Always wondered what happened to him in St Louis, he was a All Pro Caliber Qb then just fell off the cliff with injuries, calf, shoulder, the beating he used to take made Rocky turn off the TV. That said, he probably will be the "best" FA Qb this offseason, but here is the rub: Cross out "Marc Bulger" and write "Gus Frerotte" and it is remarkable how similar the situation in 2005 is to today, same age, same rough skillset, big arm not wildly accurate, won games in the past. I am big believer that once a player starts getting nagging injuries in areas, for example Merriman's calves, it requires full non participation in football activities and area targeting weight lifting as the area itself is not healing completely, the scar tissue is not really forming etc. What say you?
Both would be better than what we have, but not the answer in my opinion. But if I had to choose, Hasselbeck...............I guess.
I think you're right... I mean his wide receivers fell off a cliff and his offensive line made him more of a matador than a quarterback. I've always liked Bulger, so I'm a bit biased, but I don't see how anyone not hitching their wagon to Henne (like myself) could say he's a worse option. Bulger is a better-armed Pennington. And for what it's worth, I think Bulger > Hasselbeck
Problem with him is he is a WCO Qb, that is his expertize, so much so he'd be more likely to go to Minnesota then to come to Miami and learn an entirely new offense, at 35 he maybe doesn't want to go through it.
padre do you truly believe this bunch who love their strong armed QBs will go after a MB type? I think not old friend, a much more likely move is a QB pick at 15 such as a Mallett, Locker, or if the stars aline Cam Newton would be their fist pump. Young, or even Russell is more their style, don't you think as a Vet? I swear I can't wait to see just what Ireland will do. There is a part of me that hopes and prays he is totally different than Parcells in his thinking and mind set. Yet the logical thinking in me says it business as usual because of Sparano's increased influnce. To be honest it is the only thing that keeps me interested in FB at this stage what with the lockout talk and chance of no games in 2011.
As Tuco famously said "when the noose is around you neck it is like the devil is pulling on your ***" IE, after Ross's Big Adventure EVERYONE on the Staff knows the clock is ticking this season, a Qb who cannot help to win ballgames is not in the cards imo. Ireland will want to trade out of the #15, whether he can or not remains to be seen, if we stay there I fully expect a Day #1 Starter type for the Oline, or Running Back. With no FA this is a real Dead Zone, like the old days when you had to wait for the Sporting News to come out with even the smallest rumor.
I've always been a big Bulger fan b/c I think he has elite level accuracy. However, I disagree that he has a stronger arm than Pennington. And IMO he fell off b/c injuries dropped his already weak arm below the minimum NFL requirement.
Hennes potential (while fleeting) is still more important than bringing in a guy like Bulger. Sparano and Co. don't just have to win a few games here, they have to field a team that can win playoff games for several years. A 35 yr old QB can't offer that. I've said it before and I'll continue to say it, Henne's our only real shot next season. No Qb in this draft can step in and start day 1 IMO, so even if we take one in the first round, I still see Henne starting. Bringing in a guy like Bulger would only make sense if someone like Mike Martz was our OC. (someone whose worked with Bulger in the past) But really, no qb in this league has any ties to Daboll that we could sign. We're in between a rock and a hard place. I certainly hope the FO isn't sitting on their hands hoping Henne fixes all this for them but until i see otherwise, that's what i think their tenure will come down to.
Watching the NFL today, WCO means nothing. Supposedly predicated on quick passing and timing routes, that's not what Sea does. At least not what I saw.
I don't think Penny would've had the armstrength to make a number of these throws. [video=youtube;h3gC1KMNbBc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3gC1KMNbBc[/video] Notice a lot of them are crisp, with pinpoint accuracy; he throws bullets and lobs as needed.
I would certainly be willing to try Bulger. I've said before one of the few ways to get hold of a passer that performs at a premium level is to buy a guy that is older, has a history of not just good performance but superlative performance, but that most consider to be washed up for one reason or another. You get that kind of guy in the right circumstances and he blossoms. The candidates for that are Marc Bulger, Carson Palmer and Matt Hasselbeck. I don't want Chad Henne and I'm not fond of the idea of grabbing Vince Young. I'm even less fond of the idea of trading for Kevin Kolb. Carson Palmer may be an impossibility, Cam Newton and Blaine Gabbert will both probably go so high in the Draft that for Miami to get up that far without the ability to trade veterans, they would likely have to send their 1st rounder in 2012, which is a steep price tag. Even sending that pick, you still might not get a crack at Newton. I would draft Ryan Mallett but I don't think the front office would do that. Then you're staring at Christian Ponder and Colin Kaepernick, and as you'll see in our Draft Winds piece today, we find it difficult to get behind Kaepernick as THE guy. Christian Ponder we're a little more mixed on, but I think to get a guy with his injury history, his penchant for errors in judgment, not having a whole lot of super keen plays under his belt to outweigh those, a guy that did not improve in his senior year and walks away with a senior year YPA of under 7 yards, a guy with size concerns...to make that guy THE guy you're hitching your future to, is very risky. As risky as doing the same was with Chad Henne? Yeah, I think so. So given all that, I'd certainly take a look at a Marc Bulger, see if I couldn't make him a bridge to the future, which means 2012 when we try and make a play for one of the QBs available in that Draft, Andrew Luck or the USC guy.
I agree CK. I just cannot imagine any circumstance where Chad Henne is the starting QB next eyar in a "must win" year. If that ends up happening we can all take a nap and wake up when it's time for 2012.
