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  • #1

    Spagnuolo has no plans to play rookie Keith Null

    Steve Spagnuolo has no plans to play rookie Keith Null
    Steve Korte
    12/7/2009
    Belleville News-Democrat

    Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo quickly squashed any notion that he was considering playing rookie quarterback Keith Null.

    Asked on Monday if he was thinking about playing Null, Spagnuolo gave a definitive one-word answer: “No.’’

    Null, a sixth-round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft out of West Texas A&M, has served as the Rams’ backup quarterback behind starter Kyle Boller the last two games.
    Tags: None
    • #2
      Re: Spagnuolo has no plans to play rookie Keith Null

      If Spags syas "no" then I support him....

        Comment

        • #3
          Re: Spagnuolo has no plans to play rookie Keith Null

          I trust Spags also, but after what we saw yesterday from Boller it makes you think that Null must be one notch above drooling on himself if Spags doesn't want to play him.;)
          sigpic
            👍 1

            Comment

            • #4
              Re: Spagnuolo has no plans to play rookie Keith Null

              Originally posted by makersncoke
              I trust Spags also, but after what we saw yesterday from Boller it makes you think that Null must be one notch above drooling on himself if Spags doesn't want to play him.;)
              lmao haha

                Comment

                • #5
                  Re: Spagnuolo has no plans to play rookie Keith Null

                  Originally posted by makersncoke
                  I trust Spags also, but after what we saw yesterday from Boller it makes you think that Null must be one notch above drooling on himself if Spags doesn't want to play him.;)
                  Which makes me question why Null was kept instead of Brock Berlin, who started an NFL game and showed he could manage it.

                  In any case, Boller has been getting the snot knocked out of him lately and as someone else mentioned, his throwing motion did not look right against Chicago, so he may be hurt. I have not heard anything about an injured arm, but it makes me wonder about seeing Null sooner than later.
                    👍 1

                    Comment

                    • #6
                      Re: Spagnuolo has no plans to play rookie Keith Null

                      I guess Spags still thinks Boller gives us the best chance to win?

                      A quick definitive "NO" cannot do much to bolster any confidence Null may have in his own ability.
                      RnD

                      GO RAMS!!

                        Comment

                        • #7
                          Re: Spagnuolo has no plans to play rookie Keith Null

                          Originally posted by r8rh8rmike
                          Which makes me question why Null was kept instead of Brock Berlin, who started an NFL game and showed he could manage it.

                          In any case, Boller has been getting the snot knocked out of him lately and as someone else mentioned, his throwing motion did not look right against Chicago, so he may be hurt. I have not heard anything about an injured arm, but it makes me wonder about seeing Null sooner than later.
                          I assume it is because we hope Null can develop into a serviceable backup in the future, or at least a better option than Berlin.

                          Alternatively, Berlin was Linehan's guy, which probably was not a point in his favor.

                            Comment

                            • #8
                              Re: Spagnuolo has no plans to play rookie Keith Null

                              Originally posted by ramsanddodgers
                              I guess Spags still thinks Boller gives us the best chance to win?

                              A quick definitive "NO" cannot do much to bolster any confidence Null may have in his own ability.

                              ... wait.... We are still trying to win?

                                Comment

                                • #9
                                  Re: Spagnuolo has no plans to play rookie Keith Null

                                  I was a firm proponent for not starting Null, simply for what Devaney said: it would not be fair to put the team in Null's hands, because Boller gives us a legitimate shot to win ...

                                  However, the past two weeks have reaffirmed what many have said, and then some. Boller is easily one of the worst QB's I have ever seen. Strong arm? Hardly, he looks like a shot putter. Reminds me very much of Brad Johnson in regards to arm strength ...

                                  Boller brings practically nothing to the table. He doesn't give us any realistic chance to win. He simply cannot move the ball downfield, I've never seen a QB with a worse case of happy feet ...

                                  With that said, I don't see how starting Null could hurt at this point. Boller will be out of the league after this season ...

                                    Comment

                                    • #10
                                      Re: Spagnuolo has no plans to play rookie Keith Null

                                      I agree with Mike. Why not just stick Null on the practice squad if you aren't going to play him and insert Berlin as the #3? Was this another rookie HC/OC/FO mistake?

                                        Comment

                                        • #11
                                          Re: Spagnuolo has no plans to play rookie Keith Null

                                          Originally posted by txramsfan
                                          I agree with Mike. Why not just stick Null on the practice squad if you aren't going to play him and insert Berlin as the #3? Was this another rookie HC/OC/FO mistake?
                                          I honestly think bringing in Boller was the biggest mistake of all. He has none of the essential tools (quick release, accuracy, vision, touch) required to run the WCO. This move is on the front office ...

