Rams quarterback Bulger returns to practice

 

ST. LOUIS (AP) -Rams quarterback Marc Bulger was back in practice Wednesday after sitting out last week’s game with a concussion.
Bulger was injured in the first quarter of a 24-19 loss to the Seahawks on Nov. 25. He passed a neuropsych exam Tuesday – after failing it last week – and was cleared to practice.
Bulger is expected to start Sunday when the Rams (3-9) travel to Cincinnati to play the Bengals (4-8).
“I got through practice today,” Bulger said. “I was a little tired, but I don’t know if that was from being off for 10 days. I guess we’ll just keep things monitored throughout the week and see how things go.”
Coach Scott Linehan said he thought Bulger finished practice in good shape.
“I thought he was good. I didn’t see any change,” Linehan said. “You know, he didn’t do anything last week so it was probably just getting back out there. We will evaluate it and see how he feels and go again tomorrow and see how he feels tomorrow.”
The team’s medical staff checks Bulger each day, Linehan said. Bulger also consults with his own doctors about his condition.
“I just want to make it clear that it’s a first step,” Bulger said. “When you take a baseline test, it’s not, ‘You take this test then you’re cleared to play.’ It’s one thing to take a test and be cleared for practice; it’s another to be cleared to play in an NFL game.”
That’s because quarterbacks tend to get smacked around.
“If you’re in the NFL, I don’t care if you’re Tom Brady or Peyton Manning, you’re going to get hit, simple as that,” Bulger said. “Weighing on the decision will be the fact that I will get hit. No one’s going to go through a perfect game without getting hit.”
Linehan says he doesn’t have a problem with Bulger seeking additional medical opinions.
“I think it is smart. I think you have to do that,” Linehan said. “Again, if he was not cleared or if there was any hesitation by the doctors or himself of being available to play, then we won’t play him.”
Bulger said the final say will be left to medical professionals.
“It’s the doctors. My decision is going to be based upon it. If they say I can go back in and not risk anything further, I’ll play,” Bulger said. “It’s a little bit complicated because it’s a head thing. It’s not an X-ray. It’s a little bit different. That’s why the communication has to be here this week. If they clear me to play, I’m going. If there is a doctor that thinks that I have a risk of further injury, then I’m not going.”
The Rams likely will have Brock Berlin as Bulger’s backup. Regular backup Gus Frerotte sprained his right shoulder in Sunday’s 28-16 win over the Atlanta Falcons.
Surgery is not necessary for Frerotte, Linehan said.
“No, I think it was just a partial tear of the labrum,” he said. “It is a couple weeks before you can get that back. It was a sprained shoulder that he sustained when he fell on it on that first interception when he got hit.”
Berlin was signed from the practice squad Nov. 27. Though Berlin has never attempted a pass in a regular-season game, Linehan said he wouldn’t hesitate to play him, if necessary.
“I’m 100 percent confident in Brock. That’s why we activated him and brought him here,” Linehan said. “He was on our practice squad and played for us and played well for the most part in the preseason. He’s been training at this level. He played in Europe.”
Notes: The Rams placed CB Ty Hill on injured reserve. Hill had surgery Monday after experiencing numbness in his left hand. He is the 10th Rams player and sixth starter to go on IR this season. … T Rob Petitti got a concussion in Sunday’s game and will undergo a baseline test.