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By Matt Snyder (RSS feed)
After three Rams losses, it's pretty evident 2009 is going to be a long season in St. Louis (the third straight of the variety). Monday, they received some more bad news -- that Laurent Robinson, a member of the already paper-thin receiving corps, will likely miss the remainder of the season after injuring his lower leg (both a fractured fibula and high ankle sprain) during Sunday's loss to Green Bay.
Quarterback Marc Bulger also left the game injured, but his injury isn't deemed as serious, now that he's been diagnosed with a bruised rotator cuff. Earlier Monday, some feared Bulger had a torn rotator cuff and would also miss the remainder of the season. Of course, clouding matters is that Kyle Boller came in relief of Bulger and looked far superior.
Now, realizing they still have 13 games left this year, in addition to the fact that the Rams are trying to make progress for the future, there is already talk in St. Louis that Boller could be the better option as the Rams' signal-caller for the rest of 2009.
It makes a lot of sense, actually.
Bulger is 32 years old. He doesn't have an especially strong arm and he's not mobile. Boller is only 28, and he has enough physical tools to have gotten him drafted in the first round back in 2003.
Obviously, pro pedigree will factor in a bit, as Bulger has the much better professional resume. He's been to the Pro Bowl twice and taken his team to the playoffs twice. Boller was a colossal bust for the Baltimore Ravens after Brian Billick committed to him following the 2003 draft.
Here's the thing, though: Boller wasn't throwing to The Greatest Show on Turf in Baltimore. If you check out the current version of Marc Bulger (he's won just four of his past 30 starts and has a rating hovering just above 70 during that same time frame), he's just not that impressive at all. It's also entirely possible Boller just needed a change of scenery and/or is a late bloomer.
After Boller's play Sunday, it's worth it for rookie head coach Steve Spagnuolo to at least consider going with Boller. Marc Bulger had led the Rams to just one touchdown in nine quarters before leaving with an injury. Boller threw two in three quarters. Boller has far superior arm strength and pretty good agility in the pocket. And, again, he's four years younger and playing for a team who is looking toward the future.
Of course, whoever the quarterback is now has to deal with an even worse receiving corps than the sub-par-at-best group he already had. Robinson led the team with 11 catches, 141 yards and one touchdown through the first two weeks. With him out of the picture, the Rams will look to sign a free agent. The other receivers on the roster are Donnie Avery, Keenan Burton, Derek Stanley and Ruvell Martin.
I think they need to see what Boller to Avery and Burton can provide the rest of the season before re-evaluating the direction of the offense. We'll see if Spagnuolo agrees quite soon, because Bulger should be ready to return within the next few weeks.
After three Rams losses, it's pretty evident 2009 is going to be a long season in St. Louis (the third straight of the variety). Monday, they received some more bad news -- that Laurent Robinson, a member of the already paper-thin receiving corps, will likely miss the remainder of the season after injuring his lower leg (both a fractured fibula and high ankle sprain) during Sunday's loss to Green Bay.
Quarterback Marc Bulger also left the game injured, but his injury isn't deemed as serious, now that he's been diagnosed with a bruised rotator cuff. Earlier Monday, some feared Bulger had a torn rotator cuff and would also miss the remainder of the season. Of course, clouding matters is that Kyle Boller came in relief of Bulger and looked far superior.
Now, realizing they still have 13 games left this year, in addition to the fact that the Rams are trying to make progress for the future, there is already talk in St. Louis that Boller could be the better option as the Rams' signal-caller for the rest of 2009.
It makes a lot of sense, actually.
Bulger is 32 years old. He doesn't have an especially strong arm and he's not mobile. Boller is only 28, and he has enough physical tools to have gotten him drafted in the first round back in 2003.
Obviously, pro pedigree will factor in a bit, as Bulger has the much better professional resume. He's been to the Pro Bowl twice and taken his team to the playoffs twice. Boller was a colossal bust for the Baltimore Ravens after Brian Billick committed to him following the 2003 draft.
Here's the thing, though: Boller wasn't throwing to The Greatest Show on Turf in Baltimore. If you check out the current version of Marc Bulger (he's won just four of his past 30 starts and has a rating hovering just above 70 during that same time frame), he's just not that impressive at all. It's also entirely possible Boller just needed a change of scenery and/or is a late bloomer.
After Boller's play Sunday, it's worth it for rookie head coach Steve Spagnuolo to at least consider going with Boller. Marc Bulger had led the Rams to just one touchdown in nine quarters before leaving with an injury. Boller threw two in three quarters. Boller has far superior arm strength and pretty good agility in the pocket. And, again, he's four years younger and playing for a team who is looking toward the future.
Of course, whoever the quarterback is now has to deal with an even worse receiving corps than the sub-par-at-best group he already had. Robinson led the team with 11 catches, 141 yards and one touchdown through the first two weeks. With him out of the picture, the Rams will look to sign a free agent. The other receivers on the roster are Donnie Avery, Keenan Burton, Derek Stanley and Ruvell Martin.
I think they need to see what Boller to Avery and Burton can provide the rest of the season before re-evaluating the direction of the offense. We'll see if Spagnuolo agrees quite soon, because Bulger should be ready to return within the next few weeks.
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