FanHouse Adam Carriker

In the weeks leading up to the Biggest Weekend of the NFL Offseason, I've wondered why the Rams haven't shown more interest in quarterbacks Matthew Stafford or Mark Sanchez. St. Louis has the second overall pick, managed just five wins in two seasons, and Marc Bulger looks like he's had enough.

Bulger's perceived disposition is a familiar one; quarterbacks who play behind an offensive line in name only often exhibit some combination of apprehension and apathy after years of physical abuse (Jon Kitna, David Carr, and Joey Harrington also come to mind). Of course, that's a solid argument for why the Rams should take Jason Smith or Eugene Monroe -- offensive tackles who could start immediately.

It's not clear if Marc Bulger is injured or just embarrassed, but with six minutes to go in the first quarter, he's on the bench and the ageless Gus Frerotte has been summoned to the field to take the beating that forced Bulger to the sidelines.

Shockingly, on Frerotte's first play from scrimmage ... he was sacked. Bulger was sacked just once in three series, but he took plenty of hits. By the way, only Jon Kitna of the Lions has been sacked more than Rams' quarterbacks this season. And as far as I know, God doesn't protect Bulger/Frerotte like He does Kitna.

I mentioned Bulger might be embarrassed, but that has nothing to do with playing in St. Louis and everything to do with trying to throw a shovel pass to kill the play only to have Seahawks defensive end Patrick Kerney intercept it. Yes, this is your 2007 St. Louis Rams.

Silver lining: rookie first-rounder Adam Carriker recorded a safety, Steven Jackson ripped off a 53-yard touchdown run, and the Rams lead 9-7.

UPDATE: Bulger's done for the day with a concussion. I still say he's embarrassed about that dopey pick.

Is there any NFL rookie whose team has higher expectations for him than Rams defensive lineman Adam Carriker?

Sure, there are rookies whose teams might have bigger long-term plans for them than the Rams have for Carriker, like Calvin Johnson in Detroit. And teams always think of their first-round quarterbacks as the future of their franchise, but Cleveland's Brady Quinn isn't a starter and Oakland's JaMarcus Russell isn't even signed.

Carriker, on the other hand, has Rams coach Scott Linehan saying things like this:

"He's the best addition we've made to our defense since I've been here. He's kind of a throwback all-football guy, with unbelievable work ethic and practice habits. He's got an inner cockiness that I love. Early on, we were moving a few things around on defense, and he told [defensive coordinator] Jim Haslett: 'Hey, I'm the nose.' It'll surprise me if he's not a great player in this league.''

Coaches usually take a "show me" attitude toward rookies. For a head coach to talk in such gushing terms about a rookie indicates that the expectations are very, very high.

Adam Carriker played quarterback at Kennewick High School, and his father claims he can throw a football 80 yards. Of course, Kennewick went 0-9 in Carriker's senior year, so he was probably wise to switch to defensive end.

As he bulked up for his switch from quarterback to defensive end, Carriker earned the nickname Ivan Drago, after the Russian boxer in Rocky IV. Ivan Drago is even part of his e-mail address. I hope his first words in his first press conference with his new team will be "I defeat all man. Soon I defeat real champion."

Although most people thought he'd play for a 3-4 team, I like the fit of Carriker in St. Louis. He won't get double-teamed much there, and I see him having a big rookie year.

When you want to run a 3-4 defense in the NFL, as 49ers coach Mike Nolan does, preparing for the draft can be a difficult process: There just aren't many prospects who have experience playing in the 3-4. Although NFL coaches are increasingly running it, Virginia's Al Groh is just about the only college coach who prefers a 3-4 front.

So when a coach like Nolan sees a player who looks like he'd be a natural to move to the 3-4 in the NFL, he begins to salivate. And that's why just about everyone who follows the 49ers is looking at Nebraska defensive end Adam Carriker as the team's most likely first-round pick. This 49ers fan Q&A on the draft begins with a question on the merits of Carriker vis-a-vis Mississippi linebacker Patrick Willis, and this mock draft compilation shows Carriker as the 49ers' most likely pick.

Personally, I think it makes a lot of sense. Carriker can rush the passer from the inside and stop runs to the outside. He'd be a perfect fit in San Francisco.