There is more wrong with the Rams offense than just Marc Bulger. A made even more obvious on a day when the #1 running back was playing through an injury and the backups were out (Minor with a concussion) or left the game (Pittman with a hamstring). The offensive line is, to be generous, sub-par. And even the play calling, as we pointed out early in the comments, confounded, with passes to the FB and TEs, not exactly the guys that stretch the chains.
With the blame game well underway around the internet, I think most know the team lacks a central scapegoat to pin the loss on. Haslett can make some minor changes, replace a player here and there, but since the Rams biggest problem over the last few seasons has been depth fixing this has to wait at least another season.
I talked about benching Bulger after the game yesterday, and I still wonder about it. Clearly, the years have not been kind and he's not playing at a level consistent with what he is capable of or for one of the league's highest paid QBs. Yes, the line is not adequate enough to protect him, even with Orlando Pace playing. And without a running game, opposing defenses have only Bulger to worry about. However, benching him carries consequences.
First and foremost, it probably heralds the end of Bulger's days as a Ram. In his mind, benching him now places blame for the team's problems on him. When that happened earlier in the season, Bulger said he would never play for Linehan again, and it's safe to assume the same would be true of Haslett. The Rams could then trade him or release him, which would give them much needed draft picks or money to spend. Like Warner, I think Bulger's seasons as a tackle dummy behind a poor Rams line has caught up to him. Now he needs time regain form and confidence.
Second, benching Bulger won't end the Rams offensive problems. The line still can't block very well. Now, as far as the run game goes, Jackson will get better, but the line has and will continue to limit what he can do too. I suggested yesterday the possibility of bringing back Romberg at C or sliding Incognito over and letting Greco work at RG. That still doesn't solve the problem in total, but you do wonder if it might at least make it a little better. In truth, if the Rams do bench Bulger they might be better off with Berlin at QB since he has some scrambling ability.
There's no easy route here, just patience. And the media-hyped Warner/Bulger controversy only fans the flames to no productive end. There's plenty of cause to debate whether or not replacing Bulger merits consideration though. But understand that decision carries long-term implications.