Teammates give Bulger MVP award

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Marc Bulger came from nowhere to lead the St. Louis Rams to all six of their victories, and his teammates rewarded him by voting him team MVP.

The quarterback, honored in a team meeting Friday, just wishes he could have gotten the award under better circumstances instead of the Rams' losing record.

"It's definitely something I'll always cherish, and thank my teammates for," Bulger said. "But I think it's overshadowed by being 6-9."

Bulger, who began the year as the third stringer and was 6-1 in games as the starter, was the first quarterback to be voted MVP since Jim Everett in 1989. Kurt Warner has been league MVP two of the last three years, but lost out in team balloting to Marshall Faulk each of the last three seasons.

Coach Mike Martz said Bulger won in a landslide.

"It was probably well over 90 percent of the team that elected him, so that was a pretty strong statement," Martz said. "Obviously he's had a substantial impact."

Cornerback Travis Fisher, the team's second-round draft pick this year, was selected rookie of the year. Tight end Ernie Conwell was voted the Carl Ekern Spirit of the Game Award for sportsmanship, work ethic and commitment to teammates.

The award is named for a former Rams linebacker who died in an automobile accident in 1990.

In seven starts, Bulger threw for 1,826 yards with 14 touchdowns and six interceptions and an NFL-leading 101.5 passer rating. His 1,496 yards in the first five starts is the best in NFL history, he set a team record with 36 completions against the Chargers Nov. 10 and threw for 453 yards, a league season high this year, against San Diego.

Coach Mike Martz has said Bulger and Warner, both out for the season with injuries, will compete for the job next year. Bulger has three compression fractures in his back after getting sacked early in last week's loss to the Seahawks, and Warner is on injured reserve with his second broken hand of the season.

Bulger said he's only scratching the surface of his potential. He said he can improve in game management, and in learning coverages and blitzes.

"There's definitely things I could have done better," he said. "Guys played, it seemed, a lot better and I was in a better situation than when Kurt and Jamie (Martin) were in there, and I think that reflects in the award I got."

Bulger said he feels surprisingly good, considering he was just injured, almost good enough to play. An MRI exam discovered the injury.

"Twenty years ago I probably would have played," Bulger said. "It really doesn't feel that bad, but I could go out there and get hit once and probably come out of the game.

"They used to play with injures like that because they didn't know any better."

Team doctors estimated Bulger would be able to resume normal activities in six to eight weeks. Bulger said he wouldn't have thrown for two months regardless of whether he'd been injured.

Conwell, a seven-year veteran, recovered from reconstructive knee surgery in 1998. He's played in every game this season and is fifth on the team with 31 receptions for 367 yards and one touchdown. He also has 30 yards on six carries and another score.

"It's humbling," Conwell said. "I never thought my name was going to be called for that."

Fisher is the first cornerback to win the award since Todd Lyght in 1991. He has made 10 starters and leads the team's rookies with 62 tackles, and also has two interceptions.