By Bryan Burwell
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
12/04/2006
At the end of a disgusting, embarrassing and lifeless day, at last there was a spark.
Well, actually it was a downright wonderful, surprising and long-awaited semi-combustible brush fire that could — we hope, we pray — turn out to be just the sort of thing that helps eradicate whatever it is that ails the struggling St. Louis Rams.
Marc Bulger, the reigning emotional ice king of the Rams, put his battered and bruised back firmly up against the locker room wall and blew a fuse after Sunday's 34-20 loss to the sorry, no-account Arizona Cardinals. The Readers Digest version of his 10-minute tirade comes down to this biting commentary:
I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore.
The normally low-key Bulger took a calculated — and very controversial — risk by publicly ripping several unnamed (but definitely not anonymous) teammates, but it needed to be done. "There's more than one guy in this locker room that could care less if we're losing, or thinks it's OK to make mistakes," he said. ""... There are definitely guys that don't care. That's what bugs me."
Well, good for him.
Today I'm sure there are a lot of smart people in the sports world who might believe there's this very hard and fast, unwritten rule that says you can never call out a teammate publicly.
Truth be told, it's actually more of a loose guideline than a hard-and-fast rule.
The criteria for bending the rules are quite simple:
1. Some guys, based on talent, contribution, leadership and achievement, earn the right and privilege to do it.
2. Sometimes, when all the quiet, behind-the-scenes, locker room diplomacy fails, the next logical step is a public flogging.
I've seen a wide range of athletes do it, from the iconic (Michael Jordan) to the dastardly (Bill Laimbeer). But when a person as measured as the always unflappable Bulger does it, it not only merits a shock-value headline, it also demands a huge measure of instant credibility.
Bulger has earned the right to call out any slacker based on his career production, his consistent contributions, his well-established role as offensive team leader and the painful bodily sacrifice he absorbs every Sunday.
So that takes care of Criterion No. 1.
As for Criterion No. 2, here's what Bulger had to say about that: He's tried the quiet diplomacy already, and all it's gotten him was disinterested yawns, casual rolling eyes and a set of damaged ribs that are more tender than a full slab of Super Smokers' finest.
"You can say stuff to some guys, and it goes in one ear and out the other, obviously," Bulger said. "Some guys listen and they try. And I don't mind that. ... But when you get embarrassed by a 2-9 team and you think it's OK ... it's not OK."
Oh, and before we go any further, let's dispense with the read-between-the-lines intrigue: The guys he's talking about are the two ultra-talented but annoyingly inconsistent young offensive linemen, center
Richie Incognito and former first-round draft pick
Alex Barron. Bulger didn't call them by name. Then again, he didn't have to.
And here's a news flash for you: There isn't a soul on the offensive side of the room who didn't agree with Bulger.
"There are guys, repeat offenders, that I think their level of dedication is during business hours and business hours only," starting left tackle and 13-year NFL veteran Todd Steussie said firmly. Steussie also said, "It's been evident to me all year."
It's been evident to anyone else who's watched the Rams with a discerning eye, too. The repetitive mistakes that are being made by this pair are getting Bulger killed and bogging down this potent offense with one error-plagued mess after another. Sadly, they're both proving all their pre-draft scouting reports to be 100 percent correct.
Loads of talent, even more headaches.
And now Bulger is saying what needs to be said about both of these enormous talents and recurring irritations.
Start performing like a paid professional or start considering career alternatives.
Now here's the part where Barron and Incognito need to pay very close attention and resist the urge to give this criticism the usual nonchalant shrugs and immature indifference, because their NFL legacies depend on it.
When someone asked Bulger if the problem could be fixed, he didn't blink. "There's definitely ways to fix it," he said. "Whether you can fix it right now, I don't know. ... (But) I think the NFL figures a way how to fix that."
Yeah, it's called the waiver wire.
GO RAMS 
