Lombardi: Bulger wants to play in Arizona
Apr 22, 2011, 4:01 PM | Updated: 5:49 pm
This time next week the Cardinals’ quarterback situation might be a little more clear. They might have drafted a signal-caller high enough to give him the advantage in the race to be the team’s starter.
Until then, the speculation continues. And the Marc Bulger train has picked up another passenger.
“There’s a lot of question marks in this [quarterback] area but I do know this: I know Marc Bulger wants to play in Arizona and I do know that the Cardinals would like to have Marc Bulger,” said NFL analyst Michael Lombardi as a guest on Sports 620 KTAR’s Doug and Wolf Friday morning. “Now whether they get a contract or not remains to be seen.”
The analyst joins a list that gets longer by the day of those who believe Joe Flacco’s backup will start next season in an Arizona Cardinals uniform. ESPN’s John Clayton is also on board with the idea.
To Lombardi, Bulger’s the likeliest choice because of the uncertainty among the other possibilities. According to him though, Carson Palmer and Donovan McNabb should be crossed off the list.
“[Bengals owner] Mike Brown thinks Carson Palmer is going to retire and the only way he’s going to unretire is to come back to Cincinnati,” Lombardi said. “I think Donovan McNabb will eventually end up in Minnesota.”
As for the more popular candidates among Cardinals fans, Kevin Kolb and Matt Hasselbeck’s futures remain up in the air for now.
“Matt Hasselbeck turned down a decent deal from the Seattle Seahawks before free agency [and] before the lockout happened so I think he’s a wild card,” Lombardi said. “I’m not sure where Kevin Kolb is going to end up. I used to think he was going to Cleveland, [but] I’m not sure anymore.”
While it appears his best years may be behind him, Bulger remains a viable option. There’s a strong possibility he at least completes passes to Larry Fitzgerald, while a rookie learns on the sidelines and takes over at some point during the season.
Then again, the Cardinals have had their success with former St. Louis Rams quarterbacks. Does a certain Kurt Warner ring any bells?
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