we can't lose any more ground and that's the bottom line," Warner said. "Nothing's been jeopardized yet, but we've got to get it turned around quickly."

Noteworthy

The Rams didn't wait for the completion of a 30-foot-high privacy screen to ward off spies, practicing outdoors on Wednesday for the first time during the regular season.

The team is spending $100,000 on a screen similar to that used on tennis courts in order to block the view from a four-story hotel across the street from the Rams Park practice facility. It's scheduled to be completed sometime next week and crews have been installing concrete piers the last few days.

The Rams have been working out on their indoor FieldTurf facility since the season began, but Martz wanted to move outdoors because the Rams' game is on grass at Tampa Bay on Monday.

"I think it's good to get guys on the grass if you're playing on it, get some grass stains on the knees," Martz said.

Martz said Wednesday that he may extend the team's closed-practice policy. This season, for the first time since the team moved to St. Louis in 1995, regular-season practices have been closed to the media.

"My intention is, we'll just see how it goes," Martz said. "That's a big 'I don't know."'