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Bulger is QB of choice in St. Louis
Low-key personality belies determination to lead Rams
COMMENTARY
By Dan O'Neill
NBCSports.com contributor
Aug. 10, 2004
He is a Marc-ed man now. The St. Louis Rams, at least those grazing on the offensive side of the ball, officially will come under his care and direction this winter. Lock, stock, and Bulger.
“I really don’t think things have changed,” Marc Bulger said. “It is challenging sometimes; you get opportunities that you want to do. But you have to stick to who you are and what will make you happy.”
The Rams have done their part to make Bulger happy. In April, coach Mike Martz declared Bulger would be his starting quarterback this season. Shortly thereafter, the organization made it crystal clear, giving Bulger a four-year, $19.1 million contract and releasing former league MVP Kurt Warner. Warner resides in New York now, trying turn the pumpkin back into a coach, keeping the seat warm while The Apprentice, Eli Manning, gets his feet wet.
Undisputed No. 1 this season
For the first time since he came off the bench and played surprisingly well for an injured Warner in 2002, Bulger will enter a season as the Rams’ undisputed heavyweight quarterback, no controversy, no questions asked. He will call his signals without Warner — literally and figuratively — looking over his shoulder. Or as offensive lineman Andy McCollum put it: “We’re here to protect Marc. He’s the man now.”
In turn, “the man” has looked the part. Bulger is throwing short, intermediate, and long passes with precision and purpose, he is making the right reads, choosing the right receivers. He threw for an NFC-leading 3,845 yards and completed 63 percent of his passes last season. He was named the Pro Bowl MVP when the season was over. All that was before he officially had the job. Now that he is entitled, he is infuego.
“I’ve very pleased with him,” Martz said. “He’s been consistently very good. He is markedly improved from a year ago, no question about it, in terms of just getting the speed of seeing things and getting the ball to the right guy.”
Bulger will tell you the presence of Warner wasn't negative. At 27 years of age, Bulger is modest and respectful, qualities that endear him to his teammates. He insists he appreciated Warner, tried to emulate him, learn from him, lean on him. But the absence of Warner World should make for a significantly less stressful environment. The new second-in-command at the quarterback position in St. Louis is 38-year old Chris Chandler, an experienced hand who has no delusions at this stage of his career. Chandler won't be standing on the sideline with a helmet in hand and a hankering to prove he can still pilot the ship. He is a walking insurance policy, and the deductible will only be exceeded on an emergency basis.
Outside distractions avoided
There is no media frenzy surrounding Bulger, as there sometimes was around the accommodating Warner. His personality, like his play, is understated. He is polite and cooperative with reporters, but his quotes never jump off the page. There won’t be a Mrs. Bulger weighing in on a radio show. In fact, it is highly unlikely you will hear Bulger himself on a radio or television show, at least not one with his name on it.
“I had opportunities to do that last year and the year before, and it’s just not something that appeals to me,”’ Bulger said. “Now that I have a new contract, I’m pretty secure. I can concentrate on football. I’m not going to go looking for things to do. When you get those few hours to rest. You need that to get refreshed for the next week. And I think doing too many things would hurt this team rather than help it.”
So, you won’t see Bulger pushing cars or selling home-entertainment packages. You won’t wake up in the morning and hear him yukking it up during the morning drive. You won’t see him at a lot of charity golf tournaments, Lions Club barbecues, or sports dinners.
You also won’t see “the table” at the Rams' training camp this summer — the table where Warner would sit and sign autographs for 45 minutes after each practice. “There’s not going to be a table,” Bulger said. “I don’t have my own football card to give out, so I can’t get the table going.”
The focus is on football — nothing more, nothing less.
One of the guys
“He’s squared away, he doesn’t need those things,” Martz said. “And I think that’s the attraction of Marc to this football team. He’s just one of the guys. Ultimately, that’s what a football team wants. They don’t want somebody who they can’t relate to.”
In turn, what that somebody wants is a coach who believes in him. Bulger is 18-4 as a starter over the past two seasons. But in a grating playoff loss to the Carolina Panthers last year, Martz essentially took the ball out of Bulger’s hands at a crucial moment. With the ball on the Panthers’ 15-yard line and more than 30 second remaining to play, “Mad Mike” let the clock run down and kicked a game-tying field goal rather than let Bulger take a shot at winning the game in regulation. The hesitation came back to haunt the Rams in overtime, as the Panthers prevailed.
There won’t be any reservations in 2004, just like there are no ambiguities. In his fourth NFL season, Bulger is no longer an interim, a quarterback by default. He is the quarterback of choice.
