Remember the good ol' days? Back when the Rams still played in LA and then the early part of their stay in St. Louis? I sure do. From 1990 to 1998 the Rams lost 9 or more games per season. The draft pick blunders (see Lawrence Phillips) and the coaching firings. Things were so bad that Cardinal and Lions fans were sending the Rams get well cards. It wasn't until Kurt Warner hit the scene in 1999 that the Rams started to finally win again. Between the Super Bowl run in '99 and up to 2004 St. Louis made the playoffs each season and was a consistent contender in the NFC. Hard times have fallen since, with several 8-8 marks and the removal of Mike Martz as head coach. The team seems to be in a downward spiral, blowing the roster up and starting all over from scratch. I couldn't be happier.
After Mike Martz departure the team turned to former Vikings coordinator Scott Linehan to take control of the team. Linehan's specialty while in Minnesota was offense, but he was not even close to having the capabilities of a Mike Martz. This season the team stares at an 0-3 mark. Marc Bulger has been benched, players are speaking out against the coach, and the team has more problems than the Jerry Springer show. Yet still, it is a good thing to see. To me it shows the NFL is returning to its true great era. The Cowboys are supreme Super Bowl contenders, the 49ers may surprise, and the Lions are the Lions afterall. Was I the only one that felt a little funny seeing the Rams make it to 2 Super Bowls in less than 5 seasons? To me it was like comparing Vince Tobin to Don Shula. Thank goodness things are starting to return to normal.
Parity is at its best as always in the NFL. The good teams aren't as good as we expected and the bad teams, well, are really bad. Seeing the Rams at the very bottom will continue to bring a huge grin to my face. Sure I want the team to do well, all NFL teams should be successful for their fans, but I would not mind seeing these types of seasons in St. Louis continue. If it wasn't for the "sorry ass Rams" line perhaps all of this would be different, but its just too tempting to resist.
