Quick Kicks

Turner’s days numbered

The Washington Post reported Washington Redskins owner Daniel M. Snyder was seriously considering firing coach Norv

Turner, possibly today, according to sources close to Snyder, after watching his team move to the brink of missing the NFL playoffs with Sunday’s 9-7 loss to the New York Giants.

Snyder declined to comment when he left FedEx Field roughly four hours after the game. Turner said he had no idea if he was being fired when he left the stadium two hours earlier, after waiting to find out if he still had a job. He had a brief conversation with co-owner Fred Drasner, who then met with Snyder.

It was a victory the Redskins desperately needed to salvage a disappointing season and to reach the playoffs. The loss dropped the Redskins to 7-6, with three games remaining.

Snyder committed nearly $100million in salaries and bonuses during the offseason expressly with the hope of winning the Super Bowl. Instead, his retooled Redskins have struggled since posting a five-game winning streak. They have lost four of their past five games.

Asked if he expected to be fired, Turner said simply, “You’re asking the wrong guy.”

Warner shoulders blame

St. Louis Rams quarterback Kurt Warner wasn’t using his five-week layoff because of a broken finger as an excuse for the worst game of his NFL career.

“The finger had nothing to do with it,” Warner said after throwing a career-high four interceptions in the Rams’ 16-3 loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

Warner said the finger never bothered him during the game.

“I felt fine,” Warner said. “I put the ball right were I wanted to put it on almost every throw. I missed a couple, but it had nothing to do with anything other than me just missing a couple.”

Warner’s worst miss came on a short sideline pass intended for Isaac Bruce. Carolina cornerback Jimmy Hitchcock stepped in front of Bruce, intercepted the pass and raced 88 yards for a touchdown.

Rams coach Mike Martz said the interception was his fault. He shouldn’t have called such a high-risk play on a third-and-5 at the Carolina 16.

“It was just a horrible call on my part,” Martz said. “The game is 3-0 at that point, and I could have been a little more conservative.”

Warner wasn’t willing to let Martz take the blame.

“I don’t buy into that garbage,” Warner said. “I’m out there playing; I’m out there throwing the ball. When I throw it to somebody else, it is my fault. He’s not out there playing.”

How the mighty have fallen

The Cowboys defense took its place in history on Sunday. It became the first NFL team to allow three players to rush on it for at least 200 yards in one season.

The Cowboys, who before this year had not allowed a 200-yard game since Nov. 18, 1984, already have the record in 13 games. And they still have three games left.

In allowing Tampa Bay’s Warrick Dunn to rush for 210 yards, the Cowboys showed that they didn’t learn from the 201-yard performances by Philadelphia’s Duce Staley and San Francisco’s Charlie Garner.

The last word …

“I think we are the best team in the NFL, and it’s a shame that we don’t show it every week,” Grant Wistrom, Rams defensive end.