                                          IMO, we would have been in much better shape with Berlin or a Gradkowski as the #2. Every time I saw Berlin in action he seemed to at least have a decent command on the team and offense, and was fairly accurate, and had enough arm strength to get the ball downfield. He is as also as mobile as Boller ...

                                            Comment

                                            • #12
                                              Re: Spagnuolo has no plans to play rookie Keith Null

                                              Originally posted by RamsInfiniti
                                              I honestly think bringing in Boller was the biggest mistake of all. He has none of the essential tools (quick release, accuracy, vision, touch) required to run the WCO. This move is on the front office ...

                                              IMO, we would have been in much better shape with Berlin or a Gradkowski as the #2. Every time I saw Berlin in action he seemed to at least have a decent command on the team and offense, and was fairly accurate, and had enough arm strength to get the ball downfield. He is as also as mobile as Boller ...
                                              It's pretty sad when we are lowered to debating whether to start Boller or Berlin!!! The 3 B's..Bulger, Boller & Berlin.....

                                              Play Null.......If he doesn't have "it" this would be a sure fire way to find out. Why wait???
                                              sigpic :ram::helmet:

                                                Comment

                                                • #13
                                                  Re: Spagnuolo has no plans to play rookie Keith Null

                                                  Originally posted by itsguud
                                                  ... wait.... We are still trying to win?
                                                  I would hope so, despite outward appearances. :|
                                                  RnD

                                                  GO RAMS!!

                                                    Comment

                                                    • #14
                                                      Re: Spagnuolo has no plans to play rookie Keith Null

                                                      Originally posted by RamsInfiniti
                                                      I honestly think bringing in Boller was the biggest mistake of all. He has none of the essential tools (quick release, accuracy, vision, touch) required to run the WCO. This move is on the front office ...

                                                      ...
                                                      I thought Boller did a lot better than this in Baltimore. Do they use the west coast offense there?

                                                      I think he has skills. Perhaps he is rusty, perhaps he needs work on his technique, perhaps he needs the play caller to call plays that he can complete. I don't think he is as bad as he looks out there right now. In the beginning of the Seattle game he looked pretty good and he made some decent passes.

                                                      It will be interesting to see how spags handles this QB controversy.
                                                      sigpic

                                                        Comment

                                                        • #15
                                                          Re: Spagnuolo has no plans to play rookie Keith Null

                                                          Originally posted by RamsInfiniti
                                                          I honestly think bringing in Boller was the biggest mistake of all. He has none of the essential tools (quick release, accuracy, vision, touch) required to run the WCO. This move is on the front office ...

                                                          IMO, we would have been in much better shape with Berlin or a Gradkowski as the #2. Every time I saw Berlin in action he seemed to at least have a decent command on the team and offense, and was fairly accurate, and had enough arm strength to get the ball downfield. He is as also as mobile as Boller ...
                                                          And He went to the U

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                                                            • BM_Face
                                                              Null not discouraged
                                                              by BM_Face
                                                              BY JIM THOMAS
                                                              ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
                                                              12/15/2009

                                                              Five interceptions or not, Keith Null wants to get back on the horse.

                                                              "Yeah, I would love to get out and play again," Null said Monday in his west Texas drawl. "The more experience I get, the better."

                                                              He just might get another chance. For the final three games of this season, it's either Kyle Boller or Null at quarterback. That's because Marc Bulger is still on crutches three weeks after he was diagnosed with a fractured shin bone.

                                                              Bulger underwent a followup MRI exam Friday. According to Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo, the exam "showed that (the fracture) was healing, that the swelling was down. It's not completely healed. He still has a little pain there, so (doctors) want him to stay on the crutches."

                                                              Bulger did not accompany the team to Nashville, Tenn., or Chicago because medical officials want him to stay off his feet as much as possible and avoid putting weight on the leg. So it's all but certain that Bulger is finished for the season. It's just a matter of whether the team wants to put him on the injured reserve list.

                                                              As for Boller, a last-minute scratch against the Tennessee Titans because of a thigh injury, there's no guarantee at this point he will be healthy enough to play Sunday against Houston.

                                                              Does Boller start if he is?

                                                              "I would tend to lean that way," Spagnuolo said. "But I'm not going to commit to that 100 percent. Kyle's been a competitor for us. If he's healthy, I think he can help us win a football game."

                                                              The Rams have won only one of their past 23 football games dating back to October 2008. Sunday's 47-7 shellacking at LP Field in Nashville was among the most lopsided losses in franchise history — the fourth-worst margin of defeat.

