Bulger Cleans Out Locker

Howard Balzar

In a move that comes as no surprise yet nevertheless feels surprising (if that makes any sense and it probably doesn't), Howard Balzer reports via Twitter that Rams quarterback Marc Bulger has cleaned out his locker.

Bulger, a former West Virginia quarterback who attended the same high school as Dan Marino, entered the league in 2000 as a sixth-round pick of the Saints. He ultimately landed with the Rams, where he rose to prominence as the successor to Kurt Warner.

But once Bulger cashed in with a big contract, his passer rating plunged from the 90s to the 70s. Three seasons later, the Rams simply can't justify paying Bulger $8.5 million in 2010, given that neither G.M. Billy Devaney nor coach Steve Spagnuolo had any role in acquiring Bulger or financially rewarding him.

So if Bulger is released before March 5, he'll hit the free-agent market before the market officially opens, giving agent Tom Condon plenty of time to find a new home for him.

How about a reunion with former Rams coach Mike Martz in Chicago? As Martz learned in 1999, the guy at the top of the depth chart in August might not be the guy who's holding the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the season. So if Jay Cutler takes a helmet to the knee in the preseason, the Bears will need someone other than whoever it is that backs up Cutler.

And that should be good for about 20 e-mails telling us who it is, and one or two identifying the number Ike Hilliard wore in Tampa. (Only founding members of PFT Planet will get that one.)

Jeff Roberson AP

Take this news for what it's worth - which is potentially nothing - St. Louis Rams QB Marc Bulger has cleaned out his locker at Rams Park.

There's a pretty big gulf between cleaning out your locker and being outright released by the team. However, many expect the Rams to part ways with Bulger this offseason. I don't believe there are any sort of roster bonus due in Bulger's contract, which means there is no extra incentive for the Rams to release Bulger prior to the March 5 whistle for free agency. I suspect, as the PFT link alludes, that it might be more of a courtesy similar to what the team did in releasing Torry Holt and Orlando Pace earlier than necessary last season that gives Bulger more time to find a new team.

I still would not rule out the possibility of the Rams having some interest in bringing Bulger back at a reduced rate and not handing him the starting job. With free agency what it is in these no-cap times, finding a QB is no easy task, and cutting Bulger leaves the Rams with just one QB on the roster: 2009 sixth round pick Keith Null.

Now this is really getting into tea leaf reading, but I think if the Rams don't bring Bulger back it makes drafting a QB more likely, a first round QB that is. Even if the Rams do follow the rumors and chase Michael Vick and his sub-60 percent career completion percentage, he's not a long-term solution or even a guarantee to start in 2010. Mostly, I think it's just an issue of need. Without Bulger, you've got Null and maybe Vick, two relative unknowns and probably not the answers for the future. A first round QB is a much better candidate to step into the fold should Vick or Null keep the Rams from being as competitive as possible.

Either way, keep an eye on the Bulger situation, locker cleanups don't necessarily mean anything in and of themselves. Maybe he just needs an extra bottle of Head and Shoulders for home?

I think we're closer than most or our critics think...

BY JIM THOMAS
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Sunday, Jan. 31 2010

The glass always is half full with Rams owner Chip Rosenbloom. That's his
personality and the way he goes through life. It's not surprising then, that
Rosenbloom is optimistic about the future of the team. He hopes Rams fans share
that view.

"I think fans should be optimistic about the direction of this organization,"
Rosenbloom told the Post-Dispatch in a rare interview. "We made a sweeping
restructuring of the entire organization so that we could be winners on the
field — to put us in position to start winning games.

"Now, this is not a one-season fix. This past season was sort of an interim
year in my opinion before we see a more successful on-field product. I think
this year it was necessary to get through a lot of stuff."

Over the past year or so, the Rams underwent an organizational shakeup from top
to bottom, one that was unprecedented since the franchise moved to St. Louis in
1995. It included sweeping changes in upper management, the front office and
personnel department, the coaching staff and more.

The roster itself was purged of many veterans. Financially, that meant the Rams
led the league in 2009 in dead money — money that counts against the salary cap
for players no longer on the team. In terms of salary-cap room, the Rams will
be in much better shape entering this offseason (although it looks like 2010
will be an uncapped year).

