New (old) coach, old (new) quarterback in place for Rams

By Jeff Dickinson  |   Wednesday, October 01, 2008  |  Comments( 2 )

St. Louis Rams
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Most Rams fans got what they wanted when coach Scott Linehan was fired after the team’s 31-14 loss to Buffalo last Sunday. They also got what they wanted when former starting quarterback Marc Bulger was reinstated for the rest of the season by interim head coach Jim Haslett.

Commentary: Linehan was dismal during his tenure with the Rams, going 3-17 over his final 20 games. Linehan’s firing probably came a season too late, but that’s topic for another debate. The selection of Haslett to replace Linehan likely doesn’t have Rams fans doing cartwheels in St. Louis, but what else was the team going to do? Let’s face it, the only options the Rams had were Haslett and offensive coordinator Al Saunders.

At least Haslett, who's familiar with the personnel, is the polar opposite of Linehan. Haslett, the ex-New Orleans head coach, won’t take a lack of effort without issuing some colorful expletives, benching a player and letting him know that things had better change or else. And at least the team has Bulger back behind center, where he belongs. You don’t pay a guy $65 million to hold a clipboard.

Fan Pulse: Most Rams fans seem glad that Linehan is gone, that Bulger is back at QB and that things can return to normal in St. Louis. Fan posts have hinted at the absurdity of benching the franchise quarterback in Bulger and that Haslett is probably the best coaching option at the present time.

Fantasy Football Impact: With Bulger back and players like Steven Jackson and Torry Holt hopefully having enough pride to want to earn back some league respect, things should improve for their fantasy football owners. That’s not to say that you should start Bulger this week or even next, but don’t be surprised if he starts to put up numbers that more closely resemble his performance from years past.

Injury Watch: Tight end Randy McMichael’s ankle injury is serious and might cost him the rest of the season. Cornerback Tye Hill’s knee injury is severe enough to sideline him for several weeks.
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About Jeff Dickinson

I have been writing and editing professionally for 18 years. I spent the first three years of my career as a sportswriter for a daily newspaper in Alabama and got to cover sports and get paid for it! It was great until I got married and then it wasn't too much fun being away from my wife every ...
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