Holdin' Out, Holdin' On

I can't think of anything I'd like to see less than Marc Bulger deciding to holdout if he's not signed prior to training camp. On Sirius radio yesterday, he mentioned that a holdout was indeed an option they had on the table; however, putting his comment into context, it really sounds more like he and his agent are so much threatening to holdout as they are making it publicly known that he's keeping that card in his hand.

There's likely some strategy at play here, and Bulger and his agent are putting that out there in the hopes of getting a deal done before the season starts. That's the most widely believed theory and I agree. Bulger doesn't want to play this season with ongoing contract negotiations hanging over his head and looming over every pass and hand-off he makes.

We've said it before and we'll say it again, Bulger can't be easily replaced, certainly not from one season to the next. Options on the 2008 free agent market include: Rex Grossman, Josh McCown, Kyle Boller and much, much more. (Tony Romo's contract expires after this season as well, but you can bet Dallas will lock him up.) Visualize Rex Grossman throwing passes to Torry Holt and it's clear just how much of a priority signing Bulger really is.

I think we can be reasonably confident that the Rams will get a deal done, but with only three 2007 draft picks signed, the team's got a full plate over the next month. That's probably part of the reason why things have quieted down on the DT acquisition front. Although, Pro Football Weekly says that the Rams are at least still passively interested in Carolina DT Kris Jenkins.

Haiku anyone?