"There are still a handful of pieces needed to make this thing really work,"
Rosenbloom said. "So I'm optimistic. I think if we'd sat back and done nothing,
that fans would have a right to be upset. I don't think we've done nothing."

That may be true, but they sure didn't win. The 1-15 record was the worst in
franchise history.

"Clearly we were disappointed," Rosenbloom said. "Clearly to lose 15 games,
there's no excuse for it. I think Coach (Steve) Spagnuolo and Billy (Devaney)
have said as much. We're a lot better than that."

Rosenbloom agreed to the interview reluctantly. He said in hiring Spagnuolo as
head coach and promoting Devaney to general manager, part of their job
description was to be the voices of the team — at least in terms of what's
happening on the field.

"We made a conscious decision to hire people who had a football background to
make football decisions," Rosenbloom said.

The biggest off-the-field issue surrounding the team is the pending sale of the
team. League sources told the Post-Dispatch recently that the sale probably
will be completed before the NFL draft, which is in April — provided Rosenbloom
and sister Lucia Rodriguez decide to sell the team. And contrary to recent
reports, there still are three bidders involved in the potential purchase of
the team, all of whom have offers that are "acceptable" to Rosenbloom and
Rodriguez.

But Rosenbloom declined to talk about the potential sale.

"There are confidentiality agreements regarding prospective bidders,"
Rosenbloom said. "And so I'm not going to discuss it. We're running a football
team."

It's a football team that most observers feel needs more than "a handful of
pieces" to become competitive. But Rosenbloom disagrees with that sentiment.

"I think we are closer than most of our critics think we are," he said. "People
that really understand the game know that with a handful of pieces in place
we're a highly competitive team."

This past season, Rosenbloom added, "We had six or seven games where within the
last five minutes of the game it was within one score. ... I think Steve came
in and did a really good job. Again, the victories don't reflect it. But this
was a rebuilding year.

"Steve is an absolute winner. There's no doubt in my mind. When all the pieces
are in place, he has all the tools to become a great coach. He's got what it
takes, and I've been around long enough to know."

Although Rosenbloom just completed only his second year as Rams owner, he has
been around football all his life. His late mother (Georgia Frontiere) owned
the Rams from 1979 until her death in 2008, and his late father (Carroll
Rosenbloom) owned first the Baltimore Colts, and then the Rams from 1953-79.

Rosenbloom thought the Rams' defense showed improvement in '09, although he
realizes its play was inconsistent. But what about an offense that was the most
feeble in the league in terms of scoring?

He said it is difficult "when you go through three quarterbacks and get your
quarterbacks beaten up'' and that it's difficult "when only one wide receiver
who was in training camp actually finishes the season. And with all the
injuries, of course it's going to be tough to score in those situations."

Rosenbloom said he liked the working relationship and the performance of the
team's power trio of Spagnuolo, Devaney and executive vice president of
football operations Kevin Demoff.

"I think Billy did a very good job," Rosenbloom said. "Think about historically
where we've been with these drafts. Time will tell on the more recent drafts.
But Billy has done a very good job on restructuring the football side."

While unwilling to overtly criticize past players, or past team executives,
Rosenbloom noted that the Rams haven't had disaster drafts under Devaney, as
has been the case in the recent past.

"There is an upward trend to this team, not a downward trend, with football
people in charge in an organization that's trying to build a foundation,"
Rosenbloom said, noting that the organizational conflict of the past is gone.
"We have a harmonious organized franchise now that's moving in the same
direction. That's always better for producing a winning team."

So what would Rosenbloom do with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft?

"The way I was raised, my father said you always take the best player available
in almost any circumstance," Rosenbloom said. "Now I would say this: If you
have Peyton Manning on your team and the equivalent of John Elway is available,
you might not take him."

But in the case of the current Rams, there are next to no positions at which
the team can feel like it's set. Especially at quarterback, where the Rams
won't be passing on the next Elway if he were available in the 2010 draft pool.
And he's not.

Warner has every reason to retire now

True this is not Rams news, but he was the heart of our team when we were once respected. Thank you Kurt for all you did for us!!

