Teams
- St. Louis Rams (2000-2009)
- Baltimore Ravens (2010)
Accolades
- 2x Pro Bowl (2003, 2006)
“Half is not enough protection, half is my fault and half is them just doing a good job. I know it’s 150 percent, but I’m a little tired now.”
—Marc Bulger (source)
Marc Bulger is a classic example of being the right guy, at the right place, at the right time. Drafted in 2000 by the New Orleans Saints, he was waived by them, and later the Atlanta Falcons, before the St. Louis Rams saw some potential and picked him up for the 2001 season. Although he spent the entire year on the practice squad, he showed that patience is truly a virtue, and was greatly rewarded the following year.
In 2002, the Rams were coming off a second NFC championship in three years. Bulger began the season listed as third-stringer. However, a series of injuries to starter Kurt Warner and back-up Jamie Martin, led to Bulger being trotted out in Week 6 as the man taking the snaps for the then 0-5 Rams. Much like Warner did in ’99, Bulger obliterated all expectations, rolling out five consecutive wins to get St. Louis back to .500. Despite his efforts, including a 6-1 performance as starter, the Rams finished a disappointing 7-9, not returning back to the playoffs.
In Week 1 of the 2003 season, the Rams deferred back to Kurt Warner as the team’s primary starter. But after a 23-13 loss to the Giants, head coach Mike Martz tried his hand with Bulger. He never relinquished the position, taking the Rams to a 12-4 regular season. Despite a league-leading 22 interceptions, he threw for 3,845 yards. But the Rams return to the playoffs was a disappointment. Despite 332 yards in the air, Bulger threw three picks to a Carolina Panthers team that greatly defied expectation, going all the way to Super Bowl XXXVII.
In 2004, Bulger would greatly improve, airing the ball out to the tune of 3,964 in just 14 games, throwing eight fewer interceptions than the previous year. The Rams eked out an 8-8 record, just good enough to return to the postseason. Enjoying greater success this time, Bulger guided St. Louis to a 27-20 win over division champs Seattle, before being downed by Atlanta 47-17 in the Divisional round. In two playoff games, he would throw for 612 yards and four TDs.
Marc Bulger’s 2005 season was abruptly halted after eight starts. In a loss to Arizona, the Rams dropped to 4-6, and Bulger was placed on the IR with an injured shoulder. He would finish the season with an NFL-best 287.1 yards passing per game. Looking to bounce back in 2006, he would have his best season statistically. Starting all 16 games, Bulger threw for career best 4,301 yards and 24 touchdowns. He also passed for only eight interceptions. This helped Bulger get named to his second, and final, Pro Bowl.
Despite seemingly finding the Fountain of Youth at age 29, the 30s were far less kind to the Rams’ starter. Starting 12 games in 2007 and 15 more in 2008, the Rams could only muster two wins in each season under his tutelage. More misery in the Gateway City would ensue in 2009 as the Rams only won a single game in eight Bulger starts before another injury ended his season. St. Louis finished with an abysmal 1-15 record and promptly drafted Sam Bradford out of the University of Oklahoma as their signal caller of the future, ending Marc Bulger’s tenure as the team’s franchise QB.
Although Bulger finished his career unceremoniously as the back-up to Joe Flacco in Baltimore during the 2010 season, there is much to celebrate in a very productive career. He managed to replace a future Hall of Famer in Kurt Warner and not miss a beat, guiding St. Louis to consecutive playoff appearances. He reached 1,000 completions faster than any previous quarterback by two games. Some might give credit to Martz’s system more than Bulger himself, but the execution was absolutely there. Two Pro Bowls, three seasons of over 3,800 yards passing, and two playoff appearances (in which he averaged 315 yards passing per game) are signs of a successful quarterback. While Warner’s act was a tough one to follow in St. Louis, Bulger’s record shows that he’s far more than just a footnote in Rams history.
Deviation Chart
| Season | W-L% | Tot Y/G | Tot TD/G | Tot TO/G | Y/C/Y/A | Cmp % | TD% | Int% |
| Reg Season | -0.038 | 0.028 | -0.013 | 0.056 | 0.028 | 0.034 | -0.028 | 0.027 |
| Playoffs | -0.093 | 0.179 | -0.061 | -0.082 | 0.184 | -0.003 | -0.073 | 0.135 |
Longevity Bonus = 0.6 Title Bonus = 0.0
Index Score = 1.156 (average QB = 0.0)
Deviation Rank (out of 155)
| Season | W-L% | Tot Y/G | Tot TD/G | Tot TO/G | Y/C/Y/A | Cmp % | TD% | Int% |
| Reg Season | 129th | 39th | 90th | 68th | 49th | 54th | 123rd | 75th |
| Playoffs | T-110th | 5th | 93rd | 119th | 14th | 84th | 105th | 121st |
Why is he on the Top 100 list?
Bulger carried on the “Greatest Show on Turf” to the tune of the 39th best total yards per game deviation of all 155 QBs studied. On top of this, he was also 49th in yards/completion + yards/attempt average, and 54th in completion percentage. Additionally, three playoff games in which he averaged 315 yards in the air was a benefit to helping him rise up the list.
Why isn’t he higher on the list?
Unfortunately, Bulger paid the price for three disastrous final years in St. Louis in which he only led them to five wins. His overall record of 41-54 (which was 36-24 after the 2006 season) puts him in the bottom 30 of this analysis. Also, despite being airborne for his entire career, he never threw more than 24 TDs in a season. This puts him in the bottom 40 of QBs all-time for touchdowns per attempt.
The Quarterback Project 