What happened to Marc Bulger ? (1 Viewer)

[The Moz]

Seriously - this guy was like one of the top7 QB's every year from like 03 - 06 - then he has fallen of the face of the earth. I realize he has gotten injured but damn - he has sucked even when he has played. I have to think he hasn't forgotten how to play. I mean is his confidence just totally shot and he cannot get it back or what? He isn't old - to say he has lost it is wrong IMO -- I just think he needs some confidence.

thoughts?

 

[David Yudkin]

Injuries + weak OL + banged up/unproven WRs = meh

 

[shredhead]

Injuries + weak OL + banged up/unproven WRs = meh

Agreed! Orlando Pace, Torry Holt, and Isaac Bruce Made Bulger look better than he is. Maybe Avery can help him improve some this year, he might be an OK QB2 for fantasy teams this year. I see the Rams being somewhat improved, but they will still be behind quite a bit this year. That should force them to throw more, so Bulger should be fine in the yards and TD departments. The big "if" this year will be whether he can keep the INT's down far enough to be a servicable QB2

 

[Oscar]

Injuries + weak OL + banged up/unproven WRs = meh

Agreed! Orlando Pace, Torry Holt, and Isaac Bruce Made Bulger look better than he is. Maybe Avery can help him improve some this year, he might be an OK QB2 for fantasy teams this year. I see the Rams being somewhat improved, but they will still be behind quite a bit this year. That should force them to throw more, so Bulger should be fine in the yards and TD departments. The big "if" this year will be whether he can keep the INT's down far enough to be a servicable QB2

Why agreed? I don't think this is what David was saying. Bulger is a decent QB. His offensive line and wide receivers didn't make him better than he is. If you put Peyton Manning or Tom Brady under the center in St. Louis, they would suffer the same issues. They may have better statistics overall, but not that much better than what Bulger has had to deal with. The fact is he was banged up, his offensive line is horrible and his wide receivers are on the decline. The change in offensive schemes didn't help pad his fantasy stats either.That being said, if he can stay healthy, have his offensive line improve and another year of working with the current wide receiver set, he could be a top-10 QB. Probably more of a top-15 though.

 

[fissure man]

How is this even a question?

His line is horrible. Holt is gone, Bruce is old. Poor coaching, etc........

 

[Jason Wood]

Based on the underwhelming response his Player Spotlight thread is getting, it's safe to say Bulger is on the fringe of draftability in traditional redraft leagues this year.

http://forums.footballguys.com/forum/index...howtopic=475896

That said, as I was researching the Rams for my projections and Spotlight assignments this year, I was surprised to learn that the conventional wisdom which says Bulger started taking a pounding in the last year or two really isn't accurate. He's ALWAYS taken a pounding, first b/c of Martz' unwillingness to keep blockers in and more recently b/c the quality of the offensive line has ebbed.

Here are Bulger's sack totals:

2002 -- 12 (5.3%)

2003 -- 37 (6.5%)

2004 -- 41 (7.8%)

2005 -- 26 (8.3%)

2006 -- 49 (7.7%)

2007 -- 37 (8.9%)

2008 -- 38 (7.9%)

Career -- 240 (7.6%)

The number in parentheses refers to Bulger's annual sack rate; which as you can see has always been alarmingly high even when he was considered a solid fantasy prospect.

At his age, with that kind of sack total, I find it hard to believe that he's going to return to anything more than an average fantasy backup at this juncture. And in coming to that realization, I've had to temper my once considerable enthusiasm for Donnie Avery as well as discount Laurent Robinson or Keenan Burton as deep sleepers.

 

[ookook]

I love Bulger in a QBBC approach.

How many different offensive coordinators has he had?

It sure has seemed like the playcalling and coaching has been poor. One should be able to work around the poor OL better than they have.

 

[Pickle Rody]

Based on the underwhelming response his Player Spotlight thread is getting, it's safe to say Bulger is on the fringe of draftability in traditional redraft leagues this year.

I'm Jason. By this analogy, the threads on Donovan McNabb and Kurt Warner would also indicate them being on the "fringe of draftability," which is hardly the case.Rody

 

[wolfie]

Bulger has taken a beating the last 3 years. He is gun shy, feels the rush even when it isn't there, looks for the rush rather than his progressions, it's mental. Needs to gets some confidence in his ol and offensive system, maybe can have some success, but talent around him is lacking, for his past #'s. He seems to just chuck it up, anytime he feels the slightest pressure.

 

[Jason Wood]

Based on the underwhelming response his Player Spotlight thread is getting, it's safe to say Bulger is on the fringe of draftability in traditional redraft leagues this year.

