Warner wants to remain a Ram but wants to play

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Kurt Warner still wants to play in St. Louis and he's not making any trade demands, at least not yet.

But the Rams quarterback said it would be a shame if the team kept both him and Marc Bulger because a talented player would go to waste.

"I know we've got two quality quarterbacks, two guys that can start in the league," Warner said Friday. "If we both stayed in St. Louis, it's going to be unfortunate, because some guy that deserves to be starting in this league won't be, whether it's myself or Marc.

Warner was in Des Moines on behalf of his First Things First Foundation, presenting a single mother and her three children a fully furnished house.

He declined to comment on the speech in which he said his devout religious beliefs might have contributed to his benching, though he did say he would continue to speak out on his faith.

Warner said in a statement issued last week that he doesn't think he lost his job because of his evangelism. He said his speech, given in Houston on Super Bowl Sunday, was mostly about the power of positive thinking.

Bulger became the Rams' starter last season after Warner fumbled six times in a 23-13 loss to the New York Giants in the opener. Warner said he was miserable sitting on the bench. And while he stopped short of saying he'd want to be traded if he doesn't start, he said he did not want to go through that experience again.

"It's something I can't even comprehend," Warner said. "It was so hard to sit on the bench knowing that I could play in St. Louis and around the league.

"To be put in the situation where I would have to sit on the bench again would be extremely difficult. It would be very hard. I'm not going to say I couldn't do it. But it is definitely the last thing I would want to do."

Rams coach Mike Martz earlier this week declined to discuss his quarterback plans in detail. But Warner, a two-time MVP in the NFL, said he's confident he'll get a chance to win the starting job.

"From all indications I've gotten, the talks we've had, yeah, I'm definitely going to get an opportunity to go back out and show what I can do," Warner said. "A lot of times, that's all you can ask for."