St. Louis Rams interim coach Joe Vitt has been coy all week about whether rookie Ryan Fitzpatrick earned his first career start. But it was telling on Wednesday when the rookie from Harvard, and not veteran Jamie Martin, met with the media, usually the duty for the No. 1 quarterback. And Fitzpatrick was taking snaps with the first unit while Martin, who had a concussion and blurred vision after absorbing a blow in the first quarter of last week's overtime victory at Houston, watched in sweat clothes. Regardless of Martin's status it's been more or less an open secret around Rams Park that Fitzpatrick, a favorite of Mike Martz's since he drafted Fitzpatrick in the seventh round, will get the nod this week against the Redskins. And why not? It's tough to bench the NFC offensive player of the week. Fitzpatrick threw for 310 yards in three quarters and got the Rams (5-6) to overtime with a pair of scores in the final half-minute before throwing the winning touchdown pass to beat the Texans. His yardage is the third highest by an NFL quarterback in his first game. Still, no official announcement. "I know, it's unbelievable, it's like the Kennedy assassination," Vitt said after practice. "We'll make that decision later in the week."

Mike Martz is feeling better and would like to return to the St. Louis Rams' sideline this season, his agent said Tuesday. Bob Lamonte told ESPN's Chris Mortensen that the coach will ask his doctors for permission to coach again. "Mike's original plan was to retreat to San Diego and reflect on the future, but he has started to feel so well, walking two or three miles a day ... the bottom line: he feels great," Lamonte said. It is unknown whether the doctors will allow him to come back. Martz said Oct. 24 that he would not coach again this season after being diagnosed with endocarditis, a bacterial infection of the lining of the heart or a heart valve. On Thursday, he was taken off medication for the condition.

Orlando Pace missed practice for the second straight day with a hamstring injury, but the six-time Pro Bowl player was optimistic he wouldn't miss any playing time. "I feel good," Pace said. "We'll see what happens. Once the soreness goes down, hopefully I'll be ready to go." Pace hurt his left hamstring on Wednesday when he said a teammate stepped on his foot. "I kind of pulled back and I think I pulled something," Pace said. "I don't think it's that serious, though.

St. Louis Rams quarterback Marc Bulger, who is sidelined by the second right shoulder injury of the year, could miss the rest of the season, team and league sources confirmed. Bulger was knocked out of Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals by a shoulder injury and concussion. An MRI exam on Monday revealed that, while there is no significant structural damage to Bulger's throwing shoulder, there is more swelling in the joint than occurred with a similar injury earlier in the season. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch cited an unnamed Rams official as acknowledging Bulger will "be out quite a while." Three sources told ESPN.com that is an accurate assessment. The original diagnosis was that Bulger would miss two games, but that now seems to be overly optimistic. At 4-6, the Rams' playoff hopes are waning. The team might be reluctant to have its star quarterback return in December and risk further damage to his shoulder, if postseason chances are slim. Journeyman Jamie Martin, who is suffering from bruised ribs, will take over the starting spot. Rookie Ryan Fitzpatrick of Harvard, a seventh-round draft choice, might also get some playing time in the final six games.

St. Louis Rams quarterback Marc Bulger left Sunday's game against Arizona with a bruised right shoulder after getting sacked in the third quarter. Bulger, who missed two games with a sprained shoulder earlier this season, was hurt with 4:42 to go in the third quarter on a sack by blitzing safety Adrian Wilson. Wilson came in clean and drove Bulger's shoulder into the turf on an 11-yard sack. Bulger left the field holding his right arm, and after medical attention on the bench he walked to the locker room. This was his second start after missing two games with the previous shoulder injury. Jamie Martin replaced Bulger.

The NFL and city officials have reached a preliminary agreement on terms to bring a team back to the Los Angeles Coliseum. Commissioner Paul Tagliabue made the announcement Thursday on the steps of City Hall. But he didn't identify a potential tenant or speculate when Los Angeles might get the team. He also spoke positively about a team playing at a facility proposed for the Angel Stadium parking lot in Anaheim and didn't rule out the Rose Bowl in Pasadena as a possible home field, either. As Tagliabue entered a limousine, he was asked if he could assess the significance of what he had just announced. He replied, ``I'd rather not try.'' The commissioner did say: ``It's the first time we've had agreement on term sheets. We're one step closer, two or three steps closer. Whether it's 2009, 2010, or 2000-whatever, our goal is to have definitive agreements on all subject matters well before our league meetings in March.''