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Round Two: Should The Rams Give Boller Or Null A Chance?

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  • #1

    Round Two: Should The Rams Give Boller Or Null A Chance?

    11.03.2009 1:20 pm
    Should Rams give Boller or Null a chance?
    By Roger Hensley


    QUESTION: Despite another rough outing Sunday, obviously the coaches still believe QB Marc Bulger gives the team its best chance to win or he wouldn’t be playing. Do you agree with that assessment or do you think it’s time to give Kyle Boller - or even Keith Null - a chance to run the offense?

    JIM THOMAS

    Even with the patchwork receiver corps, the results against Detroit - one of the worst pass defenses in the league - were underwhelming. But the problem with Boller is that he seems to be more mistake prone than Bulger, which leads to more turnovers. Null simply isn’t ready to start in the NFL, although it wouldn’t hurt to see him in mop-up situations.

    BERNIE MIKLASZ

    It’s time to get ready to draft a quarterback.

    Unless the people running the Rams have lost their minds, Bulger’s time here is winding down. Boller is Boller: a more mobile Bulger, but not an accurate passer and prone to silly mistakes. I don’t understand the people who want to throw Null to the wolf pack and see the kid fail. Null came to the NFL from a small-college program that ran a spread offense, and he has received virtually no reps in practice. At this stage of his career, starting Null in a regular-season NFL game is crazily irresponsible. I wouldn’t mind it if the Rams worked Null into a fourth-quarter series here in there to get him acclimated, but nothing more than that.

    As I wrote in today’s column, unless the Rams want to get RB Steven Jackson killed, they’d better get serious about drafting and developing a quarterback.

    JEFF GORDON

    Since the Rams just won a game, there is no reason to change quarterbacks. Had Bulger’s targeted receivers caught more of those balls within reach - like the would-be TD pass to Randy McMichael - his numbers would have looked better. The Rams need to throw more of those passes down the field. This is a check-down scheme, as it stands today, and Bulger is OK doing that. But how many more games can this team win checking down? When Bulger gets hurt again, Boller will get another chance. His mobility is a huge plus, but inaccuracy is a huge problem. As for Null, I would use him at the end of blowout losses to give him a taste of it.

    BILL COATS

    Boller isn’t a good fit for the offense, and Null simply isn’t ready to start - although I’d like to see him get some action in mop-up time. It’s become obvious that Bulger isn’t capable of reprising the kind of play he showed during his Pro Bowl seasons. Still, he’s the best option the Rams have right now.

    KEVIN WHEELER (Host of “Sports Open Line” on KMOX)

    It really doesn’t matter who takes snaps from center right now. Bulger isn’t getting it done, nothing in Boller’s track record suggests he would get it done and Null is too big a project to throw into the fire at this point. Boller would simply be a slightly different version of Bulger, a veteran whose future lies as a backup in the NFL. Null can’t possibly be ready for the NFL considering how little work he gets. Let’s also remember it took a while for him to win the 3rd QB job from Brock Berlin. That’s not exactly the sign of a player ready to jump into the fray. The entire 2009 Rams season is about one word - patience. Some things just aren’t going to get fixed this season and the QB position is one of them.
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: Round Two: Should The Rams Give Boller Or Null A Chance?

    BILL COATS

    Boller isn’t a good fit for the offense, and Null simply isn’t ready to start - although I’d like to see him get some action in mop-up time. It’s become obvious that Bulger isn’t capable of reprising the kind of play he showed during his Pro Bowl seasons. Still, he’s the best option the Rams have right now.

    I would agree with that assessment.
    :ramlogo:

    Comment

    • #3
      Re: Round Two: Should The Rams Give Boller Or Null A Chance?

      Start = no
      play = yes

      Null needs to get time on the field to see what he has to offer. I don't care if he isn't ready, GET him ready enough to run 10-20 passing plays.

      Comment

      • #4
        Re: Round Two: Should The Rams Give Boller Or Null A Chance?

        Just a question but with all this talk of Bulger being "on his way out" here, what exactly should we be getting in return for him? High draft pick? players....? I heard mention that we could be looking at Jason Campbell which made me yack. I would rather watch Brown take our snaps then him.

        Any ideas?

        Comment

        • #5
          Re: Round Two: Should The Rams Give Boller Or Null A Chance?

          Originally posted by itsguud View Post
          Just a question but with all this talk of Bulger being "on his way out" here, what exactly should we be getting in return for him?
          Accelerated dead money against the 2010 cap, if there is one. I'd be surprised if Bulger is traded; if he does leave after this season, it will be through release.

          Anywho, I basically agree with Gordon's answer.

          Comment

          • #6
            Re: Round Two: Should The Rams Give Boller Or Null A Chance?

