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Spagnuolo Makes It Clear: Bulger Is The No. 1 Quarterback/Avery Appologizes To Team

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  • #1

    Spagnuolo Makes It Clear: Bulger Is The No. 1 Quarterback/Avery Appologizes To Team

    10.12.2009 4:18 pm
    Spagnuolo makes it clear: Bulger is the No. 1 quarterback
    By Bill Coats
    St. Louis Post-Dispatch


    Coach Steve Spagnuolo made it crystal clear Monday: There will be no quarterback controversy at Rams Park. At least not this week.

    Marc Bulger and Kyle Boller are both a little banged-up. Bulger is recovering from the shoulder injury he suffered Sept. 27 vs. the Packers and Boller sustained what Spagnuolo termed a “mild concussion” in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 38-10 home loss to the Vikings.

    But even if both show up for practice Wednesday in the pink of health, there will be no competition for the starting job. “Marc’s the quarterback,” Spagnuolo said unequivocally.

    Boller started the last two games after Bulger went down. On Sunday, he guided the offense on three drives deep into Vikings territory, but each was scuttled by a turnover. He also lost a fumble that was returned for a touchdown and threw an interception in the end zone.

    After Boller was hurt, Bulger hit on all seven of his passes, including a 27-yard TD to WR Donnie Avery. Granted, Bulger was going against Minny’s defensive reserves.

    “We have the luxury of two guys who know how to manage the game, two guys that the offense has confidence in,” Spagnuolo said. But make no mistake: If he’s ready, Bulger will start Sunday in Jacksonville.

    Notes & quotes:

    *DT Gary Gibson is done for the season after breaking his left ankle Sunday.

    *The other injuries were minor: DE Chris Long (chest), TE Daniel Fells (neck), CB Justin King (bruised knee).

    *Spagnuolo said S James Butler (knee) and T Jason Smith (knee) will be day-to-day. Smith dressed Sunday but didn’t play.

    *In one of his best games, LT Alex Barron held Pro Bowl DE Jared Allen without a sack or a quarterback hit.

    *Without Gibson, Spagnuolo indicated that the Rams might go with a three-man rotation up front, or retain their four-man rotation by adding someone, perhaps fourth-round draftee Darell Scott.

    *WR Donnie Avery said he apologized to the team for his ill-timed, fourth-quarter end-zone dance following his TD catch. The Rams were trailing by 21 points at the time. “I wasn’t real fond of it,” Spagnuolo said.

    All for now . . .
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: Spagnuolo Makes It Clear: Bulger Is The No. 1 Quarterback/Avery Appologizes To Te

    is there a link to averys dance? i wanna see what all the commotion is

    Comment

    • #3
      Re: Spagnuolo Makes It Clear: Bulger Is The No. 1 Quarterback/Avery Appologizes To Te

      *Without Gibson, Spagnuolo indicated that the Rams might go with a three-man rotation up front, or retain their four-man rotation by adding someone, perhaps fourth-round draftee Darell Scott.
      I've been wondering where Scott has been.

      Comment

      • #4
        Re: Spagnuolo Makes It Clear: Bulger Is The No. 1 Quarterback/Avery Appologizes To Te

        Good for Avery. You can still dance, just not when you're down by 20 at the end of the 4th quarter.

        Comment

        • #5
          Re: Spagnuolo Makes It Clear: Bulger Is The No. 1 Quarterback/Avery Appologizes To Te

          Good to see Spags will NOT tolerate that kind of crap. I personally think he's a character player so I was surprised to see him do that...But I'm sure he learned his lesson
          Always and Forever a fan of the St. Louis Rams

          Comment

          • #6
            Re: Spagnuolo Makes It Clear: Bulger Is The No. 1 Quarterback/Avery Appologizes To Te

            Originally posted by RamsFan4ever View Post
            is there a link to averys dance? i wanna see what all the commotion is
            You can go to nfl.com, find the Rams game, and click highlights and find it. Probably just a search on the site would find it as well.

            The dance wasn't that big of a deal, I think it was just the fact he was celebrating a TD at that point in the game.

