St. Louis ? Bad habits are keeping Marc Bulger from having better numbers.

The St. Louis Rams’ quarterback generally seemed a beat off in a 26-20 victory Monday night over the Browns with one touchdown pass and one interception. Coach Mike Martz said this week, as the Rams prepared for the Seahawks, he would make minor technique items, like knee flex and balance, a point of emphasis.

“It’s very simple to correct,” Martz said. “It’s all about timing and footwork.”

Bulger has firmly established himself as the No. 1 quarterback ahead of two-time MVP Kurt Warner, but has had his share of struggles in recent weeks. In his last six games he has six touchdown passes and 12 interceptions.

At times Monday, Martz said, Bulger didn’t have the proper knee bend, and that sent everything else off-kilter.

“When Marc gets spread out in his drop, then he’s later to set; he’s off-balance because he’s stiff-legged and the accuracy starts to diminish,” Martz said. “That’s not like Marc.

“He’s always a very short strider, knees bent, compact, ready to get rid of the ball at any time.”

When Martz and Bulger went over the game tape Tuesday, both immediately noticed the flaws. Bulger hadn’t noticed any problem during the game, but Thursday he said he might have been hindered by a sore oblique muscle.

“I’m maybe just a little late, or it affects the velocity of the ball or different things,” Bulger said.

St. Louis quarterback Marc Bulger fires a pass against the Browns. The action took place Monday night in Cleveland. The Rams are trying to correct flaws in Bulger's technique.

He also said this late in the season it was probably time for a refresher course.

“You’ve been doing it so long, sometimes you get away from fundamentals,” Bulger said. “You can’t allow yourself to do that. Luckily, I have a coach like coach Martz that notices things and can fix them quick.”

All the wide receivers know is that things were a little off.

“I don’t really watch him bending his knees, but coach Martz, he notices things like that with every position,” Isaac Bruce said. “I think we just missed a couple of opportunities on Monday. We’ll rectify that, and we’ll be fine.”

Bulger’s less-than-scintillating numbers lately — he was 22-for-36 for 223 yards against the Browns — have done nothing to lessen his standing. Martz chalks it up to growing pains for Bulger, who is 16-3 as the starter.

“I used to tell Kurt in warmups, ‘Boy, you’re awful big at the back of your drop, quicken it up a little bit,”‘ Martz said. “All through the week Marc was fine but during the game you can get excited.

“Those things are easy to fix.”

Despite his successes, Bulger knows he’s still learning.

“I have a long way to go,” Bulger said. “This is my first full year, minus the first game, that I’ve been starting in the NFL and you learn new stuff every week.

“We’re winning and that’s all that matters, but I have a lot more to see and learn.”

A technique tuneup for Bulger could help revive an offense that has sagged inside the 20 this season. The Rams are ranked 22nd in red zone production, although they’re much better at home (18-for-30 on touchdowns) than on the road (11-for-29).

Monday at Cleveland they had to lean on four short field goals by Jeff Wilkins after stalling.

Bulger wants Wilkins to get a lot less work, at least on field goals, this week. The Rams (10-3) can wrap up the NFC West with a victory over the Seahawks.