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http://www.stltoday.com/sports/colu...cle_8f56c983-a8eb-5b3e-b9f6-4c7cf5a46f99.html
Let us begin by acknowledging that it hasn’t been all bad.
There was the memorable Super Bowl victory by the spectacular 1999 “Greatest Show on Turf” Rams, a special team personified by an exciting cast of playmakers who tormented NFL defenses by scoring more than 500 points for three consecutive seasons.
We were treated to the mad-genius stylings of Air Coryell, and his Cardinals offense that led the way to a 31-11 record between 1974-1976. With Don Coryell and “Greatest Show” choreographer Mike Martz, our town has been entertained by two of the most brilliant offensive minds in modern NFL history.
There have been a few fantastic quarterback-receiver combinations. Jim Hart to Mel Gray, Neil Lomax to Roy Green, Kurt Warner to Isaac Bruce. There were two dazzling all-purpose backs in Marshall Faulk and Terry Metcalf.
St. Louis defenses have offered some great moments, like the 52 interceptions and a thousand safety blitzes by No. 8, Larry Wilson. And of course, who can ever forget “The Tackle” by Mike Jones?
Five Hall of Famers have represented St. Louis NFL teams: Wilson, tight end Jackie Smith, offensive tackle Dan Dierdorf, cornerback Roger Wehrli and Faulk.
Unfortunately …
There have been odd coaching hires (Bud Wilkinson). And too many misspent first-round draft choices. That regrettable roll call includes names such as Steve Little, Steve Pisarkiewicz, Clyde Duncan, Jason Smith, Trung Canidate and Tye Hill. There were bizarre personnel decisions that led to important players walking as free agents — with middle linebacker London Fletcher perhaps the most glaring example.
We’ve endured eccentric ownership, erratic management and front-office friction. There’s been sadness and tragedy including the death of talented tight end J.V. Cain, who collapsed during a 1979 training-camp practice and succumbed to heart failure on his 28th birthday.
There’s been damaging franchise instability. The Chicago Cardinals moved to St. Louis in 1960. The Cardinals left for Arizona in 1988. The Los Angeles Rams relocated to St. Louis in 1995. Whew.
There have been multiple stadium controversies, including the current standoff between the Rams and the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission.
And all the while, St. Louis football teams have played under the formidable shadow of a popular, successful and historically prestigious baseball franchise.
This reality prompted Lomax, the quarterback, to cite the baseball team’s mascot when making this observation before the Cardinals moved to Arizona in 1988:
“Fredbird is more popular than we are.”
Few would have argued the point.
More than anything, there have been too many losing NFL seasons.
If we connect their histories, the Cardinals (1960-1987) and Rams (1995 to present) have combined for only 16 winning records in 47 seasons.
Only eight of those 47 seasons ended with a St. Louis team qualifying for the NFL playoffs.
As the Rams get ready to play the New Orleans Saints today at the Edward Jones Done, the overall St. Louis NFL record consists of 703 regular-season games, 313 victories, 375 losses and 15 ties for a winning percentage of .455.
If the 5-8 Rams lose any of their final three games, they’ll have their ninth consecutive losing season — and 10th straight non-winning season. There have been only five longer streaks of losing seasons in NFL history, most recently a 10-year skid by Detroit from 2001 through 2010.
Yes, things could be worse. Since NFL football arrived in St. Louis in 1960, several NFL markets have had franchises with poorer overall winning percentages including Tampa Bay, Detroit, Atlanta and New Orleans.
But except for the two magnificent runs turned in by Coryell’s Cardinals and the Greatest Show Rams, the St. Louis NFL experience has been filled with futility and mediocrity. The Cardinals had 12 winning records in their 28 seasons here. The Rams have had four winning records in their 19 seasons.
For the most part St. Louis NFL football has been astoundingly bad, with the fans’ patience and loyalty tested by the relentless combination of losing and turmoil.