            Comment

            • #7
              Re: Spagnuolo Makes It Clear: Bulger Is The No. 1 Quarterback/Avery Appologizes To Te

              It was great to see that Barron had by far his best game. Held the league leading pass rush Jared Allen to no quaterback hits. Now if only smith was back so our o line can conitnue to make srtides.

              Comment

              • #8
                Re: Spagnuolo Makes It Clear: Bulger Is The No. 1 Quarterback/Avery Appologizes To Te

                I told y'all that Barron has what it takes to be a solid left tackle. But, if Spag's is adamant on Smith as our future left tackle...hmmm..

                Comment

                • #9
                  Re: Spagnuolo Makes It Clear: Bulger Is The No. 1 Quarterback/Avery Appologizes To Te

                  Originally posted by r8rh8rmike View Post
                  *Without Gibson, Spagnuolo indicated that the Rams might go with a three-man rotation up front, or retain their four-man rotation by adding someone, perhaps fourth-round draftee Darell Scott.
                  Doesn't this really say we may use the same guys in the rotation or we might add a guy to the rotation. Isn't this like saying we might do something or we might not?

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Re: Spagnuolo Makes It Clear: Bulger Is The No. 1 Quarterback/Avery Appologizes To Te

                    Glad to see Avery apologized. I for one, have nothing against it, but I guess it did piss some people off.

                    I hope Bulger can come back and throw solid against the Jags. We really need him out there!

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      Re: Spagnuolo Makes It Clear: Bulger Is The No. 1 Quarterback/Avery Appologizes To Te

                      Good to know that Spags is staying true to saying that it's still Bulger's team. Not that boller really did anything to prove that it should be his team or anything. Bulger's clearly better than he is.

                      Also good to see that Spags won't put up with any crap from the players. They have nothing to celebrate right now and it's great to see that he won't let any of them be bigger than the team. I love a good endzone dance, but if you're down and winless, there's no point to it.

                      Barron's a good left tackle, and I think he'll have more games like this one. He's been wasted on the right.
                      I believe!:ram:

                      Comment

                      • #12
                        Re: Spagnuolo Makes It Clear: Bulger Is The No. 1 Quarterback/Avery Appologizes To Te

                        Glad to see Barron making strides. Hopefully we'll get Smith back this week, seeing as he dressed yesterday.

                        Comment

                        • #13
                          Re: Spagnuolo Makes It Clear: Bulger Is The No. 1 Quarterback/Avery Appologizes To Te

                          All the above, from the critical to the more mundane, good to know.

                          Comment

                          • #14
                            Re: Spagnuolo Makes It Clear: Bulger Is The No. 1 Quarterback/Avery Appologizes To Te

                            I don't think anyone can say Barron is bad player, but you can say he is inconstant as they come. Some games he looks like a pro bowler others he looks like scrub off the street. Lets just hope we see more pro bowler than scrub.

                            Comment

                            • #15
                              Re: Spagnuolo Makes It Clear: Bulger Is The No. 1 Quarterback/Avery Appologizes To Te

                              Originally posted by RockinRam View Post
                              I told y'all that Barron has what it takes to be a solid left tackle. But, if Spag's is adamant on Smith as our future left tackle...hmmm..
                              I don't think anyone has ever questioned whether Barron has what it takes to be a good left tackle. The problem isn't talent, because he has it all. The problem is mental, where I don't believe he has the motivation to make the most out of that talent. He'll shut down Jared Allen one week, but will struggle against lesser players another week. That's what we've seen of Barron his entire career.

                              As for Avery, I wasn't that upset by his dance or his shrugging off Danny to perform it. He's young and he's excited to finally have a good game after having a couple poor ones. I don't think it's a sign of him being the next T.O. or a problem player. He's just a young guy, only a season's worth of games in the league, and he's going to grow under good coaching. The fact that he apologized to the team should close the book on this. Unfortunately these kinds of things don't endear him to the fanbase, so now they're going to be even harder on him.