I disagree. The lobs were all thrown to the outside or deep. The bullets were almost all in the center of the field. That's exactly what Pennington did. I have always liked Bulger and I watched him quite a bit. Even then I didn't realize how weak his arm was until I saw him in one of those QB challenges. The difference in arm strength between Bulger and every other QB there was monumental. On the other hand, his accuracy and timing was exceptional. It's what he uses to compensate for his lack of arm strength. As for bringing him in, I wouldn't complain depending on his health. I don't see him as any different than Pennington at this point except that I doubt that Pennington ever plays a gain. I think Bulger might never play again, but might have one more year in him.
Yeah I think it's pretty evident we're not talking about a very strong armed guy in Marc Bulger. I've been comparing Pat Devlin to him a lot because like Bulger, Devlin can go entire games where you don't see a ball go off target or un-catchable. He also has questionable arm strength like Bulger. Marc usually made up for his lack of arm with ultra quick timing and decisiveness, including a quick release. He gets the ball in the air about as quickly as you'll see out there from any QB. He shows some aggression at times to hit the spots between the zones and trust his receiver. One great thing about that video is actually taking a look at a number of plays made by a guy I've had my eye on from St. Louis that has had some injury issues de-rail him a little bit, and that is Laurent Robinson. Miami needs a role player, a vertical guy, and I think Robinson could be it, depending on how the Draft goes.
I dont think they make a play for a bridge that has no legs...athletic ability and funtional QB athleticism is a must for me, so I hope its a must for them.
With the current discussion over Bulger this is a good time to bump this one and to point out that this is not the first time LaConfora has brought up Bulger, the news cycle is just so dead with the lockout his "new" comments are being treated as "new" when in fact, he said the same thing 2 months ago... Hmm..turns out I was correct about Irish going for an Olinemen at #15...
I'm just surprised I stayed somewhat consistent on all of this, Frerotte was the "Best of Not Marino" in position #2 behind Pennington, who both ironically only played 1 full season for us before leaving or injury. To me though, does Bulger really make the offense that much better? If so, how so? Even as an efficient Qb what does he really bring to the dance?
The more I look at all the pros and cons of the various options, I'm inclined right now to think he'd be our best one.
Yep, 53% career number and that is where he stayed in Miami, did toss 18 to 13 which was also right around what he did in his career when he played 15 games or so: http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/F/FrerGu00.htm See Bulger is not so much different either: http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BulgMa00.htm When he was going good 22 Td's to 14 int's was about what he could be relied upon for when the Rams signed him to that 62 million dollar deal, the difference is Bulger is more accurate overall. But then he slid to a 1 to 1 Td to Int ratio and his accuracy slid from the mid 60's to the mid 50's, which is odd as guys tend to be accurate and stay accurate, but his total game just went away.
Look, I'm not a huge Bulger fan, it's just a question of what options are available. That being said, I think that he is way more accurate than Frerotte was. Frerotte having more career TDs than INTs surprises me a bit, but overall, watching him play... dude just wasn't very accurate. Bulger is. That being said, I think that Russ Lande sums it up pretty well here, the good and the bad: Marc Bulger — Grade: 5.5 Strengths: Bulger is a smart, veteran quarterback who reads and identifies the defense pre-snap and consistently makes appropriate adjustments. He has outstanding mechanics. A very quick and compact release enables him to set up and get rid of the ball as fast as any QB in the NFL. When he is playing his best, he has excellent drop-back footwork. He sticks his back foot in the ground and strides forward off it into throws. Combined with delivery, he is able to get rid of the ball very fast. He has deceptive arm strength, and he makes short to intermediate throws with good zip and accuracy. Bulger is an extremely accurate passer who does a very good job of leading receivers. He is able to put the ball where only the receiver can catch it. Effective going through progressions, and once he identifies a receiver, the ball comes out of his hand to the target very fast. Weaknesses: Bulger did not look like the accurate and efficient quarterback of past seasons during his final few years in St. Louis. He is going to have to prove he can return to his prior level of play. After taking so much punishment, Bulger became less poised and patient in the pocket. He often made bad decisions in terms of where to throw the ball, or just went down for a sack. In those last seasons in St. Louis, he did not show the same decisiveness in the pocket, which led to him taking longer to get rid of the ball allowing defenders to make plays on too many of his passes. Additionally, Bulger has a slight frame that contributed to him not being able to stay healthy. His durability is a real concern. Bottom line: Bulger is one of the most interesting quarterbacks that will be available once the labor situation gets settled despite the huge fall off in his level of play from 2007-09 with the Rams. Many people believe that much of that was due to the team around him being very bad. When you evaluate Bulger’s play from 2002-06, he displayed excellent decision-making, accuracy and good overall production. He’s undersized and does not have a strong arm, so he does not fit what a lot of NFL teams look for – it’s doubtful a team like the Redskins would be interested in him. But for teams like Arizona, Tennessee, Minnesota and San Francisco, Bulger would be an excellent QB to take a gamble on. He could be the veteran who handles the starting job for one to three seasons while a younger QB is developed. Important to note there are concerns Bulger may not have the passion to be an elite starting quarterback any longer, but we have a feeling that after getting a year away from being pounded like he was in St. Louis, he will be refreshed and could flourish playing for a team like Arizona or Minnesota. Read more: http://aol.sportingnews.com/nfl/fee...ut-has-look-of-shell-shocked-qb#ixzz1NbUvbhp6
we need fresh meat so lets see if he wants to compete, I'am sure he would think he has the best shot of starting with us.
Well, that last paragraph, his passion for the game, that is what concerns me about him, aside from the 2 yr rental aspect, otherwise I'm not utterly against him, do sense some Trent Green in there though, but if he is willing to lay it on the line then we could do much worse. One of the things I like about Young is his drive to play has never really be questioned, but if Bulger has that passion back then why not? Let me add, I'd take him over Collins or Delhomme or possibly Hasselback
