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NFL Notebook: Bulger on last leg with St. Louis?
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Some in St. Louis wonder if quarterback Marc Bulger has played his final game with the Rams. He says it's too early to speculate about his future.
Bulger, from Central Catholic and West Virginia, will miss at least three weeks and could be out for the remaining six games with a fractured left shin bone. He was on crutches yesterday at practice and said there will be plenty of time to determine if he is back in 2010.
"We've got six weeks to go in this season and whether I come back this season, we'll see," Bulger said. "We'll have plenty of time on the offseason to make those [other] decisions. I don't want to be a distraction in any way. We're thinking optimistic around here."
Kyle Boller will start Sunday as St. Louis (1-9) plays host to the Seattle Seahawks (3-7).
Bulger injured the shin two weeks ago in a 28-23 loss to New Orleans, and it became worse in a 21-13 loss Sunday to Arizona. The magnitude of the injury caught Bulger by surprise.
"We checked it out [after New Orleans] and the ligaments were fine and when you check knees you look at the ligaments," Bulger said. "You never think in a million years that it could possibly be a bone. You get sore knees every week in this league.
"If you're not willing to play with pain, there's guys right behind you willing to take your job."
Boller has played in three games with two starts this year. He has completed 49 of 86 passes for 481 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions.
Quarterback Peyton Manning returned to full practice from an injury to his backside and is probable for an AFC South Division game at Houston. Manning had seen limited work Wednesday and Thursday before participating in the full workout yesterday.
Also, Chris Polian, 38, son of Colts president Bill Polian, was promoted to vice president and general manager of the team. Colts owner Jim Irsay announced the move, noting that "Chris has been involved in every aspect of our football operations for the past 12 years."
Coach Jim Schwartz said he doesn't regret starting quarterback Matthew Stafford. Schwartz said yesterday there's "no second-guessing at all" a day after the rookie threw four interceptions in a 34-12 loss to Green Bay, Detroit's sixth consecutive Thanksgiving defeat. TV cameras captured a heated pregame exchange between backup quarterback Daunte Culpepper and general manager Martin Mayhew before the Green Bay game.
Culpepper filled in for Stafford in early October while the rookie recovered from a knee injury.
Running back Julius Jones will be a game-time decision for their game against the Rams tomorrow. Jones missed last week with a lung contusion suffered against the Cardinals Nov. 15. He did not practice at all last week and was held out of practice Wednesday before returning to limited duty the past two practices.
New linebacker Matt Roth is happy to be out of Miami after what he termed a falling out with the Dolphins. Roth was claimed off waivers by the Browns this week after totaling 158 tackles and 121/2 sacks in five seasons in Miami.
First Published November 28, 2009 12:00 am
