Bulger’s silence damages himself and his team
Marc Bulger is doing himself, and his team, a disservice by refusing to talk with reporters — and, by extension, the fans — since being benched by coach Scott Linehan earlier this week. Bulger is a bright, thoughtful guy who could find the right words, however disdainful or diplomatic he might choose to be, to address the situation.
Instead, he’s coming across as a combination of petulant, puerile, bitter and self-centered. And that’s not the Marc Bulger we’ve come to know, the one who has been consistently classy and unafraid to stand up and face the heat, no matter how difficult the situation.
On Thursday, Steven Jackson piped up on his radio show, calling Bulger’s benching the “wrong decision,”and adding, “I’m not the only one (in the locker room) who feels this way.”
If Bulger had spoken up for himself, Jackson might not have been inclined to fan the flames. And now, word is circulating that Bulger no longer wants to play for Linehan, which would be a damning indictment of the head coach.
But, is it true?
We don’t know, because Bulger remains silent. And as a result the situation crumbles even further with an unbeaten opponent coming to town. Not the best atmosphere in which to try to crawl out of an 0-3 hole.
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About 90 minutes after skipping his usual post-practice get-together with reporters Friday, Linehan came down to the media room at Rams Park and took questions. The highlights will be included in our stories on STLtoday.com and in the Post-Dispatch, but here are some excerpts:
*On how he keeps his focus amid the turmoil swirling about the team:
“That’s my job, No. 1. It’s also the kind of way I’ve always been. Things are never going to be always the way you want them. You have to stay focused, you have to focus on the job at hand. The Buffalo game is all that matters to me. . . . You have to maintain that perspective; otherwise you get caught up in things that are just not productive.”
*On how he expects the offense to respond to Trent Green:
“I’m excited to see what it’ll be. I don’t know until we play the game, but I’m excited to see how we play Sunday.”
*On his relationship with Torry Holt:
“I think it’s great. Torry’s been working really hard. I think he’s done a great job of communicating and leading and doing some of the things that we need at this point. We need our leaders to step up, we need guys that have natural leadership skills at a time like this to really step up and so some things.”
All for now . . .
Bulger is just shell shocked. Stands too long in the pocket. Misses open receivers. He would rather eat the ball (take the sack) than throwing the ball out of bounds (protecting QB rating)to take an incomplete. Really, no chance of Bulger being called for intentional grounding because that means an attempt at getting rid of the ball.
Never been a fan. Large contract was a mystery. QB rating is only part of the equation. He can’t win when it matters. Now he can’t win at all. Rams gave up on Kurt Warner way too soon… few (really) bad games, and the bandwagon folks jump off. I hope Arizona Cardinals makes the playoffs and Warner takes them to the promise land.
Now Green is given a second chance with the Rams… I really hope it works out better for him this time. Trent has always been a class act.
I think Bulger is showing some class by keeping his feelings and opinions to himself,Things are bad enogh .His team mates know how he feels thats all who need to know
You would think Bulger would have learned from the classy man he benched, but no. Marc Bulger has let the money get to his head, he can’t hold Kurt Warners’ jock strap.
I’ll guess we’ll find out today won’t we? If the offense is able to move the ball with ANY kind of consistency then maybe Bulger is a big part of the problem. If not, then maybe it doesn’t matter who plays QB for this team. Regardless, a change was in order to at least find out one way or another.
The likeness between Marc Bulger and Jim (Chrissy) Everett is like peanuts and peanut butter, they are one in the same. Those fans that never watch Everett transform into a shell of a man, don’t get it. Bulger is DONE!
How come Linehan is still the Coach of the Rams.
First Rams game I ever saw had Roman Gabriel throwing to Jack Snow. I remember the lean years, the Ground Chuck years, the John Robinson years….but I have NEVER seen a Rams team or any other team as poorly coached as this years Rams team. Sorry Scott, time to go. Start over now and try to salvage something in this #1 draft pick season….
bulger’s silence damages himself and his team. yeah, right. the only thing that’s damaged is coats’s reputation given this amateurish stab at reverse psychology. as if bulger will read this tripe, come to his senses, and sing like a bird. bulger handled the sitch perfectly and with complete class.
I am a die-hard Rams fan now living in Texas. As you can probably imagine, I am suffocated by the accomplishments of the Dallas Cowboys week-by-week and by what appears to be a dismal St. Louis Rams team. Having read many of the comments over the web, I can say there are many problems that plague this team. Do I believe that benching Marc Bulger was the right move…truth-be-told, yes. Do I believe that Trent Green is a viable option at QB…no. I have watched Marc over the years and his accuracy is dimenishing. I can attribute his sub-par passer rating to an offensive line that isn’t getting it done. However, Marc has struggled with the impact of being sacked 10 times in three games. Simply put, he is shell-shocked and that isn’t something that you can get over because your offensive line provides you a little more time in one game. In my opinion, if the rumors about him not wanting to play for Scott Linehan are true, I’d have to question his loyalty to the team. He has spoken week after week, taking responsibility for not getting it done; however, it decides not to want the consequences of not getting it done. Sure, the manner by which it happened appeared to make him a scapegoat, but if this were basketball and a player consistently wasn’t getting it done, would we be analysing a coaches decision to bench him? A short-term benching may emphasize the seriousness within certain players by inspiring them to step up.
I love Torry Holt, but without a second receiver that commands attention like Ike Bruce did, Torry has struggled and will continue to do so. The Rams haven’t been able to get him in the game plan because defenses are doubling him up. Our running game also suffers, which again is driven by the success of the offensive line. Contrary to popular belief, Steven Jackson is a force to be reckoned with, but he has to be reactive to the success of the O-line. He can’t block for himself and make holes. Even the great Barry Sanders suffered from the same problems.
Sure, this team is talented. So are the other 31 teams, as this is the NFL. I believe the team lacks confidence, leadership and a commitment to themselves. Most of all, they lack an identity that they could feel proud of. Everyone from the media to their fans have had nothing positive to say and with the performances over the first four weeks of the season, the derogatory comments are warranted. I will say that the entire organization needs an overhaul. I do not have unrealistic expectations that suggest that they will right the ship by firing Scott Linehan, given years of poor draft decisions. Yet, I am hopeful. Scott should not have been in that position to start with. Taking a look at Jim Haslett…he is likewise, part of the problem. If he couldn’t motivate our defense what would make me believe that he could inspire an entire team? What needs to happen is that we rally around this team because I remember how it was when the Cardinals packed up and moved to Arizona. We also need action and less lip-service pertaining to people taking ownership. Everyone on the team needs to take ownership, because it’s a team sport and not an individual effort.
I totally agree with MB Fan now that Linehan is gone put Bulger back. Why are you paying “HOW MANY” Mil a year to have him on the bench? I think if Bulger would of played sunday it wouldn’t of been any worse , it would of better at least the same stats but probably better. Both Jackson and Holt believe in him and probably the whole starting team. IfBulger speaks up then they say he is whinning or something else, he is a class act and doesn’t need the drama.