Rams bench Bulger, Green to start

ST. LOUIS -- Marc Bulger is out as the St. Louis Rams starting quarterback after throwing only two touchdown passes in three games and will be replaced by 38-year-old Trent Green for Sunday's game against Buffalo.

The benching of the Rams' highest-paid player, announced by coach Scott Linehan in a terse, two-paragraph release Tuesday, signals just how desperate times have become for the sagging franchise. Linehan is 11-24 in his third season, including 0-3 this year with none of the games competitive.

Last week, Linehan was told by new owner Chip Rosenbloom that improvements need to be made or that changes would be forthcoming. This is Linehan's first head coaching job at any level, earned off success as an offensive coordinator with the Dolphins and Vikings. He was a quarterback in college at Idaho.

The team said in the release that Linehan would not comment on his decision until after practice today. The Rams were off Tuesday.

"Scott made an announcement, and he'll amplify it tomorrow," team spokesman Rick Smith said.

The Rams have lost 16 of their past 19 games while getting outscored 116-29. The point total would not have been enough to win any of the first three games, and their mediocre 240-yard total in Sunday's 37-13 loss at Seattle was still a season best for the league's lowest-ranked offense.

Bulger finished 18-for-31 for 184 yards with one touchdown and an interception Sunday, his third consecutive game with less than 200 passing yards.

Linehan had hinted at possible changes during a news conference Monday.

"I foresee evaluating everything," Linehan said. "What they are right now does depend on the health of our team in spots, but I would think that anything's possible at this point as far as our lineup."

Linehan added that he was tempted to make moves just to shake things up.

"Yeah, I think we'd be crazy if we didn't try something different because what we've done for the first three weeks is not working," the coach said.

Green has experience under new offensive coordinator Al Saunders and quarterbacks coach Terry Shea, possible reasons for the switch. Green earned his second Pro Bowl berth in 2005 with the Chiefs while working under those two coaches, throwing for more than 4,000 yards.

Green started for the Chiefs from 2001 until being sidelined by injuries midway through 2006. It is his first start since the fifth week last season for the Miami Dolphins.

Green is from St. Louis and was supposed to be the starting quarterback on the 1999 Rams that won the Super Bowl, signing as a free agent after a successful year as the Redskins' starter the previous season.

Kurt Warner was thrust into the starting role and had a storybook season after Green's season-ending knee injury during the preseason.

The 31-year-old Bulger has been the Rams' starter since 2002, stepping in when Warner was sidelined by injuries. He became the highest-paid player in franchise history after signing a six-year, $65 million contract extension on the first day of training camp in 2007.

Last season, Bulger had only 11 touchdown passes with 15 interceptions while working behind an injury-ravaged offensive line and missing four games because of injuries. He's been sacked 11 times this season.

In his past 31 starts dating to 2006, Bulger has been sacked 97 times.