                                                              Null had a rhythm going early against Tennessee. But four early penalties by the offensive line, including two personal fouls against right guard Richie Incognito, made a tough situation worse for a rookie quarterback playing in his first NFL regular-season game.

                                                              At least Null could joke Monday about his debut. After reviewing game film, he was asked what he did well.

                                                              "Got in and out of the huddle," he said. "Called the plays right. Directed traffic. Those things that you could easily mess up on in your first start, I did well. I made some good throws. Good reads. I threw the ball to the right read most of the time. I had a lot of completions."

                                                              Then came the punch line.

                                                              "If you count the interceptions, even more completions," Null said, drawing laughter from the media at Rams Park.

                                                              Spagnuolo is a firm believer in silver linings, and one of them Sunday was Null's poise and composure. Null didn't get dispirited. He didn't panic. And he kept...
                                                              -12-15-2009, 08:52 AM
                                                            • r8rh8rmike
                                                              Null Learns Plenty In First Start
                                                              by r8rh8rmike
                                                              Null Learns Plenty in First Start
                                                              Monday, December 14, 2009


                                                              By Nick Wagoner
                                                              Senior Writer

                                                              Although he was nervous, rookie quarterback Keith Null let nobody know that the moment of making his first start was too big for him.

                                                              And, like most players making their NFL debut, Null’s nerves went away quickly.

                                                              “I’d say after the first play,” Null said. “I went out there pretty comfortable. It definitely helps to go out and throw a completion on your first pass so after that any player would tell you, you get that first play then you are out there playing football again.”

                                                              It was a long road from tiny West Texas A&M to taking the reigns of the Rams offense for Null but on the first play from scrimmage, Null had a number of firsts.

                                                              Null took his first snap in a regular season game (and from under center, something he hadn’t done much of in his shotgun-heavy career), dropped back and delivered his first pass to tight end Daniel Fells for a gain of 7 yards.

                                                              It wasn’t the flashiest opening to a NFL career, but it was enough to shake the butterflies loose from Null’s stomach and allow him to settle in.

                                                              By the end of his first busy NFL Sunday, Null had a rough statistical day in line with what many rookie signal callers – let alone sixth-round draft choices with Division II pedigrees – would have.

                                                              But in retrospect, it wasn’t so much the numbers Null posted as the way he handled an extremely difficult situation that impressed teammates and coaches alike.

                                                              “Under the circumstances and how it all went down, I thought he handled himself well in the huddle, I thought he was composed, he had command of what he was doing,” coach Steve Spagnuolo said. “He’d like some throws back. I thought he stepped up in the pocket well and actually had some pretty nice throws. That part of it was encouraging.”

                                                              Null finished the game 27-of-43 for 157 yards with a touchdown and five interceptions for a rating of 37.8.

                                                              Considering that Tennessee represents one of the most hostile environments in the league with one of its toughest defenses, Null’s assignment was loaded with landmines before he ever was even declared the starter.

                                                              Last week, Null split repetitions with Kyle Boller in practice for most of the week. With Boller battling a thigh injury, Null got more and more reps as the week went on.

                                                              By Saturday, it had become clear that Boller would be a game time decision and Null was a viable candidate to start.
                                                              That made for some interesting moments for Null in the run up to the game as he awaited word on his role.

                                                              “I was going out, getting ready to play not really know what was going to happen and trying to prepare myself for whatever they tell me,” Null said. “I went back in the locker room, they told me I was going to...
                                                              -12-15-2009, 07:01 PM
                                                            • r8rh8rmike
                                                              Null Should Be On '10 Roster, But Starting Is Another Question
                                                              by r8rh8rmike
                                                              Null should be on '10 roster, but starting is another question

                                                              Jeff Gordon
                                                              POST-DISPATCH ONLINE SPORTS COLUMNIST
                                                              12/21/2009

                                                              Rookie quarterback Keith Null has earned a spot on the 2010 Rams. This much we know for sure.

                                                              Could he compete for the starting job next season? It is too soon to stay that.

                                                              Could he blossom into the franchise’s Quarterback of the Future? It is much, MUCH too soon to make such an optimistic assessment.

                                                              We do know that Null has pretty good tools. And we know he has some nerve, too, since he shrugged off his ghastly five-interception debut in Week 14.

                                                              Clearly Null learned from his first NFL start. His second outing went much more smoothly than his first. He settled down and got into a nice passing rhythm.

                                                              "It was a lot different," Null told reporters after the game. "It seemed like things slowed down a little bit for me a lot more than it did last week. It was a great opportunity to get out there and play again."

