Rams backup quarterback Kurt Warner has been taking more heat lately, this time for some comments he evidently made at the Super Bowl implying that the reason for his benching could be that some coaches are uncomfortable with his Christianity.

The notion that Warner's faith has anything to do with his benching seems suspect to me, and even Warner has publicly declared in the aftermath that that's not what he meant.

Regardless, Jeff Gordon has a nice column today in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's online edition, in which he deals with Warner's Christianity and whether it has done something to diminish his competitive fire. Says Gordon:

...[T]he religious stereotype is just that, a stereotype. The sports world is heavily populated with men and women that possess a strong faith AND the burning will to win.

Kurt Warner is one of those athletes.

....Warner is as overtly competitive as any athlete I've come across. He often speaks of "God's plan" for his life, but, judging from his actions, this plan demands that he battle his guts out on the football field.

I also take this article as an indication that St. Louis media support is building for Warner to regain the starting role with the Rams. I think he has a 50-50 shot at it next year, though Marc Bulger's MVP performance in Sunday's Pro Bowl may alter that equation.