Nearly five years have passed since Kurt Warner last played quarterback for the Rams. Still, he helped guide the team to a Super Bowl championship, so it’s not surprising that whenever he returns to St. Louis, it’s an event.
Defensive end Leonard Little chuckled Wednesday when asked whether he’d be glad to see his former teammate Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome. “You guys ask that every year,” Little replied. “He’s a friend of mine. He brought us a world championship here, but I just treat him like a regular quarterback now.”
Asked to elaborate, Little said, “You’ve got to treat him like that. You can’t treat people like they’re your friend out there on the football field. I would say if my mom was the quarterback, I would tackle her, too.”
And if he gets a chance to sack Warner? “I might help him back up,” Little said, “but I’m not going to let up or anything like that.”
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Notes & quotes:
*It turns out that penalty-free performances, such as the one the Patriots turned in Sunday vs. the Rams, aren’t so rare. The last team to go a full game with a penalty was Seattle, on Dec. 23, 2007, against Baltimore.
*Rookie WR Keenan Burton turned 25 Wednesday. He had a large and rather intricate balloon figure in front of his locker at Rams Park, sent by his step-mother.
*T Jason Capizzi, signed to the practice squad Tuesday, played at Indiana (Pa.) University. That’s Jim Haslett’s alma mater.
*Coach Mike Jones and his Hazelwood East football team were guests at practice. A couple of the Spartans were invited to briefly take part in passing drills by offensive coordinator Al Saunders.
*The Rams are being extremely cautious with RB Steven Jackson, but barring a setback with his thigh, he’ll start Sunday vs. the Gridbirds.
*CB Tye Hill (knee) might be able to go Sunday, but where will he be used? Hill, who struggled mightily before he was hurt Sept. 28 vs. Buffalo, isn’t likely to supplant starters Ron Bartell and Fakhir Brown, or nickel back Jason Craft. “We’re just going to see,” Hill said after practice. “Worst-case scenario, I won’t dress out. Best-case scenario, I’ll play.”
*K John Brown, the newly named NFC special-teams player of the month, on whether being the highest-paid kicker in NFL history adds extra pressure: “I don’t feel like I’m having to prove myself. I feel like I’ve already earned that money, and now I guess I’m trying to build my stats so I have good negotiations in five more years. That’s kind of the way I took it to kind of relieve myself of all that pressure.”
All for now . . .