Bulger not benched

by VanRam on Nov 11, 2008 8:48 AM CST in 2008 regular season Comment 17 comments

Bulger gets the start this weekend against the 49ers.

I'm not as shocked as I thought. Now, Sunday afternoon, there was no way I would have believed this news. Bulger miscued over and over again last week. He even got LT Orlando Pace credited with a sack (I blamed Pace for it too) on the forced fumble that the Jets ran in for a TD, a mistake that by all accounts, Haslett's included, was Bulger's boner.

The Rams lack options at QB. With Trent Green hurting after cleaning up his own mistake, maybe Haslett has no choice. Still, the team played with a little more life with Green, until that costly INT at least. Giving Brock Berlin the start may be a little too desperate, at least Green has the experience and knows the offense. Maybe it's just fan frustration, but at this point I personally wouldn't mind seeing what Berlin could do. Readers here know I'm not a Bulger hater by any means, but it's clear he's a big part of the problem with our offense. As bad as the o-line is, you just can't assign them 100% of the blame for this historic collapse. I don't know if it's the years of being sacked repeatedly, another season of futility, unhappiness with the coaches and organization - probably a combination of all those things. Bulger lacks competitiveness on the field. That ripples out to the rest of the offense, the team, and, well, you see the results.

(okay, this kind of stuff is usually a little preposterous, but here's a conspiracy theory for the Bulger haters out there. Maybe they want to trade/ax him or restructure his hefty contract and know he has no value on the market by sitting on the bench.)

Poll

Do you agree with the decision to let Bulger start?

Yes - out of options

44 votes

No - for various reasons, he should sit

27 votes

71 votes | Poll has closed

0 recs | Comment 17 comments |

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Comments

Bulger’s whatnow?

He’s like Maverick after Goose died.
Won’t get back in the saddle, won’t engage.
Keep sending him up.

He’ll either get it or he won’t. either way the season’s toast, but you can still have this question put to bed by the end of the year.

If you voted yes, would you characterize it as Tough Love, or Getting your money’s worth?

by mpire on Nov 11, 2008 10:04 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

I voted yes because he's our starting quarterback and he's our best quarterback.

And we’re playing the 49ers this week and I know Haslett is hoping he can have some success against them.

Our country reeks of trees. Our yaks are really large. And they smell like rotting beef carcasses. And we have to clean up after them. And our saddle sores are the best. We proudly wear women's clothing. While searing sand blows up our skirts.

And the buzzards, they soar overhead. And poisonous snakes will devour us whole. Our bones will bleach in the sun. And we will probably go to hell. And that is our great reward. For be-ing the-uh Ro-yal Canadian Kilted Yaksmen!

by Tackle Box on Nov 11, 2008 5:30 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Playing a winnable game against the 49ers is the only reason to keep him in.

That said, I believe playing him sends the wrong message to the other 21 starters, that they don’t have to raise their level of play in order to keep their jobs. They can be scholarship players and just coast through the rest of the season. It lowers the level of competition within the team.

My response would have been to declare the position open for this week. Split the first-team snaps 33% as you run through the gameplan against the niners. If Bulger wins his job back, then play him.

"Attaway to stomp 'em. Stomp the piss out of 'em. Stomp 'em when they're down. Kick 'em and stomp 'em. Attaway to go boys. Pound that old Budweiser into you and go get them tomorrow." -- Joe Schultz

by taiko on Nov 11, 2008 9:13 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

in other words, I voted NO.

"Attaway to stomp 'em. Stomp the piss out of 'em. Stomp 'em when they're down. Kick 'em and stomp 'em. Attaway to go boys. Pound that old Budweiser into you and go get them tomorrow." -- Joe Schultz

by taiko on Nov 11, 2008 9:13 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

not a bad idea

what’s killing this team more than anything is the lack of leadership from the players. no accountability.

by VanRam on Nov 12, 2008 6:23 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Maybe I'm mis-understanding you

but it sounds as if you think Bulger is coasting through this season. Which I think is complete false.

Plus, I not a big fan (actually, not even a little fan) of having a quarterback competition between games. Most qbs benefit greatly from having run a lot of snaps against the defensive scheme they’re going to be seeing in the upcoming game. The way you’ve got it set up each qb would be getting 33% of their snaps against the upcoming opponent and another 33% while running the other teams plays and schemes. How does that do anything but ensure a total cluster f*** come Sunday?

If you want to split it closer to 50/50 with Berlin running the scout team, I’d have less of a problem with it, but I’d still like to see the starting qb get as many reps as possible.

by Tackle Box on Nov 12, 2008 12:00 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Yep, you understand me perfectly

First, I concede that starting Bulger this week makes the most sense if you want to win this game. Presumably he is the most qualified.

However, if you’re saying that Bulger is the man, he’s just giving it 120% out there gosh darn it and if it wasn’t for his teammates letting him down every week, why shucks, he’d be right back up there in the Pro Bowl…. that’s not a good horse to hitch on to. His timing with his receivers, even Torry Holt, has been off all season. His grasp of the offense hasn’t looked right all season. He hasn’t shown any commitment to finishing plays – he bails out whether there’s pressure or not. I question how hard he’s working during the week to pick up this offense, and to help coach and develop timing with his new receivers.

Most damningly, he showed against Dallas and New England what the offense can do when his supporting cast is healthy and committed to playing well. But since then? Nada.