I'm Jason. By this analogy, the threads on Donovan McNabb and Kurt Warner would also indicate them being on the "fringe of draftability," which is hardly the case.Rody

I was taking a little editorial license for the sake of brevity. But certainly the combination of few hits to his Spotlight thread, his low ADP, his low ranking among our staff, and the fact few singled him out as an Undervalued player in our Over/Under article all argue that he's not someone most fantasy owners are looking at for their rosters.BTW, McNabb's thread is too sparse, I agree. But Warner's is plenty long, so not sure why you chose that one to make your point?

 

[Pickle Rody]

Based on the underwhelming response his Player Spotlight thread is getting, it's safe to say Bulger is on the fringe of draftability in traditional redraft leagues this year.

I'm Jason. By this analogy, the threads on Donovan McNabb and Kurt Warner would also indicate them being on the "fringe of draftability," which is hardly the case.Rody

I was taking a little editorial license for the sake of brevity. But certainly the combination of few hits to his Spotlight thread, his low ADP, his low ranking among our staff, and the fact few singled him out as an Undervalued player in our Over/Under article all argue that he's not someone most fantasy owners are looking at for their rosters.BTW, McNabb's thread is too sparse, I agree. But Warner's is plenty long, so not sure why you chose that one to make your point?

My mistake, I hadn't checked the post count and remembered it being rather small.

 

[Ray_T]

Seriously - this guy was like one of the top7 QB's every year from like 03 - 06 - then he has fallen of the face of the earth. I realize he has gotten injured but damn - he has sucked even when he has played. I have to think he hasn't forgotten how to play. I mean is his confidence just totally shot and he cannot get it back or what? He isn't old - to say he has lost it is wrong IMO -- I just think he needs some confidence.thoughts?

I agree with a couple of the other posts.The O-Line fell apart and the receivers got old. He is still a good QB who is somewhat injury prone.I expect the O-Line this year will be a lot better than years previous, so he may be draftable as a QB 2 once again.

 

[eagles2007]

I don't think he was ever as good as he looked. He was a product of the system and the talent around him. Now, that can be said about a lot of QBs, but I think Bulger is average at best.

 

[iSnitch]

In addition to those other things, I think Martz played a bigger role than some think.

 

[slayer666]

He got paid.

 

[brutha]

His line is horrible. Holt is gone, Bruce is old. Poor coaching, etc........

his line is WAY better this year. Pace has been highly overrated/unreliable for several years now. also Bruce is gone FYI and both he and Holt were on decline anyway, while now he has an up n comer in Avery. coaching will be better too.I'm not exactly fired up about him, but I'd take a look as a QB2.

 

[•TheRealMcCoy]

How is this even a question?His line is horrible. Holt is gone, Bruce is old. Poor coaching, etc........

Its a question because:1) His O Line should be improved with many key additions(not to mention Pace was ALWAYS hurt)??2) Holt is gone, but in is Avery as the #1! WITH a healthy knee!!??3) "Bruce is old"?? What does this have anything to do with anything??? For one we all know this and know he has maybe one year left? And two HE ISNT EVEN A RAM ANYMORE?? So why put him in this thread?4) New coaching staff!I think the original post was asking if Bulger can still be a servicable QB? Not what his old teams in the past were like?

 

[JKL]

I wrote about him on the PFR blog last month.

Basically, I looked at QB's like Bulger who had been productive between ages 26 and 29, and then declined at age 30-31. I then looked at their careers thereafter. We are dealing with a small sample size here-7 players. Most good Qb's tended to remain good at ages 30-31. Based on our small sample size from history, I would say that Bulger is more of a value play than people think. I think Jason Wood is right about perception that he is on the fringe of draftability. He doesn't have much serious competition for the job in St. Louis, yet is behind a lot of guys with shakier holds on their jobs, and is basically the lowest drafted guaranteed starting QB in game 1.

Here are the 7 players, plus Bulger, with their Yr-D Fantasy Ranking (for Decline), and their Yr-D+1 Fantasy Ranking, which would be this year for Bulger:

Yr D Yr D+1Rypien 35 40McNair 32 15Anderson 30 2Everett 30 7Esiason 28 6Hebert 28 9Bulger 27 ????Kenney 22 164 of 7 finished top ten the following season, Rypien completely fell apart and never started again, while everyone except Rypien finished 16th or better.Here's what I wrote about another QB on the list who may have been written off as being the "product of a system"

Which brings us to the last guy that has a lot of things seemingly in common with Bulger (or at least the Rams should hope it turns out that way). This quarterback also played for an innovative offensive coordinator, and after that coordinator left, saw his play take a downward turn. He also went through a rebuilding effort as the team around him went from playoff contender to bottom of the league. Bulger was temporarily benched in favor of Trent Green by head coach Scott Linehan right before he was fired. This other quarterback, on the other hand, saw his team spend a high first round pick on a quarterback right before he turned 30, and wasn’t even the opening day starter at age 31, though he did end up being the team’s leading passer. Of course, I’m talking about Ken Anderson. At age 31, Anderson’s career was on a downhill slide. Prior to the 1980 season, though, the Bengals used a high first round pick on a left tackle, Anthony Munoz, and the next season, Cris Collinsworth was drafted to replace Isaac Curtis. Anderson’s career took another sudden turn, and in 1981 he was one of the best quarterbacks in the league and led the Bengals to the Super Bowl, and he posted another stellar season in 1982 at age 33.

