Marc Proves Mike's System Works
by Rams Nation's Don Ackerman
In 2003, a third string quarterback for the Saint Louis Rams had the best quarterback
rating in the NFL. How is this possible? Well, it's one of three things:
- Marc Bulger is an unbelievable talent that everyone except the Rams missed.
- The Rams players like Marc so much that they only played well for him but
not for Kurt Warner.
- Mike Martz has created a system that gives talented QBs an opportunity to
shine.
Marc Bulger is an unbelievable talent...
On Marc's behalf, I'd love to say that he is the anti-Ryan Leaf. Bulger is
an unheralded player who could take the NFL by the horns. I've considered this
for months and sorry, Marc, but I don't think so
The Rams players like Marc so much...
Though I think the Rams players played one of their best games against the
Oakland Raiders to start their 5-game winning streak, I can't believe the whole
team gave up against Philly and Washington in close losses. Sorry but it's not
option #2.
Mike Martz has created a system that gives talented QBs an opportunity to
shine.
Terry, a good friend of mine, is a project manager. She consistently says that
a project manager's job is to create a situation where people can succeed. Her
job is to get all the pieces in place, to get everyone on the same page and
to create opportunity. In this case, her job is no different than Mike Martz'.
As head coach, he is responsible for creating a winning program and to have
a successful 2002 project.
But Mike can only create the situation; he can't make the resources or players
perform and he can't control injuries. I can't help but look back at 2002 and
think that Marc Bulger proves that Mike Martz' system does work.
First, consider this - Marc Bulger is Saint Louis' third string quarterback.
Don't let that take away from the fact that he is a talent and he is a member
of an exclusive club called the NFL players. It's no small feat to be employed
in the NFL. He proves that Mike has a system that works when players are healthy
and perform. With zero NFL experience before this year, look at Marc Bulger's
college career stats with West Virginia:
| Year |
Comp/Att |
% |
Yards |
Yard/Attempt |
TD |
Int |
| 1999 |
145/239 |
60.7 |
1729 |
- |
11 |
13 |
| 1998 |
274/419 |
65.4 |
3607 |
- |
31 |
10 |
| 1997 |
192/323 |
59.4 |
2465 |
- |
14 |
10 |
| 1996 |
19/42 |
45.2 |
352 |
- |
3 |
1 |
Now look at his stats in 7 games for the Saint Louis Rams:
| Year |
Comp/Att |
% |
Yards |
Yard/Attempt |
TD |
Int |
Rating |
| 2002 |
138/214 |
64.5 |
1826 |
8.5 |
14 |
6 |
101.5 |
You can see his Rams stats are comparable to 1998 (his junior year) but we
all know the NFL is a whole new ballgame.
If Marc played in more games (let's not get into the conspiracy of his "injury"),
he'd qualify for the NFL's best quarterback rating. He'd be #1 and ranked higher
than two of the potential NFL MVPs named Brett Favre and Rich Gannon. I can
only think that this proves that Mike Martz has a system in Saint Louis that
works. He can take a third-string quarterback and make him the #1 QB in the
NFL. It worked for Kurt Warner who is now a household name and in 2002, he did
it for Marc Bulger.
The real question is can Mike do it again in 2003?
Ram on,
Don