Faulk Appears OK; Warner Out 3 Weeks

St. Louis running back Marshall Faulk should be ready for Sunday’s game at San Francisco, but quarterback Kurt Warner will miss at least three weeks because of a broken little finger on his throwing hand.

The Rams’ top two offensive players were injured in the 54-34 loss to Kansas City on Sunday.

Coach Mike Martz was in a somber mood at the team’s practice facility Monday, buoyed only by the news the injury to Faulk’s shoulder wasn’t as serious as first suspected.

“A lot of that confidence comes from Marshall,” Martz said. “Marshall said he felt much better today. It’s more of a bruise than anything else.”

Warner, meanwhile, was scheduled to see a hand specialist late Monday. Martz said he expects Warner will have two pins put inside the finger to make sure the bone heals correctly.

The pins could be inserted as early as today, and would come out in three weeks, Martz said.

Warner, the NFL’s top-rated quarterback, will probably need a week to recover from soreness once the pins are removed. But as soon as that soreness subsides, he’ll be able to return. “It just doesn’t make any sense to bring him back too early,” Martz said.

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After yet another emotional outburst, Terrell Owens spent yet another day apologizing to his teammates.

This time, it wasn’t the NFC’s leading receiver’s touchdown celebrations that may have offended the rest of the 49ers. After San Francisco’s 34-16 loss at Carolina on Sunday, Owens blasted his teammates in a postgame rant, accusing the 49ers (2-6) of “quitting” and playing only for their paychecks.

“I think the whole team just gave up, man,” Owens said Sunday. “It’s horrible. Guys have got to look within themselves and play with a little more heart. I don’t think anybody did that today.

“You kind of question everybody’s heart. You don’t just come out here and play the game and collect a check on Monday. You play to win. I would think you’d get tired of losing.”

On Monday, Owens stood before the 49er defensive players’ meeting and apologized for his comments. Owens said he didn’t intend to single out San Francisco’s defense, which has allowed a league-worst 3,240 total yards and 32.3 points per game while the offense has become one of the league’s most potent.

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Quarterback Elvis Grbac of the Kansas City Chiefs is expected to play this week despite an elbow injury that knocked him out of Sunday’s victory over the Rams.

Less hopeful were the reports on defensive end Eric Hicks, who was helped off the field Sunday after suffering a sprained knee.

Grbac and Hicks were scheduled for MRIs to determine the full extent of their injuries, but the team expects the quarterback to be ready for Sunday’s game at Seattle.

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Pro Bowl running back Eddie George walked into the Tennessee practice facility with minimal swelling in his sore right knee. An MRI later confirmed a first-degree ligament sprain, exactly what the team hoped to hear.

Coach Jeff Fisher said George will be questionable for the Titans’ game Monday night against the Washington Redskins.

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Chuck Smith, one of the big names the Carolina Panthers added to their defensive line this season, was put on injured reserve because of an ailing right knee.

The move ends the season for Smith, who played in only two games for the Panthers after signing a five-year, $21.75-million free-agent contract in February.

Meanwhile, the Panthers’ struggling offensive line got even weaker when doctors found a stress fracture in Clarence Jones’ leg that will sideline the left tackle for at least four weeks.