---

Bernie Miklasz ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH Monday, Jan. 18 2010 When Kurt Warner got mashed into the ground on a vicious but clean hit by New Orleans defensive end Bobby McCray, I automatically assumed the worst. That's it. We've just seen the end of Kurt's career. And what a horrible, depressing way for him to go. What were we supposed to think? Warner was rolling around on the turf, eyes blinking. He seemed disoriented. He was in pain. He's 38 years old. He's endured multiple injuries in his career, including five concussions. The Saints were already up by two touchdowns in the second quarter of this NFC playoff game, and would go on to win by 31. When Warner threw that interception, looked to make a tackle, and ended up blind-sided by McCray, it appeared to be the final blow. Fortunately, the immediate repercussions weren't as severe as feared. Warner was shaken up, but returned in the second half. That's good, but it still doesn't ease the big-picture fears and the concerns over Warner's long-term health and future. I hope Warner will walk away from the game. What else does he have to prove? I believe he's already done enough to warrant selection to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Just look at a partial list of all that he's accomplished since entering the NFL with the Rams in 1998: Two-time league MVP with the Rams; Super Bowl MVP and championship with the Rams; three-highest passing-yardage days in Super Bowl history; 52 300-yard games; the only NFL quarterback to throw 100 touchdown passes for two teams; nine postseason victories; the second-best passer rating (102.8) in NFL postseason history; and guiding two down-and-out franchises to the Super Bowl. There's nothing left for Warner to gain, but he has much to lose. Kurt and wife Brenda have seven children at home. As Warner told me in an interview earlier this year, he wants to be healthy and vibrant and immersed in their lives. Warner wants to enjoy being a grandfather some day — and without limitations brought on by football-related debilitation. Warner has given 11 years of his life to the NFL but says he wants to be sure that the best years of his life to go to his family. And it won't be easy for Warner to continue rebounding from injuries. After all, it took him a few years to recover from the hand injuries, concussions and harsh beatings he took in St. Louis before finally regenerating his career in Arizona. And Warner was younger then. He'll be 39 if he chooses to play the 2010 season. Last fall, the results of a preliminary study commissioned by the NFL indicated that former NFL players have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease or similar memory-related diseases at a dramatically higher rate than the national average. This is a brutal sport. Last week, Warner told reporters that he's noticed the way defensive players seemed to be taking more swipes at his helmet. Defenders aren't stupid; Warner has a history of concussions and if you want to stop the Cardinals the best way is to knock No. 13 out of the game. So why would a vulnerable Warner continue to put himself at risk? After Saturday's loss, Warner confirmed that he's considering retirement. "I have some ideas in my head," Warner said during the postgame news conference. "But you want to get away from the season for a minute and make sure what you're feeling stays that way. But I don't think it will be a long process." As Brenda Warner told the New York Times this week, the decision is between "Kurt and God." But based on previous comments, she'd undoubtedly favor retirement. Seeing Brenda's televised reaction to the on-field violence in Saturday's game only reinforced those thoughts. Commenting to the NY Times about the concussion that her husband suffered at the Edward Jones Dome in November, Brenda said: "I would give every dime I've ever seen in my life to take that one blow to the head back. It does change your perspective." Sunday morning on the NFL Network, Marshall Faulk offered a prediction on his close friend and former teammate. "Knowing Kurt, I'm going to say that this is probably it for Kurt," Faulk said. "Kurt is a competitor. But he understands that he has a family at home. And all of the head trauma that we now have data about — about guys having concussions, having dementia, and all of the other problems when you're done playing ... "I'm pretty sure that Kurt and Brenda are weighing this. He's going to have that discussion with her, and I think this year Brenda's going to win." Warner is in position to do so many valuable, meaningful things with the rest of his life. And that could be through his ministry work, his desire to help the poor, his devotion to children, his motivational speaking or many charitable causes. One Arizona columnist recently suggested that Warner could become president of the United States if he wanted. Hey, I wouldn't rule anything out with this man. Warner is a true American original. But to fully realize all of his post-football goals, he must be healthy. And if Kurt Warner can walk from the NFL with his mind and body intact, it'll be the greatest triumph of his career.

KW for President

Has a nice ring to it.....I'd vote for you Kurt!