Maybe Jason's right about the sacks, I wrote about that in a different piece on Ben Roethlisberger. QB's with high sack totals tend to have shorter careers than those with low ones, all other passing stats being relatively equal. Maybe he won't bounce back at age 32 because of that. Or maybe the Rams aren't good enough to allow that bounceback this season. But at his current ADP, and with me being not as bullish on several guys ranked ahead of him, he might end up on my roster as a very cheap backup with some upside.

 

[Da Guru]

I think at this stage of his career Bulger is "shell-shocked" and I am not sure how bad he really wants to play anymore.

 

[Tigerbot Hesh]

Bulger has averaged 2.75 sacks a game. Some of that may be his fault, but a lot of that is the offensive scheme and the OL play. I'm not sure any QB could produce decent numbers after constantly taking that kind of abuse.

 

[UnknownCoach]

First there was the coaching change. Big impact on the passing game. Then the offensive line kept getting worse and worse. At least the line should be better this year than last but still a long ways from prior seasons. Bruce getting old and leaving hurt. Then last year Holt himself admitted he was a big part of the blame for Bulger's poor play. Now Holt is gone too and the receivers are all young and not that talented. Bulger hasnt lost much if anything. Its just for fantasy purposes the passing game is nearly lost on that team. There are very few NFL QBs who can be fantasy studs on any team and Mark Bulger isnt one of them.

 

[fissure man]

How is this even a question?His line is horrible. Holt is gone, Bruce is old. Poor coaching, etc........

Its a question because:1) His O Line should be improved with many key additions(not to mention Pace was ALWAYS hurt)??2) Holt is gone, but in is Avery as the #1! WITH a healthy knee!!??3) "Bruce is old"?? What does this have anything to do with anything??? For one we all know this and know he has maybe one year left? And two HE ISNT EVEN A RAM ANYMORE?? So why put him in this thread?4) New coaching staff!I think the original post was asking if Bulger can still be a servicable QB? Not what his old teams in the past were like?

Read the first line of the thread title.

 

[Ray_T]

How is this even a question?His line is horrible. Holt is gone, Bruce is old. Poor coaching, etc........

Its a question because:1) His O Line should be improved with many key additions(not to mention Pace was ALWAYS hurt)??2) Holt is gone, but in is Avery as the #1! WITH a healthy knee!!??3) "Bruce is old"?? What does this have anything to do with anything??? For one we all know this and know he has maybe one year left? And two HE ISNT EVEN A RAM ANYMORE?? So why put him in this thread?4) New coaching staff!I think the original post was asking if Bulger can still be a servicable QB? Not what his old teams in the past were like?

I said I think he will be a serviceable QB 2.he wont have enough good WR's to put up big numbers. His line is improved.... but his receivers have not. I havnt looked too far into the rest of the team, but if the defense improves, then he wont be starting with a long field like he did so often last year.If they manage to draft or obtain another solid starting quality WR, then he could be a surprise producer. But so far I have seen nothing that would lead me to believe this is the case.

 

[Bob Magaw]

i think this breaks down into two questions...

1 - is bulger done, or capable of rebounding?

2 - even if he rebounds physically & mentally, how good can he do given the rams WR situation (has to be among the iffiest in the league, though like jason i am high on avery)?

trends suggesting pessimism...

- could be shellshocked... hit a lot (as noted, a combination of martz's reckless schemes in terms of QB protection earlier in his career, & the erosion of the OL more recently)

- bulger isn't that big... i think he is about 210-215... may he could hit the weights harder, but he claims he has tried & just can't put on weight (probably doesn't have the kind of frame to add a lot of muscle mass)

- a few bad years in a row, now

- this is his third system/scheme in about as many years (martz/linehan/spagnuolo)... he may not be a quick study, & some of his issues may have been related to the frequent system changes of late

- lack of WR experience

conversely...

