Losing Anonymity
January 15, 2003 04:36 PM | General
January 15, 2003
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Just a few months ago Marc Bulger could go to the grocery store without being noticed.
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| Marc Bulger was voted MVP by his St. Louis teammates last month. (St. Louis Rams photo) |
But he lost the simple pleasure of anonymity last fall after his six-game performance replacing St. Louis Rams MVP quarterback Kurt Warner. In seven total starts, Bulger completed 138 of 214 passes for 1,826 yards and 14 touchdowns to earn the Daniel F. Reeves Award as the team’s most valuable player. The award is selected by team vote.
The former West Virginia University standout becomes the fifth quarterback to win the award in franchise history and the first since Jim Everett earned the honor in 1989.
“I am honored,” Bulger was quoted on the team’s official web site. “Anytime you have the respect of your teammates – that is the most important thing.”
The Pittsburgh native had three 300-yard passing games and his 1,496 passing yards in his first five starts is the best in NFL history.
Bulger had a career day against San Diego on Nov. 10 when he set a team record for most pass completions in a game (36), topping Warner’s and Dieter Brock’s total of 35. Also in that game, Bulger threw for an NFC single game season high of 453 yards.
Bulger’s 101.5 passer rating was second best in the NFL this season.
Although a relative unknown in NFL circles before this year, Bulger had a prolific college career at WVU.
He is the school’s all-time passing leader and established 25 school records on the way to leading the Mountaineers to two bowl appearances. He believes the attention he received at West Virginia helped him prepare for the media onslaught he encountered in St. Louis.
“I do tell them sometimes that when I was in college they don’t understand West Virginia football and how much it is covered throughout the state,” he said during an impromptu press conference at halftime of his sister Kate’s basketball game against Notre Dame last week. “It’s like a pro team here and they helped me prepare a lot for the St. Louis media. How much coverage we get is probably equivalent to West Virginia.”
Bulger says the national media is a different story, “Everything is pretty cut throat and it’s a lot more critical. It’s definitely a lot more critical on a day-to-day basis.”
Even though he’s become the toast of the town, Bulger has had to prove the skeptics wrong. He went from being a ‘one-game wonder’ to being ‘injury-prone.’
“It’s always something,” he said. “If they’re talking about injuries and not talking about my game then I don’t have anything to worry about.”
His year came to an end in the next to last game of the season against Seattle when he broke a bone in his back between his shoulder blades. However, he is expected to make a complete recovery.
Bulger was also sidelined for a couple of games with an injury to the index finger on his throwing hand.
Once a preposterous notion, it now appears that Bulger will have an opportunity to compete for the starting job with Warner this summer. Bulger is an exclusive rights free agent this spring, meaning the Rams can retain him with a minimum qualifying offer of just $375,000. The Rams owe Warner a $6 million signing bonus and a regular salary of $5.3 million for the 2003 season.
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| Marc Bulger was on hand at a WVU women's game to see his sister Kate score her 1,000th point. (All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks) |
“Hopefully in the next month or two something will be decided,” Bulger said. “There are so many rumors about trading (Kurt) or keeping him because he’s got a big extension coming to him.”
The Rams could choose to exercise their option and resign Warner, release him to make room in the salary cap to sign more players, or trade him. Complicating things is a possible growing rift between St. Louis coach Mike Martz and Warner. Martz was upset that Warner’s wife Brenda called a local radio show and questioned Martz’s honesty over an order to have Kurt’s hand X-rayed.
Warner told a local St. Louis television station that he is not interested in being a backup for the Rams. St. Louis could also trade Bulger but that seems to be an unlikely scenario. However, if he is traded he knows it will be to a team interested in making him a full-time starter.
“I think somewhere down the road I’ll definitely get a chance (to be a starting quarterback),” he said. “Even if I don’t get a new contract next year, I think those six games proved to people that I can play in this league and I don’t have to prove to anyone anymore that I’m a sixth-round pick and I don’t belong in the league.”
Bulger plans on resting his back for the next month before begins throwing again. Because of his growing popularity, his off-season schedule is full of autograph sessions and promotional appearances.
“I’m turning into a yes man, believe me,” he laughed. In the meantime, he’s had an opportunity to catch up with his younger sister Kate, a junior guard on the Mountaineer basketball team. He was able to see her score her 1,000th career point on Wednesday, Jan. 8.
“She’s playing well and I was here to see her score her 1,000th point which is important to me,” he said. “The other night she had 999 and I was actually happy to hear that so I got to see it. I don’t get to see every game but I got to see a special one at least.”
After his performance this season, there’s an excellent chance you’re going to see a lot more of Marc Bulger as well.