            Originally posted by Nick View Post
            Accelerated dead money against the 2010 cap, if there is one. I'd be surprised if Bulger is traded; if he does leave after this season, it will be through release.

            Anywho, I basically agree with Gordon's answer.
            He will be traded to NE as back up. And we should not be selfish with jackson. We should trade him to a team with a chance. He will be the
            next Barry Sanders if we dont. Lets build the future by trade and draft,
            not by keep and hord.

            Comment

            • #7
              Re: Round Two: Should The Rams Give Boller Or Null A Chance?

              Originally posted by BEER View Post
              He will be traded to NE as back up. And we should not be selfish with jackson. We should trade him to a team with a chance. He will be the
              next Barry Sanders if we dont. Lets build the future by trade and draft,
              not by keep and hord.
              Please.

              If we had those intentions we would've traded Jackson to NE by the deadline and probably would've gotten Barron out of there somehow too.

              Clearly we do not. We are building our new team around Steven Jackson. He's the only sure thing the organization has. I agree he's worthy of being entitled the "next Barry Sanders" and therefore has too much value. He also helps the Rams become the team Spagnuolo and Devaney wanted: A hard running football team on offense and having a smash mouth defense.

              Don't get me wrong, I understand where your coming from but I think considering the rarity of Jackson's talent, it would be a shame to get rid of him and it'd also create yet another hole for this team. We do not have a legitimate #2RB at all. Getting picks to get a new RB in my opinion isn't worth it.
              Last edited by Varg6; -11-03-2009, 06:39 PM.
              Always and Forever a fan of the St. Louis Rams

              Comment

              • #8
                Re: Round Two: Should The Rams Give Boller Or Null A Chance?

                Originally posted by Varg6 View Post
                Please.

                If we had those intentions we would've traded Jackson to NE by the deadline and probably would've gotten Barron out of there somehow too.

                Clearly we do not. We are building our new team around Steven Jackson. He's the only sure thing the organization has. I agree he's worthy of being entitled the "next Barry Sanders" and therefore has too much value. He also helps the Rams become the team Spagnuolo and Devaney wanted: A hard running football team on offense and having a smash mouth defense.

                Don't get me wrong, I understand where your coming from but I think considering the rarity of Jackson's talent, it would be a shame to get rid of him and it'd also create yet another hole for this team. We do not have a legitimate #2RB at all. Getting picks to get a new RB in my opinion isn't worth it.
                I will agree with you if you tell me how many games we will win 3 years
                from now.? I say 8n8, and Jackson will be 29 years old.

                Comment

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                • eldfan
                  Rams' QB situation is muddled
                  by eldfan
                  BY BILL COATS
                  ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
                  01/04/2010

                  The worst season in franchise history is over, and the Rams' quarterback situation is as cloudy as it was six weeks ago when starter Marc Bulger's year ended with a leg injury.

                  Neither veteran Kyle Boller nor rookie Keith Null did enough to assure themselves a significant role in 2010, and Bulger's return isn't guaranteed.

                  Null made his fourth consecutive start in Sunday's 28-6 loss to visiting San Francisco. Boller entered when Null came up woozy after being sacked by ex-Missouri star Justin Smith early in the third quarter.

                  "I just hit my head on the turf real hard," Null said. "I came off and my body didn't feel right and my head didn't feel right."

                  Sacked five times, Null completed seven of 17 passes for 57 yards, with no touchdowns or interceptions. His passer rating was 50.4.

                  Boller, who started the first two games after Bulger was hurt before a thigh injury and illness forced him to the sideline, fared even worse. He was sacked three times in going four for 11 for 23 yards, also without a TD or interception. His rating was 44.9.

                  "It's just frustrating," Boller said. "It's been a tough year. We've got awhile to rebound here now."

                  Quarterback play all season was spotty, at best. Together, the three completed just 57.4 percent of their passes, and threw more interceptions (21) than touchdowns (11).

                  Bulger, 32, has four years remaining on the $65 million contract extension he received in 2007. Boller, 28, was brought in on a one-year deal as the backup and wants to return. Null, 24, was a sixth-round draft choice from NCAA Division II West Texas A&M who spent the first 10 weeks as the No. 3 quarterback.

                  If any of the three pressed his case for a longer look, it was Null.

                  "Having the experience playing and then having the whole NFL season under my belt now is definitely going to help," he said. "I know that it may take some time and some development, but I know that I have the ability to do it."

                  Null added that he would return in the spring "with a lot more confidence. Now I have a heads-up on how to do things, how to prepare. I still need to learn a lot more in that area, but it's a start and I'm on the right track. ...

                  "I want to hang around here as much as possible (in the offseason), be around the coaches, be around the facility, do everything I can possibly do to try to get better."

