Rams’ backup quarterback Marc Bulger a real team player
St. Louis Rams coach Mike Martz decided to put quarterback Marc Bulger back on the bench. Regular starter Kurt Warner’s performance on Sunday probably will keep him there. But while others in his position would sulk, grumble and disrupt team chemistry, Bulger will remain silent. To him, the team comes first. It is the way it has always been for him.
In three years as a starter at West Virginia University, Bulger finished as the Mountaineers’ career leader in passing yards, completions, attempts, touchdowns and total offense. While his numbers turned heads, his demeanor never did.
He played on a team full of flashy, dynamic players.
There was wide receiver Jerry Porter, now with the Oakland Raiders. One day, Porter walked through the football complex with bleach-blond hair, looking like an economy-sized Sisqo of Dru Hill.
There was running back Amos Zereoue, a guy who once held a press conference to announce that he wasn’t declaring for the NFL draft.
In the middle of all this sat Bulger, the soft-spoken kid from Pittsburgh who never used a singular possessive pronoun in an interview. It was never “I” or “my,” always “we” and “our.” He knew his role and the importance of others’ roles.
There were games he would throw for 300 yards. There were others he would hand the ball to Zereoue 20 to 30 times. He’d do either if it was best for the team.
So his demeanor during his five-game reign as Rams starter came as no surprise. While television, radio and newspaper personalities conjured up a quarterback controversy, Bulger squashed it. He told everyone who would listen that Kurt Warner was the starter and would be under center as soon as he returned.
Did he like it? If he didn’t, the world will never know.
He always said the right things and continues to say them, because it’s best for the team.
Compare that to the situation in Dallas, where running back Troy Hambrick is trying to throw dirt on the grave of Emmitt Smith’s career while it’s still healthy. All that does is throw the 4-7 Cowboys deeper into turmoil.
Bulger knows the Rams still have an outside shot at a playoff berth, even after an 0-5 start.
In that situation, team synergy is essential. Moping about his demotion could do much in destroying that synergy.
Bulger will get another chance. Warner’s 300-plus yard, two touchdown performance against Washington will make it difficult for him to do it in St. Louis without Warner going back on the injured list.
But Bulger will wait. He won’t frown. He won’t grumble.
He could make another team very happy if it trades for him next season. But don’t look for Bulger to make a lot of noise when he gets there.
He wouldn’t do it. Not if it’s not good for the team.
E-mail Derek Redd at dsredd(at)naplesnews.com.
(Derek Redd is a sportwriter for the Naples Daily News in Florida at http://www.naplesnews.com.)