So I say yes, it looks like he’s coasting. Or, to put it another way, he’s just out there trying to survive, rather than fully committing to leading the team. Call it what you will. But he is not 100% there. And he’s not even 50% of the guy we signed for the next 4 years. When he was benched, he didn’t fight. He didn’t say a word. If Green or Berlin wants it more than Bulger, and he can show on the practice field that he deserves first-team snaps, then open it up.

The larger point is that Bulger isn’t the only one underperforming out there, but he is the focal point of the team. If you send him a message that he needs to compete, you send the message to the whole team. It’s not just about this week, or even the rest of the season. It’s about trying to change a culture, and trying to identify which guys on this team still have their hearts set on making this a winning team again. We’re trying to turn the Titanic away from the iceberg. We aren’t going to do it by just keeping on the course we’re on now.

"Attaway to stomp 'em. Stomp the piss out of 'em. Stomp 'em when they're down. Kick 'em and stomp 'em. Attaway to go boys. Pound that old Budweiser into you and go get them tomorrow." -- Joe Schultz

by taiko on Nov 12, 2008 8:08 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

So...

you’d advocate giving the start to Brock Berlin and while only giving him 33% of the snaps with the starting offense, oh and he’s also got to run 33% of San Francisco’s plays with the practice squad?

I’m sure that would go well.

by Tackle Box on Nov 12, 2008 10:44 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

going with brock berlin would be absolutely ridiculous

it was completly ineffective in the little time he saw last year. bulger is the guy and, unfortunetly, that’s not going to change this year.

by stlcardinalsfang on Nov 11, 2008 11:47 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

Why?

How could it get any worse? Give Berlin a shot with these young receivers. He’s young enough to withstand the beat down he’ll get because of our weak o-line.

by bigwood25 on Nov 12, 2008 10:46 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

but he's the third-stringer for a reason

it can get worse, trust me.

by stlcardinalsfang on Nov 12, 2008 12:18 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

i'm a yes by default

by VanRam on Nov 11, 2008 7:10 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

I'm a yes because I still don't see a reason to say no

I’m open to hear the arguments, but I haven’t heard a real reason to bench him. Green and Berlin aren’t nearly as capable as Bulger, so I can’t see a reason not to start him all season.

Jay Zygmunt, fire yourself.

by 3k on Nov 11, 2008 8:27 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

How "capable"

is a 40-0 halftime score with NO offense. Yes, it’s not ALL his fault, but his best doesn’t even give us a glimmer of hope. Even if you just try Berlin for one start we’ll go into that game with some HOPE of success.

by bigwood25 on Nov 12, 2008 3:32 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

What is it about Brock Berlin that gives you hope?

Personally, I’d have less hope……actually no hope. And what exactly would that hope translate into? 40-7? 33-0? Awesome. Let’s make the change!

Btw, how does no defense, no running game, and no blocking fall into the lap of Bulger’s fault? I’m not saying he’s blameless, but he’s not solely responsible for being down 40-0. But, then again, if Brock Berlin would have been playing I’m sure everything would have been different being that Trent Green did no better than Bulger. Although, it is curious to see that Green held the Jets offense to only 7 points whereas it looked like Bulger didn’t even care about playing defense.

by Tackle Box on Nov 12, 2008 4:02 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Who in Kansas City was hoping for anything from Tyler Thigpen? Who in Cincinnati was hoping for anything from Ryan Fitzpatrick? Who in New England had any hope after Brady went down, and Cassel took over? All of those guys have better QB ratings than Bulger, and you can’t say their offensive lines are any better than ours.

All across the NFL this season, teams are going with quarterbacks not based on talent, or on scholarship, but on trust. Kerry Collins. Gus Frerotte. Shaun Hill. These guys are not even B-list quarterbacks, but they earned their coaches’ trust over the guys they replaced. And if there’s not a trust issue around Bulger in the locker room, I will go out and buy a hat so I can eat it.

I’m not saying that Brock Berlin is automatically the best option. He isn’t. But neither will I condemn anyone for placing their trust in “anyone but Bulger.” Sticking up for him at this point feels like rooting for General Custer in history class.

"Attaway to stomp 'em. Stomp the piss out of 'em. Stomp 'em when they're down. Kick 'em and stomp 'em. Attaway to go boys. Pound that old Budweiser into you and go get them tomorrow." -- Joe Schultz

by taiko on Nov 12, 2008 8:21 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Thigpen, Fitzpatrick, Cassel, and Collins

got their jobs because of injuries (or in Collins case, mental issues with Young) not because of trust. Frerotte got his job because the Vikings were desperate, not because of trust (plus Jackson might be the worst qb in football). And Shaun Hill got his job because of…..well……I’m not sure how he got his job. But, man did he look awesome running that 2 minute drill when he drained about 35 seconds off the clock trying to spike the ball.

So, you’ve got injuries, desperation, and infighting that has gotten those quarterbacks their jobs. Marc Bulger isn’t hurt, the Rams aren’t desperate, and they got rid of Linehan (who replaced Bulger with Green) and banished Zygmunt to polishing up his resume so there’s no more infighting. But, if you want some infighting, I’m sure opening up a 3-way quarterback competition 5 days before you play the San Francisco 49ers would probably guarantee a little infighting. What better way to tell everyone you’ve got everything under control than by saying “I don’t know which one of these 3 guys I should use so I’m gonna use ’em all and make my decision on Saturday!”

by Tackle Box on Nov 12, 2008 11:09 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs