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According to the Associated Press, as quickly as he bounced back, Kurt Warner wondered Friday if he really sustained a concussion in the St. Louis Rams' opener.

"I took a shot one way or the other that caused some of the symptoms," Warner said. "But I've had some doctors say that concussions are a relative term and others have said this may not even classify as a concussion."

On Thursday, the Rams downgraded Warner's concussion from moderate to "very mild" due to Warner's rapid recovery.

Warner has been running the scout team all week, and won't start on Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers as a precaution after his six-fumble game against the Giants last week. He wasn't officially cleared for backup duty behind Marc Bulger until Friday, though.

"This week the only concern in my opinion is his health and his well-being," head coach Mike Martz said. "I've been through this before too many times with quarterbacks: They're cleared, they all say they're ready, and within a series or two something happens."

Then, Martz said, the team would be left with an unprepared backup.

Warner, who had concussions in 1995 when in the Arena Football League and in 2000 with the Rams, said he's had no symptoms since shortly after being taken to a New York hospital on Sunday. Nausea was gone by the time he got to the hospital and a headache subsided soon after that, he said.

"Because they went away so quickly, a lot of people say we throw around the term very flippantly," Warner said. "Concussions are those guys that three or four days -- or three or four weeks -- later are still suffering symptoms."

No matter what Warner says, Martz doesn't want him to play. He'll be the second-stringer against the 49ers behind Bulger mostly because the other quarterback, Scott Covington, was just signed this week.

"If we have to use him, we'll use him," Martz said. "But I'd just as soon not play him at all."

Next week, Warner hopes to have his job back.

"I want to play, yeah, definitely," Warner said. "We'll just be ready for next week."

There are no guarantees of that happening. Martz has not said either way what he'll do next week because it's too far away.

"I don't want to get on to that topic yet," Martz said. "We've got a game to play, and when this game's over with we've got plenty of time to discuss that situation."

In the meantime, Warner seemed to be accepting his backup role. He said he didn't mind running the scout team.

"It's been a while since I've done it, but you just do whatever you've got to do to help the team," Warner said. "You don't get prideful, you don't say, 'Man, I'm too good for the scout team."'

Also of interest. ...

Starting receiver Isaac Bruce needs 161 yards to become the team's career leader. Receivers coach Henry Ellard holds the mark of 9,761 yards. Bruce is coming off his 32nd career 100-yard receiving game, getting eight receptions for 120 yards against the Giants.

And finally. ... Rookie receiver Shaun McDonald will not have surgery on his injured thumb, but he will still likely miss 4-to-6 weeks. McDonald suffered ligament damage last Sunday against the Giants.