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By Jim Thomas
Of the Post-Dispatch
09/30/2004
With 36 seconds to play, the Rams faced a third and four from the New Orleans 19, trailing 22-17. The Saints dropped seven defenders in coverage. Four spread out across the 14, just behind the first-down line, with three more stationed deep.
After the ball was snapped, quarterback Marc Bulger looked right. He saw Torry Holt running a deep corner route into double coverage. Shaun McDonald ran a sideline route underneath and was in front of his defender at the 13. But there was no throwing lane, particularly with Saints defensive end Charles Grant pushing offensive tackle Grant Williams back into the pocket. Bulger pumped once, then took off running.
"I didn't specifically come up to the line looking to run," Bulger said. "The middle of the field opened up, and they had Torry covered, and they had the second guy (McDonald) covered."
So off he went. Grant dived at Bulger's heels, missing, at the 15. As Bulger closed in on the goal line, trailing Rams offensive linemen knew what was about to happen. Left tackle Orlando Pace raised his right arm in celebration. Then center Andy McCollum signaled touchdown.
Just to make sure, wide receiver Isaac Bruce peeled back and plastered pursuing Saints cornerback Fred Thomas at the two. An instant later, Bulger was in the end zone, giving the Rams the lead in dramatic fashion.
"Marc played like a champion," wide receiver Dane Looker said afterward. "It just shows you what he's made of on that run to get in the end zone. A lot of quarterbacks might've taken a slide, but he wanted to win this game and he made a great play."
Had the Rams been able to protect a 25-22 lead in the final 28 seconds of regulation, Bulger's dramatic dash might have dominated the town's football talk this week and added to his credentials as a starter.
"Marc's always had the moniker, if you will, of being a guy that will do whatever it takes to win that game in the end," coach Mike Martz said. "Making a great throw, moving around, scrambling. ... Having the presence of mind to do that is very important. He's very quiet, but he's very, very competitive and tough. A lot like Isaac."
Of course, this time, the Rams didn't hold the lead. The Saints won in overtime 28-25 and Bulger's TD run quickly became an afterthought. In a sense, it was a microcosm of his season. Because lost in the disappointment of a 1-2 start for the Rams has been impressive play by Bulger at quarterback.
Bulger ranks first in the NFL in completions (79), third in passing yards (915), fourth in completion percentage (69.3), and seventh in passer rating (94.7).
"He's playing exceptionally well," Martz said. "I think he really did a great job in terms of responding to the challenge."
The challenge was a game plan against New Orleans that placed a heavy emphasis on the passing game.
"I thought he was outstanding," Martz said. "His decisions. Checking the ball down. Taking off at the end of the game and getting the ball into the end zone. ... He's getting better and better and better."
The odd thing about the New Orleans game and the prior loss to Atlanta is that the Rams lost even though Bulger had very high passer ratings: 102.2 against the Falcons and 93.8 against the Saints.
"Some of the ratings, you can look at them and they get blown out of proportion," Bulger said. "If you're on the one-yard line and you keep throwing touchdowns, you might have a good rating but didn't play good the rest of the game. So I don't put much stock in the ratings."
The passer rating is considered one of the truest indicators of a team's success, along with takeaway/giveaway ratio and 100-yard rushers. Why? Because a high rating generally indicates more TD passes than interceptions, a high completion percentage, and a high average gain per attempt.
The results certainly bear that out for the Rams. Entering this season, the Rams were 54-8 since the move to St. Louis when their starting quarterback had a passer rating of 90 or better.
Even in the Dark Ages of "St. Louis" Rams football, the four years prior to the 1999 Super Bowl season, the club was 11-5 when its quarterback had a 90-plus rating, and 11-37 when he didn't.
Beginning in '99, the Rams were 43-3 in games with a 90-plus rating by the starting QB. All of which makes the back-to-back losses this season particularly puzzling.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, on only two occasions last season did a team lose back-to-back games when its quarterback had a 90-plus rating in both games:
Green Bay's Brett Favre on Oct. 12 (Kansas City) and Oct. 19 (Rams).
Minnesota's Daunte Culpepper on Nov. 2 (Green Bay) and Nov. 9 (San Diego).
So the short answer to what has happened to the Rams so far this season? The team has wasted two pretty good performances by Bulger because of deficiencies in other areas.
"It's frustrating for everyone," Bulger said. "If I was playing poorly, I'd be upset, but as long as we were winning it wouldn't matter. I've always said all that matters is our record."
