Bulger impressed by new receivers: Rams’ QB sees offense getting more potent
March 20th, 2007 | by Kevin Morris |
With the additions of wide receiver Drew Bennett and tight end Randy McMichael, quarterback Marc Bulger feels like this season he’ll be leading the St. Louis Rams’ most potent offense during his tenure as a starter.The two free agent signings bring even more firepower to a Rams offense that ranked sixth overall in the NFL last season.
“We’ll definitely have the most talent on our side of the ball since I have been a starter,” said Bulger, who was among the 26 players who participated in the first day of the team’s voluntary conditioning program on Monday.
Bulger stopped short of comparing the 2007 Rams with the team’s Greatest Show on Turf days of 1999-2001.
“Just since I have been playing. That first year was pretty good in ‘01,” Bulger said of his rookie season spent on the sidelines as the Rams’ No. 3 quarterback.
Bulger must find a way of keeping the Rams’ multitude of offensive weapons happy. That won’t be easy with running back Steven Jackson, and wide receivers Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce, along with Bennett and McMichael all wanting the ball.
“I’d rather have that problem than trying to find that one guy,” Bulger said. “I’ll make them happy, whether it’s getting them the ball or getting them something else.”
Still, Bulger could have five guys in the huddle telling him that they were open after each pass play.
“I’ve had guards tell me they are open before,” Bulger said. “I’m used to that.”
Rams coach Scott Linehan said winning will quell any complaints about not getting the ball enough.
“We’re all going to be happy if we can come up with a few more wins along the way,” Linehan said. “I don’t really look at it like who’s getting what and all those kind of things. I think we’ve improved our football team with the offensive players we’ve added. We lost a player in Kevin (Curtis), but we were lucky enough to replace him with a player of Drew’s caliber. Randy McMichael is a proven tight end in this league, and arguably one of the better tight ends as a starter. We were lucky to be able to add him to the mix along with Joe (Klopfenstein), who is a very, very good tight end who we are very happy with. I don’t think you can ever have enough quality football players on your team.”
Bennett said Bulger played a big part in his decision to join the Rams. Bennett and Bulger hung out together the night prior to him reaching a six-year, $30 million deal with the Rams.
“He said, ‘I promise I’ll throw you every pass,”‘ Bennett joked. “No, it was Marc more as a person than a player. As a person, I was impressed with him as well. He is very down to earth, very friendly guy.”
Bennett also likes Bulger as a player.
“His anticipation is what sets him part from any quarterback in the NFL,” Bennett said. “Marc throws the ball way before you come out of your breaks, and it’s always right there.”
Bennett was generally considered the top wide receiver available in free agency. He signed with the Rams knowing that he’ll likely be the No. 3 wide receiver behind Holt and Bruce.
“There is so much offense to go around with this team,” Bennett said, pointing to the 593 passes attempted by the Rams last season. “This is not a place where the No. 1 receiver is getting 50 or 60 balls. This is a place where the ball is getting spread around so much and so many guys are involved in the offense, and there is plenty of receptions for me. It’s also a chance for me to learn of the two guys ahead of me and from the coach (Henry Ellard) here that was such a good player. It would be hard to pass up that opportunity.”
Bennett doesn’t have Curtis’ breakaway speed, but his 6-foot-5 frame provides the Rams with a tall target in the red zone.
“It’s no secret that in the red zone, it’s going to help,” Bulger said. “Sometimes when I’m running out of the pocket and there’s one-on-one coverage, and you can’t get it to your other guys, you can throw it in the area of the tall guy and at worst it’s going to be a pass breakup. I think that’s an area that we haven’t had here in sometime.”
McMichael caught 62 passes for the Miami Dolphins last season, which is more than double the 27 passes caught by all of the Rams’ tight ends last season.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to be one of the focal points of the passing game the last five years in Miami,” McMichael said. “I’m aware that we have Torry and Isaac, and they are the No. 1 and No. 2 guys, and that is going to take some getting used to, but I know I can fit in.”
McMichael said he was looking forward to being a part of what is being projected as a high-powered attack this season.
“It’s going to be fun,” McMichael said. “You’re not going to be able to double cover anybody, you’re not going to be able to roll your coverages. I know a lot of teams try to take Torry away from us, but we have so many weapons now I think that is going to free him up.”