- OL should be improved... alex barron probably isn't a special player, but he also may not be as bad as his reputation among rams fans... he didn't give up a lot of sacks last season & has cut down on his penalties, & also returns to his natural LT position... LG jacob bell was a high profile free agent addition who had some good years in TEN but looked like a questionable signing... per the new coaching staff's request, he has put on weight & at last check was around 295... jason brown was arguably the top OL in free agency, & i think STL made him the highest paid center in league history (?)... not sure he is a top 5 center, but he might be... this represents a huge upgrade, as the rams have been playing with undersized, marginally talented centers for a few years, leading to pressure up the middle for bulger... brown should stop the bleeding... RG richie incognito is talented but can be a hothead with documented anger management/poor impulse control issues (kicked off two teams in college)... he is prone to boneheaded penalties at times, ala kyle turley... he is playing for a contract (as it is barron), and by all acooreportedly has bought into the new program... reportedly setting the pace in the new weight lifting program instituted by all accounts has set the pace in the weight room in the new weight training regimen instituted by spagnuolo's new strength coach... incognito has talent, especially as a run blocker, & could be a difference maker if he has his head on right this season (which i expect, given the stakes)... jason smith was the second overall pick in the draft, almost certainly the most athletic OL in the draft, & arguably the best... the new regime (including GM billy devaney) targeted him due to his intensity & physical nature... he will make mistakes like any rookie (& big jump in LOC from baylor), but he seems to have the right character, intangibles, mental makeup & constitution to put in the time, study & work to get better in a hurry...

- the rams sound determined to make steven jackson the focal point of the offense... which makes a lot of sense at face value, seeing as he is easily their best weapon on offense... running the ball more often & more successfully would in itself take a lot of pressure of bulger

- the new OC shurmur was a QB coach in PHI for more than the past half decade, i think, & they will bring in yet another scheme, with a WCO slant... the emphasis will be for bulger to get the ball out of his hands more quickly... when at his best, he had one of the quickest releases in the league, so this actually holds promise in aligning with his skill set... when you couple this with the likely improved OL play, he should have more time to throw, & will be getting rid of the ball quicker, so that should translate to fewer sacks

- leadership seems greatly improved... spagnuolo looks like the best rams HC prospect since vermiel... martz was in some ways good at designing passing offenses, but seemed to be lacking in overall personal skills needed to be a HC (fired in rapid succession from OC gigs by DET & SF, albeit by HCs that wanted to emphasize the run more)... a few vets clashed with linehan... not sure if bulger threw linehan under the bus, but reading between the lines in some of his comments, it was pretty clear to me they didn't mesh

- not sure how much better the defense will be, but they should get better coaching... long is a year more experienced, carriker & little were hurt last year, laurinitis should be an upgrade as a pure MLB, enabling withersppon to shift to his natural WLB position (an upgrade over tinoisamoa), ron bartell had a breakout year & was rewarded with a contract extension after flirting with new orleans, james butler is a big upgrade over corey chavous in terms of youth & athleticism (though a georgia tech UFA, ran a 4.4 & has a 40+" vertical), plus he can school the rams DBs on spag's system from his time spent with the giants... IF they play better, through coaching, personnel & scheme improvements (& they have nowhere to go but up), & can stay in games better, this will also take pressure off bulger

- as to the state of the rams WRs, avery flashed promise & played pretty well for a rookie that missed time before & during the season due to injury... even if burton/robinson/curry aren't the answer opposite avery, mcmichael returns & if he has anything left can be a serviceable TE... & of course jackson is one of the better receiving RBs in the league after westbrook and reggie bush (90 catches in his 2nd or 3rd year?)

- the coaching staff have given him a vote of confidence (yet what choice did they have... for a few years they have been handcuffed by the contract extension they signed a few years ago... i think the cap ramifications won't be so draconian as soon as next year... so bulger has a lot at stake, too)

- free agent acqisition mike karney should be the team's best FB since madison hedgecock (who has been a boon to the giants league best running game) and presumably can help in pass pro

i think bulger is capable of rebounding if the OL improvements are as good as advertised & jackson can stay healthy (the rams also have among the worst backup RB situations in the league, but the roster had so many holes they couldn't all be addressed in one free agent/draft cycle... perhaps a vet will become available after league-wide roster cuts closer to the start of the season)...

as to how functional he can be in fantasy terms THIS YEAR, due to the questions at WR, i have very tempered expectations... but if he can play well enough to reinstill confidence within the organization, the front office & coaching staff seems much more on the ball than the linehan & martz regimes, so i think they will surround him with better weapons on offense (they tried to trade up for hakeem nicks but couldn't find a partner, "settling" for laurinitis), & the defense should steadily improve under spag's guidance... if bulger is still around, i would expect the team to be even better in 2010-2011...

the rams don't look like they are capable of having a MIA/ATL-type turnaround... i don't think many people expect realistically a turnaround from one of the worst team in the league to the playoffs overnight... even 8-8 would probably be a miracle... if the rams win 6-7 games, & are much more competitive than they have been after going 5-27 in the past two years, i would consider it a successful season...