Why? Really, there’s no mystery here.
Let’s take a look …
FLEEING FRANCHISES
Except for the Oakland Raiders, who moved to Los Angeles, winning franchises don’t relocate. They move because they’ve been unsuccessful, embroiled in disputes over stadiums — or both. The Cardinals were 33-84-3 in their final 10 seasons on the south side of Chicago before leaving for St. Louis in 1960. Over their final five seasons in Anaheim, the Los Angeles Rams went 23-57 and were rejected in their demand for a new stadium. It’s easy to run from deep-rooted problems instead of digging in to solve them.
QUALITY OF OWNERSHIP
The Bidwill family has owned the Cardinals in three different markets: Chicago, St. Louis and Arizona. That pretty much tells us all that we need to know — though to be fair to native St. Louisan Michael Bidwill, he’s done a nice job in guiding the Cardinals after taking over for his father, Bill Bidwill.
The Rams were restless in Southern California, leaving the LA Coliseum for Orange County in the late 1970s. Owner Georgia Frontiere drew vociferous criticism in Los Angeles but enjoyed popularity in her hometown of St. Louis before her death in early 2008. All in all, Frontiere was a good owner here. But it’s fair to say that under Frontiere the Rams had a dysfunctional operation that was destabilized by incessant political infighting. The internecine conflict led to the premature demise of the Greatest Show success.
Current owner Stan Kroenke took over in 2010. He stepped up financially by hiring head coach Jeff Fisher and revamping the football operation at considerable cost. And Kroenke has enthusiastically funded expensive free-agent purchases. It’s too soon to pass judgment on Kroenke’s leadership in terms of the on-field product. This is his third season as the owner, and Fisher and GM Les Snead are less than two full years into a massive reconstruction project.
“We have a competitive owner in Stan Kroenke who is determined to build a winning football team,” said Kevin Demoff, the Rams’ chief operating officer. “He gives us every resource needed to win, and has the vision to build this team the right way, for the long term. That should give our fans hope for the future.”
This also must be said about Kroenke: the franchise’s standing in the community isn’t helped by his aloof personality and apparent unwillingness to engage in discussions to find a long-term solution to the stadium issue. St. Louis fans are understandably sensitive about stadium quarrels, which create an inherent paranoia over the fear of losing a team.
PERSONNEL
We don’t have the space or the time to list every mistake; such an exhaustive accounting would take up as many pages as Tolstoy’s “War and Peace.” But the STL Cardinals’ drafts were notoriously inept. And the Rams? They drafted 115 players between 2000 and 2012 and only one, running back Steven Jackson, became a Pro Bowl selection. It’s impossible to win if you draft poorly over a long period of time.
At this point, here’s the only question that matters:
Is there hope for better days?
The 2013 Rams have the NFL’s youngest roster for the second consecutive season. They have a chance to develop a good roster. Though they’ve made some personnel errors, Snead and Fisher have been putting pieces in place. The Rams will have two first-round draft choices — at least — in 2014.
“I understand the narrative of football futility in St. Louis,” Demoff said. “But I don’t really understand what that has to do with our GM and coach, who are less than two years into the job. Or our owner, who has controlled the franchise for three and a half years. They deserve a chance to create their own narrative. And we’re laying a foundation.”
The 2013 Rams were torn by the season-ending knee injury to starting quarterback Sam Bradford. That’s an obvious factor in the 5-8 record. And the Rams are housed in the powerhouse NFC West, rivals Seattle, San Francisco and Arizona are a combined 28-11. Rebuilding is more difficult in such a tough neighborhood.
Around the league the Rams are still perceived as a rising team with a bright future. But at some point — soon — the franchise must begin to deliver victories instead of promises. And Demoff is the first to say that.
“The most important thing we can do is play winning football,” he said. “There’s no substitute for that. It’s the best way to grow the fan base and make the fans believe in us.