Of the Post-Dispatch
09/30/2004
With 36 seconds to play, the Rams faced a third and four from the New Orleans 19, trailing 22-17. The Saints dropped seven defenders in coverage. Four spread out across the 14, just behind the first-down line, with three more stationed deep.
After the ball was snapped, quarterback Marc Bulger looked right. He saw Torry Holt running a deep corner route into double coverage. Shaun McDonald ran a sideline route underneath and was in front of his defender at the 13. But there was no throwing lane, particularly with Saints defensive end Charles Grant pushing offensive tackle Grant Williams back into the pocket. Bulger pumped once, then took off running.
"I didn't specifically come up to the line looking to run," Bulger said. "The middle of the field opened up, and they had Torry covered, and they had the second guy (McDonald) covered."
So off he went. Grant dived at Bulger's heels, missing, at the 15. As Bulger closed in on the goal line, trailing Rams offensive linemen knew what was about to happen. Left tackle Orlando Pace raised his right arm in celebration. Then center Andy McCollum signaled touchdown.
Just to make sure, wide receiver Isaac Bruce peeled back and plastered pursuing Saints cornerback Fred Thomas at the two. An instant later, Bulger was in the end zone, giving the Rams the lead in dramatic fashion.
"Marc played like a champion," wide receiver Dane Looker said afterward. "It just shows you what he's made of on that run to get in the end zone. A lot of quarterbacks might've taken a slide, but he wanted to win this game and he made a great play."
Had the Rams been able to protect a 25-22 lead in the final 28 seconds of regulation, Bulger's dramatic dash might have dominated the town's football talk this week and added to his credentials as a starter.
"Marc's always had the moniker, if you will, of being a guy that will do whatever it takes to win that game in the end," coach Mike Martz said. "Making a great throw, moving around, scrambling. ... Having the presence of mind to do that is very important. He's very quiet, but he's very, very competitive and tough. A lot like Isaac."
Of course, this time, the Rams didn't hold the lead. The Saints won in overtime 28-25 and Bulger's TD run quickly became an afterthought. In a sense, it was a microcosm of his season. Because lost in the disappointment of a 1-2 start for the Rams has been impressive play by Bulger at quarterback.
Bulger ranks first in the NFL in completions (79), third in passing yards (915), fourth in completion percentage (69.3), and seventh in passer rating (94.7).
"He's playing exceptionally well," Martz said. "I think he really did a great job in terms of responding to the challenge."
The challenge was a game plan against New Orleans that placed a heavy emphasis on the passing game.
"I thought he was outstanding," Martz said. "His decisions. Checking the ball down. Taking off at the end of the game and getting the ball into the end zone. ... He's getting better and better and better."
The odd thing about the New Orleans game and the prior loss to Atlanta is that the Rams lost even though Bulger had very high passer ratings: 102.2 against the Falcons and 93.8 against the Saints.
"Some of the ratings, you can look at them and they get blown out of proportion," Bulger said. "If you're on the one-yard line and you keep throwing touchdowns, you might have a good rating but didn't play good the rest of the game. So I don't put much stock in the ratings."
The passer rating is considered one of the truest indicators of a team's success, along with takeaway/giveaway ratio and 100-yard rushers. Why? Because a high rating generally indicates more TD passes than interceptions, a high completion percentage, and a high average gain per attempt.
The results certainly bear that out for the Rams. Entering this season, the Rams were 54-8 since the move to St. Louis when their starting quarterback had a passer rating of 90 or better.
Even in the Dark Ages of "St. Louis" Rams football, the four years prior to the 1999 Super Bowl season, the club was 11-5 when its quarterback had a 90-plus rating, and 11-37 when he didn't.
Beginning in '99, the Rams were 43-3 in games with a 90-plus rating by the starting QB. All of which makes the back-to-back losses this season particularly puzzling.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, on only two occasions last season did a team lose back-to-back games when its quarterback had a 90-plus rating in both games:
Green Bay's Brett Favre on Oct. 12 (Kansas City) and Oct. 19 (Rams).
Minnesota's Daunte Culpepper on Nov. 2 (Green Bay) and Nov. 9 (San Diego).
So the short answer to what has happened to the Rams so far this season? The team has wasted two pretty good performances by Bulger because of deficiencies in other areas.
"It's frustrating for everyone," Bulger said. "If I was playing poorly, I'd be upset, but as long as we were winning it wouldn't matter. I've always said all that matters is our record."
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