Dan O'Neill writes regularly for NBCSports.com and is a columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Low-key personality belies determination to lead Rams
COMMENTARY
By Dan O'Neill
NBCSports.com contributor
Aug. 10, 2004
He is a Marc-ed man now. The St. Louis Rams, at least those grazing on the offensive side of the ball, officially will come under his care and direction this winter. Lock, stock, and Bulger.
“I really don’t think things have changed,” Marc Bulger said. “It is challenging sometimes; you get opportunities that you want to do. But you have to stick to who you are and what will make you happy.”
The Rams have done their part to make Bulger happy. In April, coach Mike Martz declared Bulger would be his starting quarterback this season. Shortly thereafter, the organization made it crystal clear, giving Bulger a four-year, $19.1 million contract and releasing former league MVP Kurt Warner. Warner resides in New York now, trying turn the pumpkin back into a coach, keeping the seat warm while The Apprentice, Eli Manning, gets his feet wet.
Undisputed No. 1 this season
For the first time since he came off the bench and played surprisingly well for an injured Warner in 2002, Bulger will enter a season as the Rams’ undisputed heavyweight quarterback, no controversy, no questions asked. He will call his signals without Warner — literally and figuratively — looking over his shoulder. Or as offensive lineman Andy McCollum put it: “We’re here to protect Marc. He’s the man now.”
In turn, “the man” has looked the part. Bulger is throwing short, intermediate, and long passes with precision and purpose, he is making the right reads, choosing the right receivers. He threw for an NFC-leading 3,845 yards and completed 63 percent of his passes last season. He was named the Pro Bowl MVP when the season was over. All that was before he officially had the job. Now that he is entitled, he is infuego.
“I’ve very pleased with him,” Martz said. “He’s been consistently very good. He is markedly improved from a year ago, no question about it, in terms of just getting the speed of seeing things and getting the ball to the right guy.”
Bulger will tell you the presence of Warner wasn't negative. At 27 years of age, Bulger is modest and respectful, qualities that endear him to his teammates. He insists he appreciated Warner, tried to emulate him, learn from him, lean on him. But the absence of Warner World should make for a significantly less stressful environment. The new second-in-command at the quarterback position in St. Louis is 38-year old Chris Chandler, an experienced hand who has no delusions at this stage of his career. Chandler won't be standing on the sideline with a helmet in hand and a hankering to prove he can still pilot the ship. He is a walking insurance policy, and the deductible will only be exceeded on an emergency basis.
Outside distractions avoided
There is no media frenzy surrounding Bulger, as there sometimes was around the accommodating Warner. His personality, like his play, is understated. He is polite and cooperative with reporters, but his quotes never jump off the page. There won’t be a Mrs. Bulger weighing in on a radio show. In fact, it is highly unlikely you will hear Bulger himself on a radio or television show, at least not one with his name on it.
“I had opportunities to do that last year and the year before, and it’s just not something that appeals to me,”’ Bulger said. “Now that I have a new contract, I’m pretty secure. I can concentrate on football. I’m not going to go looking for things to do. When you get those few hours to rest. You need that to get refreshed for the next week. And I think doing too many things would hurt this team rather than help it.”
So, you won’t see Bulger pushing cars or selling home-entertainment packages. You won’t wake up in the morning and hear him yukking it up during the morning drive. You won’t see him at a lot of charity golf tournaments, Lions Club barbecues, or sports dinners.
You also won’t see “the table” at the Rams' training camp this summer — the table where Warner would sit and sign autographs for 45 minutes after each practice. “There’s not going to be a table,” Bulger said. “I don’t have my own football card to give out, so I can’t get the table going.”
The focus is on football — nothing more, nothing less.
One of the guys
“He’s squared away, he doesn’t need those things,” Martz said. “And I think that’s the attraction of Marc to this football team. He’s just one of the guys. Ultimately, that’s what a football team wants. They don’t want somebody who they can’t relate to.”
In turn, what that somebody wants is a coach who believes in him. Bulger is 18-4 as a starter over the past two seasons. But in a grating playoff loss to the Carolina Panthers last year, Martz essentially took the ball out of Bulger’s hands at a crucial moment. With the ball on the Panthers’ 15-yard line and more than 30 second remaining to play, “Mad Mike” let the clock run down and kicked a game-tying field goal rather than let Bulger take a shot at winning the game in regulation. The hesitation came back to haunt the Rams in overtime, as the Panthers prevailed.
There won’t be any reservations in 2004, just like there are no ambiguities. In his fourth NFL season, Bulger is no longer an interim, a quarterback by default. He is the quarterback of choice.
Dan O'Neill writes regularly for NBCSports.com and is a columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
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