During training camp, the St. Louis Rams signed Marc Bulger to a six-year, $65 million contract extension, with $27 million guaranteed. I have a sneaking suspicion owner Georgia Frontiere could have found better uses for that money. It has become increasingly clear to me that Bulger is damaged goods.
History has taught us that mishandling hazardous or explosive materials shortens life spans. The Martz offense is synonymous with grabbing large chunks of yards, but it is also synonymous with losing large chunks of yards in the form of sacks. And it is synonymous with getting the starting quarterback beaten to a pulp. The timing routes that receivers in that offense run eliminate the quarterback's opportunity to release passes early when facing pressure.
Watch Put Up Your Dukes, a 30-minute, opinion-based talk show starring former NFL offensive lineman Jamie Dukes, airing Tuesday through Friday at 6:30 p.m. ET. Encore performances air each night at 12:30 a.m. ET.
A closer look at the Martz offense shows the lifespan of his signal-callers seems to be five years. Warner's ascent and decent is reminiscent of boxing champs like Hasim Rahman. Warner went from nowhere to MVP to punching bag seemingly overnight. Warner was sacked 108 times and missed 14 games during four seasons as the Rams starter.
Add in the fact that Gus Frerotte, who started in Bulger's place Sunday, is more comfortable with the offense second-year head coach Scott Linehan runs, and it smells like the Rams are in a pretty precarious situation.
By the way, did I mention that John Kitna, Martz's quarterback in Detroit, has been sacked 87 times in 21 games? WOW!