                              Finally, as for Bulger being named the clear starter, I think it's obvious where I stand on this. I think Boller has played his way out of any chance at unseating Boller in the last ten quarters. He's moved the ball at times, but also has been pretty inaccurate as well. Being involved in five turnovers in two and a half games isn't good at all, and while Boller's mobility has allowed the Rams to add a few bootlegs here or there, I think his questionable accuracy and decision making has been a bigger factor in the other direction than his mobility has for us. If we could take Boller's mobility and combine it with Bulger's accuracy and decision making, then we'd be good to go. But if I had to pick one skillset, I'll take the accuracy and the decision making every day of the week. Especially if the OL really is making some strides. Hopefully Bulger is well rested, healthy, and ready to tear up against Jacksonville. If he comes out and lays an egg, then it's going to be interesting.
                              Last edited by Nick; -10-13-2009, 08:50 AM.

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                              • eldfan
                                Bulger affirmed as Rams' top QB
                                by eldfan
                                By Jim Thomas
                                ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
                                10/13/2009

                                There is no quarterback competition, much less a quarterback controversy in St. Louis.

                                "Marc's the quarterback," Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo said Monday.

                                Kyle Boller had played most of the past three games after Bulger suffered a bruised rotator cuff in his right shoulder late in the first quarter against Green Bay on Sept. 27. Boller started against San Francisco and Minnesota but left the Vikings game early in the fourth quarter with what Spagnuolo termed a mild concussion.


                                The Rams didn't plan to play Bulger against the Vikings, or he would've started. The idea was to give the shoulder one more Sunday off. Obviously it didn't work out that way, and now Spagnuolo thinks Bulger will be ready for this week's game in Jacksonville.

                                "Again, I'm going to be careful because he took a hit in there, too (against Minnesota)," Spagnuolo said.

                                Assuming Bulger is fit and looks good throwing the ball Wednesday when the team returns to practice, Spagnuolo said Bulger will start against the Jaguars.

                                "I would think, yeah," Spagnuolo said. "But we have the luxury of having two guys that know how to manage the game; I think two guys that the offense has confidence in."

                                Maybe so, but now there's uncertainty about Boller's health after he was dinged by Vikings defensive end Ray Edwards. Boller is scheduled for a neurological exam today and won't be cleared to play unless he passes it.

                                Bulger and Boller have played roughly 10 quarters apiece this season, with the Rams scoring 14 points with Bulger in the game and 20 points with Boller playing. Boller's mobility was an asset, but his turnovers were a problem, with three interceptions and a lost fumble in his 10 quarters of play. Bulger has no interceptions and one lost fumble this season.

                                Two of Boller's turnovers were returned directly for touchdowns, including the lost fumble against Minnesota on a play where the ball squirted out of his hand while Vikings defensive tackle Kevin Williams was bearing down on him.

                                "When a ball slips out of your hand, and you miss a routine handoff, those are tough things to explain," Spagnuolo said.

                                The "routine handoff" was a reference to a lost fumble on a first-and-goal play from the Minnesota 1 early in the second quarter on what was supposed to be a run by Steven Jackson. Jackson took the blame for the play, but it might have been caused by a botched exchange from Boller.

                                As for the earlier Boller fumble, which was returned for a TD by Vikings defensive end Jared Allen in the first quarter, the play was supposed to be a screen pass. Right guard Richie Incognito was supposed to let Williams through to set up the screen but was supposed to get at least a piece...
                                -10-13-2009, 10:38 AM
                              • r8rh8rmike
                                Spagnuolo "Very, Very, Very Happy" With Rams' Energy
                                by r8rh8rmike
                                10.14.2009 4:29 pm
                                Spagnuolo “very, very, very happy” with Rams’ energy
                                By Bill Coats
                                St. Louis Post-Dispatch


                                Coach Steve Spagnuolo was almost giddy after Wednesday’s practice, the first for the St. Louis Rams since a 38-10 home loss to the Vikings on Sunday dropped them to 0-5.

                                “I was very, very, very happy about the energy today,” Spagnuolo said. “I thought the guys came out with a lot of energy, which is a good thing. It’s a credit to them, and I certainly appreciate it.”

                                Still, as defensive end Chris Long pointed out, the winless Rams don’t have a lot of options as they try to dig out of their 0-5 hole.

