Rams' Bulger back at practice, expects to start at Cincinnati

"It's the doctors. My decision is going to be based upon it. If they say I can go back in and not risk anything further, I'll play," Bulger said. "It's a little bit complicated because it's a head thing. It's not an X-ray. It's a little bit different. That's why the communication has to be here this week. If they clear me to play, I'm going. If there is a doctor that thinks that I have a risk of further injury, then I'm not going."

The Rams likely will have Brock Berlin as Bulger's backup. Regular backup Gus Frerotte sprained his right shoulder in Sunday's 28-16 win over the Atlanta Falcons.

Surgery is not necessary for Frerotte, Linehan said.

"No, I think it was just a partial tear of the labrum," he said. "It is a couple weeks before you can get that back. It was a sprained shoulder that he sustained when he fell on it on that first interception when he got hit."

Berlin was signed from the practice squad Nov. 27. Though Berlin has never attempted a pass in a regular-season game, Linehan said he wouldn't hesitate to play him, if necessary.

"I'm 100 percent confident in Brock. That's why we activated him and brought him here," Linehan said. "He was on our practice squad and played for us and played well for the most part in the preseason. He's been training at this level. He played in Europe."

Notes

• The Rams placed CB Ty Hill on injured reserve. Hill had surgery Monday after experiencing numbness in his left hand. He is the 10th Rams player and sixth starter to go on IR this season.
• T Rob Petitti got a concussion in Sunday's game and will undergo a baseline test.