It's broken. St. Louis Rams QB Marc Bulger has a broken pinkie on his right hand, the one he throws with. He'll miss at least two weeks.
How bad is it? Well, it ain't good. It cuts into the time he had to get comfortable with his receivers and the playbook. If he misses the minimum amount of time, two weeks, he'll be back in time for the last preseason game against the Chiefs on September 3. He should be back in time for the regular season at the very least, which starts on September 13.Let's hope anyway. Last season Cowboys QB Tony Romo suffered a non-displaced fracture to the pinkie finger on his throwing hand against the Cardinals in week six. He missed the next three games and four weeks, including a Cowboys loss to the Rams in week seven, before returning after the team's bye week (creating this mess). Two weeks could be a little optimistic then, but a return for the season opener is not far-fetched.
Strange, I always figured a an injury to Bulger would have something to do with him being sacked, not a snap in practice.
I'm not overly concerned as Bulger looked fine, though in limited opportunities, with the offense last week and in practice so far. He's a skilled enough QB that he can return and step in when he's healed without missing too much. It's probably better to let him fully recover rather than rush him back with an injury to his throwing hand.
Here's another aspect on the matter from ESPN's Mike Sando:
Bulger's absence from the lineup will allow the Rams to get a much better feel for how backup Kyle Boller fits in their system. Boller should be better prepared to replace Bulger if needed at any point during the regular season.
The decision to sign Boller seemed like a good one for the Rams as they tried to get younger -- releasing Trent Green -- without handing the backup job to a player with no experience. Boller's status as a 2003 first-round choice means he has more physical ability than some backups. Now he'll get a chance to see how that talent projects to Pat Shurmur's West Coast system.
Boller, just 28, is playing on a one-year deal, so he'll have extra motivation using this opportunity to play for his next contract. My concern is his accuracy, something required in the West Coast system. I guess we'll see soon enough if he make the throws and the decisions to be successful. Bulger's injury also means more preseason playing time for Null and Berlin, which should give the team a good opportunity to see which guy is the best fit for the West Coast system.