Anyone want to question Bulger's importance to this team?

[Nick]

and what FA's have they picked up that have made an impact on the success of this team.

They probably would not have been able to grab Dishman or Nutten out of retirement to fill the left guard position, making our line even worse than it is now. They wouldn't have been able to hire Antuan Edwards, who looks like he's going to be our future at free safety. For all we know, they might have had to cut players to get under the cap. I know they certainly didn't have a lot of room with Warner's full contract on the payroll.

Besides, this isn't a quarterback issue. Bulger has played very well this season. Unless you're suggesting that Warner beef up and play right tackle or linebacker in 2004, his impact on this team would have been marginal, IMO.

It was only a matter of time, I suppose, before a thread about Bulger turned into a thread about Warner. Oh well...

[Nick]

You think Steven Jackson or Marshall Faulk might get a little production if the head coach chose to give them the ball more than 10 times in a game? Martz has lost his mind.

The last time Jackson played, he had over 25 touches. Maybe if he wasn't injured, he'd be getting more touches...

[lakerams]

I was referring to him being there to play the last 2 1/2 games, not in place of Bulger.

[Nick]

My mistake then. I misunderstood your point. However, mine remains the same. Our patch-work offensive line would have looked even more suspect, IMO, with more of our money tied to a back-up QB. And we would have had virtually no money available under the cap to pursue the player that looks to be our future free safety.

[Scidog68]

Hands down. Seeing Chandler and Martin play behind this line makes me appreciate Bulger's efforts this season even more. And to think there were some calling for Chandler to start from the beginning of the season. Yikes!

With a decent O-line, ( and someone else calling plays?), I think MB's play this year could have been Pro-Bowl worthy, IMO.

[atcchris]

Please. Even if Bulger were Premium grade gas, he's low octane premium grade, and isn't going to work in Martz' Ferrari.

I'd like to see him play in a Supercharged Grand Prix offense. Maybe then we'd do some good.. and see if Bulger really is premium grade, or if he's just a mid-grade pretender.

We have simply not seen a "him-who-shall-not-be-named" performance out of Bulger.. ever.

That isn't necessarily a slam. Not many have performed to that standard.

[Nick]

I don't think anyone brought up that standard in this thread. This thread is about Bulger's importance to the current team, and as we've seen based on his absense, the Rams miss him behind center. I'm not sure I understand what that has to do with "him-who-shall-not-be-named" or Bulger putting up those kind of numbers, so I guess in this thread, the reference doesn't make much sense to me, Chris.

[Curly Horns]

Quote from ESPN:

Martz praised Martin's play, considering the circumstances, but said, "I just don't know what to call when you've got a guy in there that's never been in there."

But MARTZ is the one who decided to play a mediocre journeyman who's never taken a snap in his system instead of Smoker. Doesn't say much about his opinion of Smoker, does it? I (as a long-suffering Seahawk's fan) got the impression that Smoker had some talent.

Confusion aside, Jamie Martin is a former Rams QB and he knows the Martz system. Not sure what Martz meant by NEVER been in there. If anyone is fluent in Martz gibberish please translate.

[AvengerRam]

First of all, there is no "him who shall not be named."


As Nick said, this post is about Bulger's value to this team. Whatever your opinion of Bulger relative to Warner, there is one thing that's certain.

The dropoff from Warner at his best to this year's Bulger is not as big as the dropoff from this year's Bulger to Chandlerception.

[Nick]

Confusion aside, Jamie Martin is a former Rams QB and he knows the Martz system. Not sure what Martz meant by NEVER been in there. If anyone is fluent in Martz gibberish please translate.

Perhaps the phrase is incomplete, and should have read "I just don't know what to call when you've got a guy in there that's never been in there this season."

[moklerman]

The last time Jackson played, he had over 25 touches. Maybe if he wasn't injured, he'd be getting more touches...

Based on the years that Martz has been here I seriously doubt it. Marshall Faulk was the 1999-2001 equivelant of Priest Holmes and he's only had more 25 or more carries 6 times his entire Rams career. Martz has continually showed that he's unwilling to run the ball.

Even when he does decide to run the ball he becomes unbalanced. Passing 12 times in a row and then running the ball 10 times in a row is not a balanced offense and that's about as close as Martz ever gets. He seems to have very little feel for calling a game plan and adjusting the offense during the course of a game? I would probably have a heart attack if that happened.

[ramsbruce]

The numbers Bulger has put up this season behind that excuse we call an O-Line, and no run game unless Jackson starts and Martz actually calls running plays are AMAZING. KWarner was great when we were the GSOT and we actually had a Pro Bowl RB who actually got to run the ball. Bulger hasnt really had a run game since hes become the starter, so you have to give it up for Bulger. Without Bulger we honestly could have gone 0-16.

[rebel13]

No. If we still had that QB, we wouldn't have been able to go out and get some of the free agents required to replace injured players because of that certain person's salary cap hit for 2004. Rather than the four-something million that he's counting for on this year's cap, we would have been feeling over double that. Imagine where we'd be then.

Great Point. Wait....who are you talking about? We signed a free agent? Oh yeah, the punter. Wait.. didn't we cut him a few weeks ago? Wake up, we haven't signed a real free agent in years. That comment is a real joke!

Imagine...with KW maybe we'd have 3 more wins. Maybe we'd be in control of the division. Maybe...maybe...maybe. Imagine where we'd be if the fat retard was jettisoned instead of KW.

[atcchris]

Imagine...with KW maybe we'd have 3 more wins. Maybe we'd be in control of the division. Maybe...maybe...maybe. Imagine where we'd be if the fat retard was jettisoned instead of KW.

We can only imagine...

[theodus69]

No. If we still had that QB, we wouldn't have been able to go out and get some of the free agents required to replace injured players because of that certain person's salary cap hit for 2004. Rather than the four-something million that he's counting for on this year's cap, we would have been feeling over double that. Imagine where we'd be then.

We really got a bundle on that, didn't we! Whats this teams record......Say no more!