ST. LOUIS — Rams backup quarterback Kyle Boller actually brought some energy and verve to a dead offense Sunday, performing assorted stunts and making a bunch of plays to shove the Rams in place for two touchdowns and a field goal to cut Green Bay’s imposing lead to 23-17 in the third quarter.

Boller would cool down, of course.
He is Kyle Boller, after all.
Indeed, Boller faded down the stretch, and the Rams defense suffered serious burns, and at the end of the day we saw the same old sorry scoreboard: Packers 36, Rams 17.
Still, unless you’re a hotshot prospect signed out of the Dominican Republic by the baseball Cardinals, you could see that Boller kick-started the Rams offense.
It was impressive while it lasted. Unfortunately for the Rams, it lasted only about a quarter and a half. During this stretch Boller completed nine of 14 passes for 100 yards and two touchdowns, scrambled twice for first downs to keep drives alive and got out in front of a running play to throw an aggressive block for Steven Jackson to fire up his teammates.
And just like that, the Rams flurried for 17 points after scoring only seven in the season’s first nine quarters under regular starter Marc Bulger.
“Once he was out there, the team was moving the football,” Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo said. “In the end there, when the defense knows what you have to do, it makes it tough on any quarterback. But my gut feeling right now is that he managed the game and had the guys headed in the right direction.”
Poor Bulger had to leave with a shoulder injury, and his status for Sunday’s game at San Francisco is uncertain. But even if Bulger is healthy, Boller should start. That’s obvious. At least he made some plays. At least he performed CPR on this offense. And if nothing else, Boller’s mobility is a plus.
But the Bulger apologists are already on the attack, immediately dissing Boller as they dutifully stand by their man. Of course, these are the same people who insisted that no QB could function in this Rams offense because the offensive line and receivers are a detriment.
The QB has no chance, we were told. OK, so why was Boller able to move the offense, finish drives with a punch and put points on the board?
I can’t believe I’m getting worked up about this.
And that’s Rams football for you.
The franchise has the longest losing streak in the NFL, 13 games. The Rams are 5-30 over the last 35.
And we’re arguing over whether Boller or Bulger should start at quarterback.
It’s absolutely pathetic.
It’s not as if I’m leading a movement for Boller. He’s no long-term answer to the Rams’ QB position. You can’t build a team around Boller. The Baltimore Ravens tried that already. But at least Boller has some zest to his game. He’ll run around and get the defense out of position and make something happen. And that’s something that the battered Bulger hasn’t been able to do for a long time.
Again, this is a stupid debate. If either one of these guys is the Rams quarterback next season, the Rams won’t be any better off than they are now. If you want to join a movement, it should be this: We demand that the Rams install a franchise quarterback for 2010. I’m not saying they have to play the generation-next QB right away in 2010, but you can start prepping him. The Rams won’t be able to truly reset and start a new program until they have a quarterback worth building around.
Enough is enough. The Rams have had the chance to draft three elite young quarterbacks but passed on Jay Cutler in 2006, Matt Ryan in 2008 and Mark Sanchez in 2009. How many more top QB prospects will the Rams ignore to stay the course with Bulger or a stopgap quarterback?
It makes no sense. And the logic — “Well, they’ve invested a lot of money in Bulger” — is one of the goofiest things I’ve heard.
My gosh, when the late Bill Walsh was coaching San Francisco to three Super Bowl championships, he had Joe Montana at quarterback but traded draft picks to Tampa Bay to acquire Steve Young. The Green Bay Packers had Brett Favre but drafted Aaron Rodgers. And as we saw Sunday at The Ed, this Rodgers can play, no?
The San Diego Chargers had Drew Brees but didn’t blink at the chance to get Philip Rivers. The Philadelphia Eagles have Donovan McNabb but signed Michael Vick. New England had an established and winning quarterback in Drew Bledsoe but went ahead to draft and develop Tom Brady.
And the Rams are going to keep passing on a chance to add a viable young quarterback simply because Bulger’s on the roster? And if Boller plays well, what will it be? “Oh, the Rams shouldn’t draft a quarterback. They have Boller. He’s pretty young.”
Stop the madness. You can go ahead and draft the next Chris Long. I’ll go ahead and draft the next Matt Ryan instead.
Bulger or Boller?
Go ahead, you message-board snipers and intellectually challenged talk-show hosts. Have your meaningless little Bulger-Boller debate, and you’ll be missing the point.
You want to make the case for the next Rams quarterback?
Fine, but he isn’t at Rams Park.
Start watching college football games every Saturday afternoon.
That’s where you’ll find him.