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Bulger not ready to discuss future
BY JIM THOMAS
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
11/28/2009
"Sure," Marc Bulger said, when asked if he'd like to be back with the Rams next season.
But that's as far as he cared to discuss that topic Friday, in his first comments since suffering a fractured shin bone in his left leg against Arizona.
"I don't even want to talk about that," Bulger said. "We're going to have plenty of time in the offseason to make those decisions around here. But we've got a quarter — or a third — of the season to go, and I don't want to be a distraction in any way that way."
The original prognosis was that Bulger would be sidelined for three to six weeks with the injury, which will not require surgery. With only six games to play, including Sunday's contest with Seattle at the Edward Jones Dome, there's no guarantee that Bulger will be healthy enough to play again in 2009. And that in turn prompted speculation that he may have taken his last snap at quarterback as a St. Louis Ram.
"There's been a lot of numbers thrown out there on how long it's going to be (before the injury heals)," Bulger said. "It's been five days, I think, since I've done it. Only time will tell how long it's going to be."
Bulger said it might be another week or so before he has a better idea if he'll be able to play in '09.
"I'm just going to keep rehabbing — getting bone stem (treatment) and ice," Bulger said. "There's really not much you can do for it. But I'd love to come back and play a couple games."
Bulger hobbled into the locker room on one crutch Friday afternoon to meet with reporters. He hasn't been out on the practice field all week because the Rams' medical staff wants him off his feet for a while.
"I think the doctor said the first 10 days is important to keep any weight off of it, since it is a weight-bearing bone, to help the healing process," Bulger said.
But Bulger made every meeting this week and will continue to do so throughout the rehab and healing process.
"I'll still be in all the meetings, doing whatever I can to help Kyle (Boller)," Bulger said. "But he's been there, done that, so it's more I think to help Keith (Null) along. Hopefully, we don't have to use (Null), but I'll try to get him a little bit more ready."
Bulger may have originally suffered the injury two Sundays ago against New Orleans. He remembers coming out of that game with some soreness in the left knee area, but no real swelling.
"It wasn't anything visible," Bulger said. "We checked it out. You have sore knees every week, and I think when you check knees that's all you're looking for is ligaments. I never even thought in a million years that it could possibly be a bone."
Even if the initial injury did occur against the Saints, Bulger thinks he must have aggravated it against Arizona last week because he experienced a lot more soreness on Monday.
He had so much going on injury-wise during the Arizona game that his shin bone didn't seem to be an issue. His groin area was sore, he was experiencing a foot problem, and late in the game he might have suffered a concussion on a hard sack by Cardinals defensive tackle Darnell Dockett.
"It was kind of a bunch of things after the game," Bulger said. "We knew Monday morning I was going to get an MRI on my groin, which we did. Then during the day Monday I started to realize that my knee was sore. It was sore the week before, but it got really sore on Monday."
So an additional MRI exam took place later that day on the knee area, strictly as a precautionary measure.
"That's when we found out about the leg," Bulger said.
So it's quite possible, then, that Bulger has been playing with a fractured bone in his knee since some time during the New Orleans game Nov. 15.
"I hate to play the guessing game," Bulger said. "You play long enough in the NFL, I think everyone's played with broken bones at some point or another, and they just don't know it. If you're not willing to play with any kind of pain, then there's guys behind you ready to take your job."
Since he is supposed to stay off his feet, Bulger isn't sure if he will be on the sidelines Sunday against the Seahawks. He may watch the game up in the coaches' booth.
"But I'll be there in some capacity," he said.
BY JIM THOMAS
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
11/28/2009
"Sure," Marc Bulger said, when asked if he'd like to be back with the Rams next season.
But that's as far as he cared to discuss that topic Friday, in his first comments since suffering a fractured shin bone in his left leg against Arizona.
"I don't even want to talk about that," Bulger said. "We're going to have plenty of time in the offseason to make those decisions around here. But we've got a quarter — or a third — of the season to go, and I don't want to be a distraction in any way that way."
The original prognosis was that Bulger would be sidelined for three to six weeks with the injury, which will not require surgery. With only six games to play, including Sunday's contest with Seattle at the Edward Jones Dome, there's no guarantee that Bulger will be healthy enough to play again in 2009. And that in turn prompted speculation that he may have taken his last snap at quarterback as a St. Louis Ram.
"There's been a lot of numbers thrown out there on how long it's going to be (before the injury heals)," Bulger said. "It's been five days, I think, since I've done it. Only time will tell how long it's going to be."
Bulger said it might be another week or so before he has a better idea if he'll be able to play in '09.
"I'm just going to keep rehabbing — getting bone stem (treatment) and ice," Bulger said. "There's really not much you can do for it. But I'd love to come back and play a couple games."
Bulger hobbled into the locker room on one crutch Friday afternoon to meet with reporters. He hasn't been out on the practice field all week because the Rams' medical staff wants him off his feet for a while.
"I think the doctor said the first 10 days is important to keep any weight off of it, since it is a weight-bearing bone, to help the healing process," Bulger said.
But Bulger made every meeting this week and will continue to do so throughout the rehab and healing process.
"I'll still be in all the meetings, doing whatever I can to help Kyle (Boller)," Bulger said. "But he's been there, done that, so it's more I think to help Keith (Null) along. Hopefully, we don't have to use (Null), but I'll try to get him a little bit more ready."
Bulger may have originally suffered the injury two Sundays ago against New Orleans. He remembers coming out of that game with some soreness in the left knee area, but no real swelling.
"It wasn't anything visible," Bulger said. "We checked it out. You have sore knees every week, and I think when you check knees that's all you're looking for is ligaments. I never even thought in a million years that it could possibly be a bone."
Even if the initial injury did occur against the Saints, Bulger thinks he must have aggravated it against Arizona last week because he experienced a lot more soreness on Monday.
He had so much going on injury-wise during the Arizona game that his shin bone didn't seem to be an issue. His groin area was sore, he was experiencing a foot problem, and late in the game he might have suffered a concussion on a hard sack by Cardinals defensive tackle Darnell Dockett.
"It was kind of a bunch of things after the game," Bulger said. "We knew Monday morning I was going to get an MRI on my groin, which we did. Then during the day Monday I started to realize that my knee was sore. It was sore the week before, but it got really sore on Monday."
So an additional MRI exam took place later that day on the knee area, strictly as a precautionary measure.
"That's when we found out about the leg," Bulger said.
So it's quite possible, then, that Bulger has been playing with a fractured bone in his knee since some time during the New Orleans game Nov. 15.
"I hate to play the guessing game," Bulger said. "You play long enough in the NFL, I think everyone's played with broken bones at some point or another, and they just don't know it. If you're not willing to play with any kind of pain, then there's guys behind you ready to take your job."
Since he is supposed to stay off his feet, Bulger isn't sure if he will be on the sidelines Sunday against the Seahawks. He may watch the game up in the coaches' booth.
"But I'll be there in some capacity," he said.
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