                                                              He made just two glaring mistakes during the Rams’ 16-13 loss to the visiting Texans Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome.

                                                              1) After a botched exchange, Null tried to execute the running play. He needed to eat the football instead, as he learned while losing a costly fumble. Job One for young NFL quarterbacks is ball security.

                                                              2) While scrambling for his life, Null tried to make a play. He needed to just throw the ball away, as he learned while throwing a costly interception.

                                                              Other than those errors of aggression, Null was just fine.

                                                              He took a couple of big sacks after failing to locate a receiver, but at least he pulled the ball back instead of forcing throws into coverage. That was progress.

                                                              Null completed 18 of 27 passes for 173 yards and a touchdown. He looked like a veteran while converting that one red zone opportunity.

                                                              The Rams lined up with three wide receivers on the short side of the field on a first-and-goal play from the Houston 3. The other two wideouts cleared room for Danny Amendola, who caught a quick pass from Null to score.

                                                              That is a routine touchdown play for most teams, but it was like scaling a mountain for this group. Week after week after week the Rams have come up short in the red zone.

                                                              So fans saw glimmers of hope in this game. The Rams offense appeared more assertive than it had been for most of this season. We saw a lot of three- and four-receiver sets, which is highly unusual for the Steve Spagnuolo regime.

                                                              Null demonstrated a strong arm while taking some deep shots. He threw intermediate passes with authority. He made generally good reads, too.

                                                              Some fans have gotten way too excited in our forums and chats here at STLtoday, but Null did a lot of good things. During a season of unrelenting failure,...
                                                              -12-21-2009, 03:53 PM
                                                            • MauiRam
                                                              Null continues fight for his QB position with St. Louis Rams
                                                              by MauiRam
                                                              BY BILL COATS
                                                              ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
                                                              05/26/2010

                                                              In a way, it almost seems unfair.

                                                              Keith Null was the Rams' starting quarterback for the last four games of the 2009 season. The two players ahead of him on the depth chart for most of the season, Marc Bulger and Kyle Boller, no longer are with the team.

                                                              And yet as organized team activities continue at Rams Park, Null is in exactly the same situation that he was last spring: fighting to land the No. 3 QB job.

                                                              "Wherever I end up by the season, I trust the coaches enough to put me in the right position," said Null, a sixth-round draft pick last year from NCAA Division II West Texas A&M.


                                                              Null beat out Brock Berlin to make the 53-man roster as a rookie. Null dressed as the No. 3 quarterback until injuries felled Bulger and then Boller.

                                                              That thrust Null into the lineup Dec. 13 at Tennessee for an NFL debut that was short on personal highlights. Null did throw a touchdown pass, an 11-yard toss to tight end Randy McMichael. But Null also was intercepted five times in a 47-7 thumping.

                                                              The Rams were outscored 122-36 and went 0-4 with Null as the starter, wrapping up their franchise-worst 1-15 season. Null completed 73 of 119 passes (61.3 percent) for 566 yards and three touchdowns, with nine interceptions. His passer rating was a woeful 49.9.

                                                              "I definitely wish I could get another chance to get back in and sort of redeem myself," Null said. "I don't think that I played as good as I could have."

                                                              Coach Steve Spagnuolo agreed. "He had some ups and downs, like you would think in a rookie," Spagnuolo said. "Here's a guy that probably didn't expect to play at all, and we had the injury situation. He made some good plays, and he made some bad ones. I know it wasn't probably as good as he wanted it to go overall.

                                                              "But I do think the reps he got were invaluable."

                                                              Again, coach and player were in agreement.

                                                              "These OTAs, as far as knowing the plays and calling the plays in the huddle, it's way easier than it was last year at this time," Null said. "Having one year under my belt, and then getting to go in and play four games, I'm taking all that with me ... and using that experience to help me."

                                                              The Rams signed veteran quarterback A.J. Feeley to a free-agent deal in the offseason, then spent the No. 1 overall draft choice on Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford.

                                                              Feeley has been getting all the first-team snaps during OTAs, with Null and Bradford alternating with the second and third units. Ultimately, though, Bradford will be starting and Feeley will be backing him up.

                                                              That means that the 6-foot-4, 219-pound Null, 24, seemingly will have to best rookie free agent Thaddeus Lewis to retain his roster spot.
                                                              ...
                                                              -05-26-2010, 08:39 AM
                                                            • realchamp11
                                                              keith null
                                                              by realchamp11
                                                              i dont understand why people thought null was ready to start. He's a rookie and not even from the D1 level. He was/is NO WHERE close to being ready to be a starter
                                                              -12-13-2009, 05:52 PM
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