                                “You don’t really have a choice but to keep grinding away,” Long said. “Continuing to work hard and try to keep going up, that’s the only way we can do it. Build on the little things that we’re doing well and try to make those things big things.

                                “It’s no different than any other week. We’re trying to get that win, just the same as if we were 5-0.”

                                Notes & quotes:

                                *QB Marc Bulger took all the reps with the first-team offense and reported afterward that he was “on course” to start Sunday in Jacksonville. Bulger had been out with a bruised shoulder.

                                *Kyle Boller, who started in Bulger’s spot the past two games, passed his neuro exam and ran the scout team at practice. Spagnuolo said Boller will be retested Friday, just to be sure he’s OK to back up Boller vs. the Jaguars.

                                *T Jason Smith (knee), S James Butler (knee), CB Justin King (knee) and S Anthony Smith (Achilles’ tendon) were limited. WR Ruvell Martin (hamstring) did not practice.

                                *This week’s captains are C Jason Brown (offense), CB Ron Bartell (defense) and long-snapper Chris Massey (special teams).

                                *LaJuan Ramsey took the bulk of the first-team snaps in the defensive tackle spot that opened when Gary Gibson broke his left ankle Sunday. Gibson, who has been placed on injured reserve, had successful surgery Tuesday, Spagnuolo reported.

                                *WR Sean Walker, a member of the practice squad, played the role of ex-Rams WR Torry Holt on the scout team. Holt is the Jaguars’ leading receiver, with 22 catches for 306 yards.

                                All for now…
                                -10-14-2009, 10:54 PM
                              • Rambos
                                Rams' Spagnuolo ready for new challenge
                                by Rambos
                                ST. LOUIS — New St. Louis Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo knows the easy part is over.

                                "It's nice to be 3-1 after the preseason, but like I told the players last night, the score counted when we played the games," Spagnuolo said Friday, one day after the Rams beat the Kansas City Chiefs 17-9. "It doesn't matter now. We're moving on.

                                "I'm perfectly aware that all of this is a honeymoon period. The real challenge is upcoming."

                                That challenge begins for St. Louis on Sept. 13, when the Rams open the season in Seattle. The Seahawks have beaten the Rams eight straight times. Then again, a lot of people have beaten the Rams lately, as St. Louis has won just five games the past two seasons.

                                No one is expecting Spagnuolo to change that overnight. He does like the way the team's mental approach heading into the season.

                                "I think we got a bunch of hungry guys. I think it's good to be hungry. When you get complacent, that's not a good thing. I do think it's a hungry football team. We've talked a lot about it and I think the guy's have embraced it."

                                However, plenty of question marks still remain. For instance, who will be under center when the Rams take the field in Seattle. Nine-year veteran Marc Bulger is the starter, but Bulger has been nursing a broken pinkie finger and has not played.

                                Bulger says he will be ready to start the season and Spagnuolo is counting on him.

                                "If he's ready to go, he goes," Spagnuolo said. "He threw in pregame last night. He felt comfortable throwing. It still comes down to taking the snap."

                                Another newcomer to St. Louis, Kyle Boller has started in Bulger's absence.

                                Another area of concern is the running game — on both sides of the ball. The Rams allowed more than 150 yards per game on the ground last season, and that area looked suspect during the preseason, particularly against Atlanta, when Falcons starters gouged Rams for two easy scores.

                                "We know if we had to pick out one area that we need to improve on both sides, it's in the running game, whether it's running it or stopping the run," Spagnuolo said. "I thought Atlanta came out and really took it to us. I don't think anybody felt great about that. And yet when challenged, the team bounced back against Cincinnati."

                                The Rams have yet to make any final roster moves. Spagnuolo said that he expects to make those by midday Saturday, but noted that the coaches were still evaluating players and positions.

                                One roster spot that might open up is on the defensive line. Spagnuolo reported Friday that 2007 first-round pick Adam Carriker suffered a "significant" injury to his right shoulder. He expects to have a final determination on Carriker's status Saturday.

