Faulk May Miss Game for Rams
Running back Marshall Faulk probably will sit out St. Louis’ next game because of a right foot injury.
Faulk left in the fourth quarter of the Rams’ 28-24 victory over San Diego Sunday after spraining his left ankle and straining a tendon in the bottom of his right foot.
After the game, Faulk was optimistic about playing in the Rams’ Monday night game against the Chicago Bears, but Coach Mike Martz said that Faulk will be listed as questionable.
“Will he be ready? Probably not,” Martz said Monday. “We’ll be very pessimistic.”
The Chargers limited Faulk to 72 yards -- 36 rushing and 36 receiving. He ran for at least 150 yards in each of the three previous games.
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Quarterback Marc Bulger will get another start for the Rams, more because of concerns for Kurt Warner’s broken pinkie than the backup’s outstanding play. Martz said he’ll stick with Bulger, but Warner will be the backup for the Bears’ game and will return as the starter the next week.
Martz said the decision was based on doctors’ opinions that Warner could possibly re-injure the finger.
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Miami receiver Cris Carter is improving, but he is in the hospital and doctors are trying to determine what caused his kidneys to malfunction.
“He has made improvement,” Coach Dave Wannstedt said. “He will be fine. It’s just a matter of how long.”
Carter, who turns 37 on Nov. 25, came out of retirement three weeks ago and played one game.
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Linebacker Jeff Ulbrich signed a four-year, $5.1-million extension with San Francisco.... Indianapolis receiver Qadry Ismail has a sprained knee ligament and could sit out Sunday’s game against Dallas.... Chicago defensive back Reggie Austin has a torn knee ligament and is out for the season.... Seattle linebacker Isaiah Kacyvenski will be out four to six weeks because of an ankle sprain.... Cincinnati defensive lineman Oliver Gibson is expected to be out for the season after having surgery on a torn Achilles’ tendon.... Minnesota receiver Cedric James is out two to four weeks because of a sprained ankle.
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San Diego running back LaDainian Tomlinson says it was a poor choice of words.
“ ‘Heart’ maybe was a little bit of too strong of a statement,” Tomlinson said Monday. “I would prefer to say ‘Pride.’ ”
Sunday, after the Chargers fell to the Rams, 28-24, Tomlinson questioned his teammates’ heart.
“Obviously, we don’t have the kind of heart a lot of people think we have,” said Tomlinson, the league’s leading rusher with 965 yards.
Charger safety Rodney Harrison said it wasn’t a serious issue for the club, but he wasn’t amused by the comment.
“This is a team. We win and lose as a team and you can’t have that,” Harrison said.
Tomlinson said he regretted using the word “heart,” but he would not mince words.