By Nick Wagoner
Senior Writer

Without a second thought, Kyle Boller flung himself into Green Bay cornerback Charles Woodson in an attempt to spring running back Steven Jackson for more yards.

Nevermind that Boller was playing quarterback and not left tackle or even wide receiver. Nevermind that he had just entered the game for an injured Marc Bulger only about 15 plays earlier.

Boller will never second guess himself when it comes to doing whatever it takes to help his team win on Sundays. But that doesn’t mean a sixth-round rookie signal caller with no NFL playing experience can’t inquire about why exactly Boller would so fearlessly throw himself into the fray only moments after the starting quarterback had been lost for the game with a shoulder injury.

“The one guy that did remind me was Keith Null,” Boller said. “He said, ‘What are you doing?’ I said, ‘I am playing football man’.”

Boller doesn’t know any other way to do it. He did it in the preseason and his daring scrambles into the teeth of opposing defenses come with little to no regard for his health. All Boller is looking for is a way to better his team’s chances to win a football game.

Against Green Bay last week, that’s precisely what Boller did in leading the offense to three scoring drives soon after entering the game to replace Bulger.

Although no decision has been officially made in terms of the starter for this week’s game, Bulger sat out Wednesday’s practice because of the bruised rotator cuff in his right shoulder and Boller took all of the repetitions with the first team.

Bulger said he feels better now than he did when he woke up on Monday but he still isn’t able to throw and he won’t play unless he can practice sometime this week.

“I will do what’s smart for the team,” Bulger said. “If I can practice this week, I will go but if I don’t practice I doubt I will go.”

And if Bulger can’t practice, the opportunity to practice with the first team all week should only help Boller feel more comfortable than coming in cold off the bench in the middle of a game.

“You guys can see it,” coach Steve Spagnuolo said. “Kyle’s a fiery guy very confident in what he does. I think a week of working together, if Kyle is the guy and he is able to work with the wide receivers that are going to play in the game, I think that will help.”

The chance to work with the top unit is far from a foreign concept to Boller. When Bulger suffered a broken right pinkie early in the preseason, Boller was asked to step in and replace him.

That time was extremely valuable for Boller because it was his first chance to get acquainted to some of the players on the top unit and develop chemistry and timing with the top unit.

“I do think going back to preseason, where he had to play those games, the team understands and knows…he knows…I think there’s some confidence there,” Spagnuolo said. “I’m hoping that that will help us and will help him. I certainly feel that way.”

In last week’s game Boller misfired by a lot on his first couple of pass attempts and took a bit of time to settle in. When he did, though, the Rams found a way to move the ball better than they had at any point prior in the season.

Boller and Bulger are different quarterbacks in a lot of ways, not the least of which is Boller’s ability to scramble and get out of the pocket when things break down. Boller rushed four times for 31 yards and extended a number of other plays that eventually led to positive yards.

“He can extend plays,” tight end Randy McMichael said. “He’s a very tough guy. He can move around in the pocket which allows you to continue to move around and get open to make a play.”

Boller took only scout team repetitions in the practices leading up to last week’s game.

“With me, when you don’t take very many reps in practice, I could sit there and say that a certain play I have a five-step drop and actually going out there and not having taken a rep of it, I might take an extra two by accident,” Boller said. “It is those little things, the details of fine tuning everything to where, if take that five-step and get it out of my hand, it might have been the difference in me putting the ball in front of the guy or behind the guy. It is little things like that that really will make a big difference.”

Spagnuolo said Wednesday the Rams will wait to see if Bulger improves by Thursday’s practice and if he’s able to do something. In the meantime, no definitive decision will be made.

For his part, Bulger says playing this week isn’t something he will rule out but he also acknowledges that it’s far from a sure thing.

“It would have to be a major improvement but we are taking it day to day,” Bulger said. “It’s tough to judge with muscles. It’s easier with bone you know exactly how long it’s going to be to heal. With muscles, it’s a little more difficult.”

In the meantime, Boller is preparing as though he’s going to start. And if that happens, he says he won’t adjust the way he approaches the game simply out of fear of ending up injured.

“That’s my game,” Boller said. “I go out there and I play every week. I have fun with that. I love playing football. I am going to go out there and just be myself. I am not going to press or try to do anything different. I am going to go out there and play like I know how to play.”