It’s been an unusual week for Rams backup quarterback Kyle Boller. Boller likes to run the scout team in his role as the backup, but this week has been particularly important because he is impersonating Colts quarterback Peyton Manning in practice.

For that, there was as much preparation for the scout team than if he was the starter.

“Yes, there’s a lot more prep than usual,” Boller said after Thursday’s practice. “One time, I forgot the play because I was thinking so much about all the other things he does before the snap. I’ve actually been losing my voice because I’ve been doing more talking than usual.”

Manning goes through numerous motions (“gyrations,” said defensive coordinator Ken Flajole), and yells out calls. Boller has done all that, while yelling things like “Frisco” or “Oreo.” He’s even yelled his own name a few times.

Asked if he just calls things that pop into his head, Boller said, “No, I’ve got to think about it a little bit and come up with proper nouns.”

Asked about the job Boller has done, Flajole said, “Other than some of the names he is yelling out, ice creams and Boller-Boller, all those type of things, he has actually done a great job for us. He has really given us a great look this week.”

Asked if he has ever heard a player yell out ice creams, Flajole said, “Not as often; not as many flavors as Kyle has. I am going to call him Baskin-Robbins he’s got so many flavors going on out there.”

There is always debate over how much Manning does is real and how much isn’t. Said Flajole, “Some of it is legit and some of it is just like, it was mentioned, he’s trying to get you to tip your hand. He’ll double count you and he’ll maybe get in the shot gun and lift a leg and bark out a signal and make it seem like he’s about ready to snap the football. What he really wants you to do is get into what you are going to play so that now he can see your shell in the back end, maybe see your spacing with your fronts so that he can get an idea of what he wants to get to so he gets into the best play possible. That’s what he’s done a great job of; he gets people to expose themselves early and he’s got such a great understanding of the game, he’ll get you into a play that can take advantage of what you are in.

“We are trying to make sure whatever we call, whatever we play, trying to make it tough on him to know what we are in so at least he has to work post-snap instead of pre-snap. The people I think that get into trouble are the people that pre-snap tell them what they are doing and sometimes he does a great job of forcing you to do that, but if you can make him work a little bit after the snap, maybe the playing field is a little more level.”

Rams starter Marc Bulger was asked about Boller’s theatrics and joked, “We were trying to get him to wear the same helmet (Revolution) that Peyton wears.”

Said Boller, “I wasn’t going to go that far. I don’t want to get a headache ... But I might bring out the towel.”

The big question is whether the Rams will have to throw out the towel at some point Sunday.


AS FOR FISHER ...

The Titans’ coach caught heat this week in Nashville at a fundraiser for wearing a Peyton Manning jersey.

Former Colts coach Tony Dungy was in attendance for the benefit in support of Rocketown, a faith-based youth center. Rocketown was started by Christian singer Michael W. Smith, who is friends with Fisher.

It didn’t set well with fans, considering the Titans’ winless record and that Fisher joked about feeling like a winner wearing the jersey.

When Fisher was still being questioned by the media about the move, he said, "I think I've said enough about it, and if you want to make more about it, you can go ahead and be as critical as you want to be. I've said enough about it. I was simply having fun, and in retrospect, if I had the chance to do it all over again, I would do the same thing."

Prior to that, he had apologized “if I offended anyone, but if you’re offended over the nature of that type of thing, then I think you need to rethink things.”

Fisher concluded, "If anyone has ever heard me speak and do things, I try to capture the audience's attention. I did that out of respect for Tony and everybody there. I think it went over very well. If anybody was offended by it, I can't help that. I'm not gonna walk around here 0-6 with my tail between my legs. That's just not my nature. It's OK to have a sense of humor and have some fun."


CALL ME CRAZY ...

But the Rams have a better chance of improving this season with new wide receiver Brandon Gibson than linebacker Will Witherspoon.

Outside linebackers are simply not featured players in 3-4 defenses. Witherspoon is advancing in age, will be 30 next year, and was scheduled to be paid $5 million in 2010. The defense won’t see much of a dropoff, if any, with Paris Lenon starting on the weak side instead of Witherspoon.

Gibson, however, once he becomes comfortable with quarterback Marc Bulger, will be at worst the third-best receiver on the roster. If, and it is an if ... if he can contribute at any level, that will make the offense better.

Heck, one touchdown drive in the second half against Jacksonville could have won that game.

Gibson had 1,180 receiving yards (17.6 yards per catch) during his junior season, but his production fell as a senior with a new coaching staff and five different quarterbacks playing during the season.

He was good enough in training camp for the Eagles to keep him as the seventh receiver on the roster.

There is one other irony when it comes to Witherspoon. All the personnel experts in town said for three years he was out of position playing middle linebacker.

Monday night for the Eagles, he is expected to start for the Eagles ... at middle linebacker. But, then, what do the Eagles know about defense?