                  All the better to position himself for a run at a full-time job.

                  "I think the best situation would be to have a chance to compete for that No. 1 spot, and that's what I want," Null said. "But I did start off as the third-string guy this year, so ... anywhere better than third string...
                  -01-04-2010, 04:29 AM
                • r8rh8rmike
                  With Boller Gimpy, "Excited" Null Gets More Work
                  by r8rh8rmike
                  12.11.2009 2:29 pm
                  With Boller gimpy, “excited” Null gets more work
                  By Bill Coats
                  St. Louis Post-Dispatch


                  Heading into his third Sunday as the St. Louis Rams’ backup quarterback, rookie Keith Null acknowledged his excitement. “It is exciting as the No. 2, being prepared, getting some reps in practice and have a little confidence as you go in,” said Null, who has been No. 3 behind Marc Bulger and Kyle Boller most of the season.

                  Bulger (leg) will miss his third game in a row when the Rams take on the Titans in Nashville (kickoff is at 3:05 p.m.). Boller is expected to start again, although the sore thigh that he’s been nursing this week has added a bit of suspense to the situation.

                  After a full practice Wednesday, Boller was sore Thursday. So his reps Thursday and today were decreased, and Null’s were increased. Coach Steve Spagnuolo said after practice today that Boller should be ready to go.

                  “It’s a little bit better today, but not as good as we really want it to be,” Spagnuolo said. “We’ve got 48 hours, so we’ll see. I don’t want to look in a crystal ball. You’ve got to play with two legs, can’t play with one.”

                  Of course, Null doesn’t want to play at Boller’s expense. But he said he’d love to see some action, perhaps late in a game. “I think any time you can get in as a backup and get some experience, it’s definitely beneficial,” he said. “I would take that opportunity, for sure.”

                  Notes & quotes:

                  *RB Steven Jackson (back) participated in several plays during the early “install” period at practice but didn’t do anything else on the field.

                  *T Jason Smith (concussion) has been ruled out for Sunday’s game.

                  *These players were limited today: Boller, WR Brandon Gibson (ankle), LB James Laurinaitis (shoulder), DT Darell Scott (neck), WR Donnie Avery (shoulder) and FB Mike Karney (neck).

                  *Asked how the Rams hoped to contain Titans RB Chris Johnson, the NFL’s leading rusher, Spagnuolo quipped, “Oh, man . . . get 12 guys on the field?”
                  -12-11-2009, 04:42 PM
                • dgr828
                  Are the Rams ready to throw Null into the fire?
                  by dgr828
                  Lets not beat around the bush! Its time give Keith Null some live action pro football experience. Kyle Boller, lets face it , was a bad FA pick up. A good PLAYBOY, but a bad pick up, non the less, bringing nothing to the table.
                  This weeks practices should have Keith Null rolling with the 1st team, as the Rams prepare for a trip to Chicago.

                  40 year old Brett Favre picked apart this weak Seattle defense for 4 TDs and over 300 yards, Boller made the Seahawks look like a Baltimore Ravens or Pittsburgh Steelers defense.

                  What do the Rams have to lose? Throw in the Kid! (Null that is!)
                  -11-29-2009, 07:10 PM
                • Guest's Avatar
                  Keith Null
                  by Guest
                  I thought Keith looked good out there. He's accurate and seems to get rid of the ball fast.

                  Does anyone think he looks better than any of our other backups? I'm curious because we gave Gado the 2nd spot after his good performance. I'd be fun to see Null in there either with the 2nd or even the 1st stringers.

                  Get the kid in it.
                  -08-22-2009, 01:53 PM
                • RamsInfiniti
                  Rams coaches MUST do the right thing and start Null again this week ....
                  by RamsInfiniti
                  It's not necessarily about W's and L's right now. Is it possible that Boller gives the Rams a slightly better chance to win games than Null? Sure.

                  Fact of the matter is, Null is green. Very, very green. But there is tons to like about this guy. On all accounts, his teammates are impressed with his poise in the huddle. The coaches are impressed with his toughness, physically and mentally. They believe that he can get through the adversity of his rough first start.

                  If that is truly the case, they MUST start him this week. They have to give Null the opportunity to overcome adversity. They will learn alot by throwing him into the fire again, and seeing what he can do after having a week to adjust to the speed and psychology of the pro game. This time he will do it in friendly comfines in front of a quiet home crowd.

                  This coaching staff would be making a grave mistake by starting Boller this week, regardless of whether or not he is healthy. They have to take another shot on Null. If he fails miserably, then maybe you sit him the next week, and let him recover mentally before throwing him into the fire again.

                  Here's to hoping they do the right thing. I have faith that they will.
                  -12-16-2009, 11:05 AM
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