“We’re headed in the right direction. But we’ve got to show that with our record — the wins and losses instead of rhetoric and potential.”
Let us begin by acknowledging that it hasn’t been all bad.
There was the memorable Super Bowl victory by the spectacular 1999 “Greatest Show on Turf” Rams, a special team personified by an exciting cast of playmakers who tormented NFL defenses by scoring more than 500 points for three consecutive seasons.
We were treated to the mad-genius stylings of Air Coryell, and his Cardinals offense that led the way to a 31-11 record between 1974-1976. With Don Coryell and “Greatest Show” choreographer Mike Martz, our town has been entertained by two of the most brilliant offensive minds in modern NFL history.
There have been a few fantastic quarterback-receiver combinations. Jim Hart to Mel Gray, Neil Lomax to Roy Green, Kurt Warner to Isaac Bruce. There were two dazzling all-purpose backs in Marshall Faulk and Terry Metcalf.
St. Louis defenses have offered some great moments, like the 52 interceptions and a thousand safety blitzes by No. 8, Larry Wilson. And of course, who can ever forget “The Tackle” by Mike Jones?
Five Hall of Famers have represented St. Louis NFL teams: Wilson, tight end Jackie Smith, offensive tackle Dan Dierdorf, cornerback Roger Wehrli and Faulk.
Unfortunately …
There have been odd coaching hires (Bud Wilkinson). And too many misspent first-round draft choices. That regrettable roll call includes names such as Steve Little, Steve Pisarkiewicz, Clyde Duncan, Jason Smith, Trung Canidate and Tye Hill. There were bizarre personnel decisions that led to important players walking as free agents — with middle linebacker London Fletcher perhaps the most glaring example.
We’ve endured eccentric ownership, erratic management and front-office friction. There’s been sadness and tragedy including the death of talented tight end J.V. Cain, who collapsed during a 1979 training-camp practice and succumbed to heart failure on his 28th birthday.
There’s been damaging franchise instability. The Chicago Cardinals moved to St. Louis in 1960. The Cardinals left for Arizona in 1988. The Los Angeles Rams relocated to St. Louis in 1995. Whew.
There have been multiple stadium controversies, including the current standoff between the Rams and the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission.
And all the while, St. Louis football teams have played under the formidable shadow of a popular, successful and historically prestigious baseball franchise.
This reality prompted Lomax, the quarterback, to cite the baseball team’s mascot when making this observation before the Cardinals moved to Arizona in 1988:
“Fredbird is more popular than we are.”
Few would have argued the point.
More than anything, there have been too many losing NFL seasons.
If we connect their histories, the Cardinals (1960-1987) and Rams (1995 to present) have combined for only 16 winning records in 47 seasons.
Only eight of those 47 seasons ended with a St. Louis team qualifying for the NFL playoffs.
As the Rams get ready to play the New Orleans Saints today at the Edward Jones Done, the overall St. Louis NFL record consists of 703 regular-season games, 313 victories, 375 losses and 15 ties for a winning percentage of .455.
If the 5-8 Rams lose any of their final three games, they’ll have their ninth consecutive losing season — and 10th straight non-winning season. There have been only five longer streaks of losing seasons in NFL history, most recently a 10-year skid by Detroit from 2001 through 2010.
Yes, things could be worse. Since NFL football arrived in St. Louis in 1960, several NFL markets have had franchises with poorer overall winning percentages including Tampa Bay, Detroit, Atlanta and New Orleans.
But except for the two magnificent runs turned in by Coryell’s Cardinals and the Greatest Show Rams, the St. Louis NFL experience has been filled with futility and mediocrity. The Cardinals had 12 winning records in their 28 seasons here. The Rams have had four winning records in their 19 seasons.
For the most part St. Louis NFL football has been astoundingly bad, with the fans’ patience and loyalty tested by the relentless combination of losing and turmoil.
Why? Really, there’s no mystery here.
