ST. LOUIS (AP) -A fresh start was exactly what Marc Bulger needed.
After two subpar, injury-filled seasons, the St. Louis Rams quarterback is looking forward to playing under new coach Steve Spagnuolo.
“You have to put it behind you, whether it’s a play or a season or a game,” Bulger said Saturday. “As a quarterback, you just can’t let it bother you. Obviously, it happened. It has been two difficult years.”
Bulger and the rest of the Rams are moving on.
The club had five practices in T-shirts and shorts over three days at Rams Park under Spagnuolo.
“It was a learning experience, but it was also fun,” Bulger said.
The Rams went 2-14 last season, when Bulger had a passer rating of just 71.4 percent on 251-of-440 passing. He threw for 2,720 yards with 11 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
In 2007, after signing a six-year, $65 million contract extension following his second Pro Bowl season, Bulger was limited to 12 games because of injuries. The Rams went 3-13, and Bulger’s passing rating was 70.3. He threw for 2,392 yards with 11 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.
is on a team mentality right now, it would selfish of myself to start thinking about how rough it was or start feeling sorry for myself,” Bulger said. “It’s a clean slate.”
In the minicamp, Bulger showed Spagnuolo what he is capable of doing.
“He threw the ball well,” Spagnuolo said. “He’s probably going to be upset at me because we had the red-zone drill going into the wind instead of with the wind. No, I thought he did a nice job. He’s picking it up really well. He did a nice job.”
The Rams also signed former Ravens quarterback Kyle Boller on Saturday to back up Bulger.
Spagnuolo has left a good impression on Bulger and the rest of the team.
“In the locker room, we’re upbeat and I think guys are taking, I think, a lot more responsibilities here,” Bulger said. “We knew there’s one goal right now and that’s to win games and ultimately to win a Super Bowl. It’s not about any individual’s troubles or upcoming contracts for next year or trying to build a foundation, it’s literally winning games now as a team.”
With a younger receiving corps in 2008, Bulger had a host of new rookie weapons to use on offense. Donnie Avery showed he was not a reach pick in the second round. Fourth-round choice Keenan Burton contributed some once he got playing time.
offense being installed by offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur.
“We’re all learning together,” Bulger said. “In team meetings, we all have to act like we’re rookies again. We’re pretending it’s our first year and going from there.”
Shurmur said he was pleased with Bulger’s minicamp performance.
“What Marc showed me and us is he’s a good decision maker,” Shurmur said. “He’s a very accurate passer and he gets the ball out on time – all things that are primary to being a good quarterback. He’s been very eager and he’s put a lot of time in before the camp so he could come out here and execute.”
There were no apprehensions about a new coaching staff coming in, Bulger said. He said he didn’t have any worries about his position.
“Everything happened pretty quick this offseason,” Bulger said. “A new staff was hired that, obviously, I don’t know. They welcomed me in as I welcomed them. It’s been a great relationship so far. I think once we start winning games, it’ll get stronger.”
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