Passing solutions- Rams set, Falcons fret

ST. LOUIS -- Win or lose, touchdown pass or interception, hero or goat, Marc Bulger projects the same cool demeanor.

The man who replaced two-time MVP Kurt Warner as the Rams' starting quarterback insists it's no act. He doesn't expect stage fright tonight when the Rams (2-2) host the fading Falcons (1-4).

"Whether you're playing Atlanta on Monday night or Arizona on Sunday afternoon, it doesn't matter to me," said Bulger, who will make his second Monday night start. "As long as we approach every game the same, we'll be OK."

Humility blended with confidence -- not bad for a player with 10 career starts. Then again, he's 8-2.

"The players, especially the offensive line, we have the utmost confidence in a guy back there who doesn't look like he's a deer caught in the headlights," offensive tackle Kyle Turley said. "Believe me, I've seen that in a lot of young quarterbacks, and Marc Bulger is ready to take it to the next level."

Coach Mike Martz thinks so, too, although the Bulger he deals with seems to be more excitable than the version the media sees. To the coach, the tension shows up in his too-rapid read progressions and overthrown long balls.

"He's so anxious, he's still going a little fast," Martz said. "Trust me, he is going 100 mph."

That said, there is no hint of a quarterback controversy at Rams Park. Bulger, who will be making his fourth straight start, leads the NFC with a 66.1 percent completion rate and has become a quiet leader in the locker room.

"What he's doing so well is he's managing the game well," Martz said. "When we get a bad play, he's not making a bad play worse."

Bulger has not acquired an ego, either. Since taking over in Week 2 after Warner sustained a concussion in the opener, Bulger has never failed to say all the right things.

This week he's turned down several interview requests to allow him to better prepare for the game.

"I just try to keep what's important in life No. 1, and there's a lot of things that are a lot more important than football," Bulger said. "Sometimes people lose perspective and think they're the most important thing."

Bulger's opposite number will be Falcons backup Doug Johnson. This game had been projected as the return of Michael Vick from a broken leg sustained in the preseason, but he was ruled out after pain prevented him from running on a treadmill last week.

"I'm not really missing Vick," Rams defensive lineman Tyoka Jackson said. "I miss him as a fan, watching him play against everybody else, but he'll be on the sideline and that's fine for me."

Vick's status further downgrades the game from a matchup filled with star power into something less intriguing. Besides the benched Warner, the Rams will be without Marshall Faulk, out at least three more weeks with a broken left hand.

Falcons coach Dan Reeves isn't sure how much longer the Falcons, a playoff team last year, will be without Vick.

"He hasn't even started running," Reeves said. "How long is it before a guy can play when he hasn't even started running?

"It's not something we've spent a lot of time worrying about."

Johnson is coming off his first career 300-yard passing game, going 28-for-40 for 352 yards in a loss last week to the Vikings. All he knows is he's 1-4.

"I could care less what the stats are, the bottom line is winning ballgames," Johnson said. "Hopefully I can come out and play as well or better than I did last week, and hopefully we can get a win."

The Falcons are playing on a Monday night only because of the Vick factor and will make their first prime time appearance since the final game of the 1999 season. This year, they've lost four in a row since beating the Cowboys in the opener.