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Sunday, November 17, 2002

By Ed Bouchette, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

Marc Bulger won't be the Rams' starting quarterback for long. He'll be somewhere else next season.

Bulger's play in Kurt Warner's absence has been good enough for a long enough time that some team surely will give up a first-round draft choice for him before next season. That will make two quarterbacks the Rams will have traded in three seasons because of Warner. Two years ago, they dealt Trent Green to Kansas City.

Bulger won't cost anything against the Rams' salary cap if they trade him, unlike Warner if he was dealt. Warner is signed through 2006. Bulger's contract is up after this year but he won't be a free agent because this counts as only his second season and players need to have three to become a restricted free agent, four to become unrestricted.

Bulger is earning $303,000 this season. The Saints drafted him from West Virginia in the sixth round in 2000 and cut him. He then spent two weeks on the Falcons practice squad, was released and spent one week on the Rams' practice squad. He returned to the Rams in 2001 and made it as their third-string quarterback.

"You look at him and some of the things that have happened to him," Rams Coach Mike Martz said. "Here's a guy who hasn't played before getting down to a second or third receiver. Some of the strikes that he's thrown downfield, there aren't many players in this league that could throw them. He's not just a starter, he's an exceptional player in this league."

Probably for someone else next season.

Falcons have more than Vick

The Saints plan to defend Michael Vick differently than did the Steelers. Instead of trying to stop him, they'll try to stop everyone around him.

"If Michael Jordan scores 40 and you hold Scottie Pippen to 10 points, then you probably win the game," Saints defensive coordinator Rick Venturi said. "But if Jordan gets 40 and Pippen gets 30, you're going to lose."

The Saints lost the first meeting three weeks ago, when Warrick Dunn rushed for 142 yards in Atlanta's 37-35 victory.

"The key is you have to take something away," New Orleans Coach Jim Haslett said. "You have to take away the running game or the quarterback or the passing game. You can't let them do everything."

Packers are the pick

Detroit offensive assistant Sherman Lewis should know a Super Bowl team when he sees one. He has four Super Bowl rings and he likes the Packers to add another to their collection after seeing them last week.

"If they can get that home-field advantage, I'd go with them," Lewis said. "They'd be my choice. I think they're good enough to beat anybody on a given day. I think they're going to be hard to beat."

Quick slants

Winona Ryder they're not: The Eagles' secondary might be regarded among the best in the league, but theft is not high on their resume. The Eagles have just seven interceptions in nine games, just one in their past five.

Of course, neither plays regularly at Heinz Field: Philadelphia kicker David Akers (84.0) moved closer to overtaking the Colts' Mike Vanderjagt (86.1) as the NFL's career accuracy leader. Akers still needs 21 more kicks to qualify.

Redskins linebacker LaVar Arrington has eight sacks, six in the past five games.

The Saints are the only team in NFL history to score 20 points and allow 20 points in each of their first nine games.

One year ago, Seattle started linebackers Chad Brown, Levon Kirkland and Anthony Simmons. This week against Denver they will line up Tim Terry, Orlando Huff and Marcus Bell. That's called a drop-off.

Coach Marty Mornhinweg's two-season record with the Lions is 5-20.

Avoid penalties is one thing 8-1 Green Bay hasn't done. The Packers have 70 penalties for 587 yards. "It has to change," Coach Mike Sherman said. "It's way too many."