Let’s take a look …
FLEEING FRANCHISES
Except for the Oakland Raiders, who moved to Los Angeles, winning franchises don’t relocate. They move because they’ve been unsuccessful, embroiled in disputes over stadiums — or both. The Cardinals were 33-84-3 in their final 10 seasons on the south side of Chicago before leaving for St. Louis in 1960. Over their final five seasons in Anaheim, the Los Angeles Rams went 23-57 and were rejected in their demand for a new stadium. It’s easy to run from deep-rooted problems instead of digging in to solve them.
QUALITY OF OWNERSHIP
The Bidwill family has owned the Cardinals in three different markets: Chicago, St. Louis and Arizona. That pretty much tells us all that we need to know — though to be fair to native St. Louisan Michael Bidwill, he’s done a nice job in guiding the Cardinals after taking over for his father, Bill Bidwill.
The Rams were restless in Southern California, leaving the LA Coliseum for Orange County in the late 1970s. Owner Georgia Frontiere drew vociferous criticism in Los Angeles but enjoyed popularity in her hometown of St. Louis before her death in early 2008. All in all, Frontiere was a good owner here. But it’s fair to say that under Frontiere the Rams had a dysfunctional operation that was destabilized by incessant political infighting. The internecine conflict led to the premature demise of the Greatest Show success.
Current owner Stan Kroenke took over in 2010. He stepped up financially by hiring head coach Jeff Fisher and revamping the football operation at considerable cost. And Kroenke has enthusiastically funded expensive free-agent purchases. It’s too soon to pass judgment on Kroenke’s leadership in terms of the on-field product. This is his third season as the owner, and Fisher and GM Les Snead are less than two full years into a massive reconstruction project.
“We have a competitive owner in Stan Kroenke who is determined to build a winning football team,” said Kevin Demoff, the Rams’ chief operating officer. “He gives us every resource needed to win, and has the vision to build this team the right way, for the long term. That should give our fans hope for the future.”
This also must be said about Kroenke: the franchise’s standing in the community isn’t helped by his aloof personality and apparent unwillingness to engage in discussions to find a long-term solution to the stadium issue. St. Louis fans are understandably sensitive about stadium quarrels, which create an inherent paranoia over the fear of losing a team.
PERSONNEL
We don’t have the space or the time to list every mistake; such an exhaustive accounting would take up as many pages as Tolstoy’s “War and Peace.” But the STL Cardinals’ drafts were notoriously inept. And the Rams? They drafted 115 players between 2000 and 2012 and only one, running back Steven Jackson, became a Pro Bowl selection. It’s impossible to win if you draft poorly over a long period of time.
At this point, here’s the only question that matters:
Is there hope for better days?
The 2013 Rams have the NFL’s youngest roster for the second consecutive season. They have a chance to develop a good roster. Though they’ve made some personnel errors, Snead and Fisher have been putting pieces in place. The Rams will have two first-round draft choices — at least — in 2014.
“I understand the narrative of football futility in St. Louis,” Demoff said. “But I don’t really understand what that has to do with our GM and coach, who are less than two years into the job. Or our owner, who has controlled the franchise for three and a half years. They deserve a chance to create their own narrative. And we’re laying a foundation.”
The 2013 Rams were torn by the season-ending knee injury to starting quarterback Sam Bradford. That’s an obvious factor in the 5-8 record. And the Rams are housed in the powerhouse NFC West, rivals Seattle, San Francisco and Arizona are a combined 28-11. Rebuilding is more difficult in such a tough neighborhood.
Around the league the Rams are still perceived as a rising team with a bright future. But at some point — soon — the franchise must begin to deliver victories instead of promises. And Demoff is the first to say that.
“The most important thing we can do is play winning football,” he said. “There’s no substitute for that. It’s the best way to grow the fan base and make the fans believe in us.
“We’re headed in the right direction. But we’ve got to show that with our record — the wins and losses instead of rhetoric and potential.”
