Sources: Bulger won't play Sunday
By Jim Thomas
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
12/07/2007
Quarterback Marc Bulger did not feel well following meetings Thursday, and is now listed as questionable for Sunday’s game in Cincinnati.
By official NFL definition, "questionable" means a player has a 50-50 chance of playing in that week’s game.
But two sources have told the Post-Dispatch that Bulger will not play Sunday. That means Brock Berlin -- who has yet to throw a pass or play in a regular-season game -- will make his first NFL start.
Coach Scott Linehan said early Friday afternoon that he will decide what to do at quarterback within the next 12 to 24 hours.
Backup quarterback Gus Frerotte also is out with a partially torn labrum in his right (throwing) shoulder.
"Marc had really what I thought were two very good practices Wednesday and Thursday, but that’s the objective part," Linehan said. "I guess the subjective part is he didn’t feel really good after (Thursday) afternoon’s meetings.
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"Because of that, it puts some questions in my mind as to whether or not he should be cleared to play. . . .We’re not going to put a guy out on the field if there’s any doubt whatsoever when it comes to these kinds of injuries. Or any injuries."
Linehan knows better than most when it comes to the risk of playing with concussions. His brother Ron passed away two years ago from Alzheimer’s disease following a football career in which he had numerous concussions.
Bulger suffered a concussion Nov. 25 against Seattle and didn’t play last week against Atlanta. He passed a neuropsych, or baseline test, this Tuesday, which cleared him to practice.
A final decision on whether Bulger would play against Cincinnati had been expected Friday. Once a player is cleared to practice, it’s normally routine for a player to play in the next game.
But Bulger, who has played with rib, knee and shoulder injuries _ among others _ over the course of his NFL career, said earlier in the week that he would be very careful in dealing with an injury to his head.
"There was certainly no reason until yesterday afternoon to believe he wasn’t going to play," Linehan said. "But based on how he felt physically, it changed. So we told Brock to get ready (Thursday) afternoon at the end of the meeting and he took a number of snaps (Friday)."
The Rams also signed Todd Bouman for quarterback insurance, and Bouman was on the practice field Friday. Linehan plans to consult further with team doctors and athletic trainers on Bulger’s condition.
Linehan said Bulger told him Thursday afternoon that he "just didn’t feel right.