                                Spagnuolo said the final cuts will be the toughest....
                                -09-05-2009, 10:09 AM
                              • eldfan
                                St. Louis Rams' Bulger has bruise; Robinson is done Spagnuolo says we will be ok
                                by eldfan
                                St. Louis Rams' Bulger has bruise; Robinson is done

                                BY JIM THOMAS
                                ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
                                09/29/2009

                                As he stepped to the podium for his regular Monday news conference, coach Steve Spagnuolo looked out the window at Rams Park and quipped: "The sun's out, that's a good sign, right? The sun came up. Everybody's OK."

                                If only everybody were OK.

                                The news could've been worse on quarterback Marc Bulger. Even so, he'll still probably miss a minimum of a week or two with what Spagnuolo called a bruised rotator cuff in his throwing shoulder.

                                "It's not torn; it's a bruised rotator cuff," Spagnuolo said.

                                Wide receiver Laurent Robinson wasn't so "lucky." Robinson, easily the Rams' top pass catcher through the preseason and early regular season, is almost certainly out for the season with a high ankle sprain and fractured fibula that will require surgery.

                                Safety James Butler, in some ways the quarterback of the back seven because of his familiarity with the defensive scheme, will miss two to four weeks with a ligament injury to his left knee.

                                At least there was good news with wide receiver Donnie Avery, who took a shot to the ribs late in Sunday's 36-17 loss to Green Bay. His X-rays came back negative.

                                "We think he's going to be OK," Spagnuolo said. "He's a little bit sore."

                                As for Bulger, he was more than a little sore. Had he suffered a torn rotator cuff, that might have ended his season. Nonetheless, sources said he couldn't lift his throwing arm Monday. And just to make sure there's no tear, he may seek a second opinion from James Andrews, the nationally known orthopedic surgeon who has offices in Birmingham, Ala., and Gulf Breeze, Fla.

                                "He's very sore today," Spagnuolo said. "We'll see where he's at (today) and Wednesday, and if he'll do anything at all. ... We're going to be careful with it."

                                Bulger went straight from the doctor's office Monday evening to Frontenac, where he was host of the 14th annual Make-A-Wish Foundation Celebrity Server Dinner. If Bulger helped teammates Steven Jackson, Randy McMichael, James Laurinaitis, Chris Massey and others serve dinner, he had to do so one-handed Monday night.

                                On the football field, quarterback Kyle Boller will be serving up passes in the near term. Boller replaced Bulger in the first half Sunday and helped the Rams fight their way back into the contest before Green Bay pulled away with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns.

                                "Kyle's a fiery guy," Spagnuolo said. "Very confident in what he does. He'd tell you that he'd like to have his first two throws back (Sunday). ... But then he settled down. I thought he did a nice job."

                                Boller says he'll be ready for whatever the week brings him. Against...
                                -09-29-2009, 08:12 AM
                              • Nick
                                Rams’ Spagnuolo has confidence in QB Bulger
                                by Nick
                                Rams’ Spagnuolo has confidence in QB Bulger
                                Frank Tadych
                                NFL.com Blog

                                St. Louis’ Steve Spagnuolo didn’t offer much news on the Rams’ roster or free agency plans Friday as one of the six first-year coaches addressing the media.

                                He did offer a vote of confidence for quarterback Marc Bulger.

                                “I’ve always had a great deal of respect for Marc,” Spagnuolo said. “I think he’s a terrific guy, great character, and I think it begins there, especially at that position. I just know this, every time we’ve ever played the Rams, and he’s been quarterback, we’ve always worried about him as the quarterback. To me, that’s telltale. I think he’s still a very talented guy, and expect him to even get better with the coaches around him now. I think he’s eager to go. We’re looking forward to positive things.”

                                Spagnuolo said on two occasions that he’ll withhold judgment on his new roster until he gets the opportunity to see them on the field. He said that individual positions — including quarterback — didn’t factor highly in his decision to take the Rams job. When asked specifically about Bulger, he touched on the difficulty in inheriting a roster.

                                “It’s all the positions,” Spagnuolo said. “We have a team there of players that we’re evaluating, and each position will be evaluated along the way. We don’t look at it that way. Everyone is starting with a new beginning. As we get a chance to get a feel for these guys, and get them on the field, then we’ll make that decision.”
                                -02-20-2009, 07:10 PM
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