Surprise, Surprise !
November 27th, 2006 | by LA Bob |
“I have to confess that I surprised myself when Marc Bulger was sacked and got crunched yesterday.
I mean, usually I only jump out of my chair and holler, “”YES!!!!”" like that when something good happens to the Rams.
But yesterday, I think I was affected by the pent-up frustration of watching Bulger do his thumbsucking brain-fart act for 12 weeks — and I was tired of his forty yard flutter-balls in the Rams’ formerly-effective vertical passing game.
It’s not that I think he’s bad, he’s just been in a foggy cloudbank for several months.
And I, frankly, was dying to see what kind of difference Gus Frerotte could make, and I knew Bulger getting injured was my best (only?) chance that Scott “”Old Tightpockets”" Linehan would give Gus a shot. I mean, if five losses in a row, capped off by a shutout doesn’t get Bulger benched, what will?
Anyhow, Gus came in cold, threw a couple of rockets with no time left and got the Rams in position for a last-second half-time field goal that ultimately was the margin of victory, while Bulger was pouting on the sideline because Coach kept him out for a couple of plays. Boo hoo.
After doing nothing but kill drives with bad passes through the entire second half, Linehan had Bulger on a short leash during the do-or-die drive, throwing nothing but check-downs to Steven Jackson and Stephen Davis, a come-back route to Isaac Bruce on the sideline, one medium range shot to Torry Holt up the middle and a goal line grass-cutter that Kevin Curtis managed to scoop up for the best reception of the entire game. We got that final touchdown because Jackson is as tough as a combat boot and the receivers have good hands and Bulger seems OK on the short stuff, true, but mostly, because the Whiners are as bad at playing The Prevent as the Rams are at stopping The Run.
Winning is better than losing, for sure, but I have no illusions. The Ram players still aren’t buying the system and the coach isn’t about to change it. They could go 0-5 to close out this pitiful season, and as much as I’ll hate watching it, the prospects for April can only improve. I just hope nobody else gets injured. The Rams have taken more than their fair share of hits this season, and their lineup is thinner than Linehan’s Christmas bonus.
©2006 LA Bob
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