How the Greatest Show on Turf fell apart as quickly as it was assembled

[kurtfaulk]

Maybe so, but it was mistake. Vermeil knew it was a mistake soon after he did it after the Super Bowl, if memory serves. Pay off Martz and send him down the road, because the dude was a major factor in destroying GSOT's best years.

any smart operator would have told him to go away for a week or two and then make a decision. alas, the rams pre snead and mcvay.

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[So Ram]

any smart operator would have told him to go away for a week or two and then make a decision. alas, the rams pre snead and mcvay.

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There is something to be said about Demoff !!

He is a cool cat. He has his hand in every direction. He always has a say, not to say he
Doesn’t let Mc/Snead do there thing. It makes it happen in all senses(cents) (scents).

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

"Well The way MARTZ let WARNER get beat up was ridiculous!! What a shame."

Martz was an egomaniac that thought with his system any QB would be great. He forgot, or didn't realize, that only a tough sob like Warner could run his system. Martz was an innovator, just to smart for his own good.
train

Burger ran it pretty well, so did Jon Kitna. It was a high scoring offense, in St Louis and Detroit. Marts was a good QB and WR coach. Don't discredit him too much.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

Maybe so, but it was mistake. Vermeil knew it was a mistake soon after he did it after the Super Bowl, if memory serves. Pay off Martz and send him down the road, because the dude was a major factor in destroying GSOT's best years.

But Marts was the main factor in creating the GSOT. He was innovative and had his team doing things that hadn't been done. His offense has been studied and incorporated into offenses 18 years later. Marts turned Warner into a great QB. He had Lorna leading the league in QB stats. He had Mike Turret looking like a number one receiver.

He didn't know defense, but he hired a good DC to run that side of things. His first draft sucked but his second draft was much better. Another two years with Vermiel would have been best but with the current situation there is no way they could let him walk. Rams fans were rejoicing when they heard he was staying.

 

[Loyal]

But Marts was the main factor in creating the GSOT. He was innovative and had his team doing things that hadn't been done. His offense has been studied and incorporated into offenses 18 years later. Marts turned Warner into a great QB. He had Lorna leading the league in QB stats. He had Mike Turret looking like a number one receiver.

He didn't know defense, but he hired a good DC to run that side of things. His first draft sucked but his second draft was much better. Another two years with Vermiel would have been best but with the current situation there is no way they could let him walk. Rams fans were rejoicing when they heard he was staying.

Orlando Pace and Isaac Bruce were acquired before Martz. Kurt Warner was on the team already before Martz, and Trent Green was supposed to be the guy. Martz didn't even know if Warner was any good or not, according to his own words. Martz was happy and surprised when he was informed that a deal for Marshall Faulk was done with Indy. Torry Holt was taken in the draft that year, and that was mostly due to Charles Armey, but Martz may of had a hand in it, which I don't know one way or the other.

This was Vermeils team, top to bottom. Yes, Martz used his scheme to great effectiveness and was a major cog in the GSOT machine. He was a arrogant yet creative OC, but a horrific HC. He thought Kurt Warner was easily replacable by Marc Bulger (OMG). Dickie V said he would have worked on improving the Rams defense in 2000, when we were 2nd in our division and lost in the Wild Card round to New Orleans with DC Peter Giunta. Martz did ok the following year by getting Lovie Smith to be DC with his Cover 2 defense, but this was the high point of Martz and it was only downhill after that. I do believe Vermeil wouldn't have let our team fall apart as it did.

 

[fearsomefour]

That video was a painful reminder, indeed.

Seemed like the Rams at every opportunity made bad decisions.

Drafts, trades, coaching hires...

Those of us that suffered through all that probably best appreciate this current FO, HC, and roster.

Amen.
This is why the “was McVay dishonest” story was so silly to me.
Who the F cares?

 

[snackdaddy]

Shaw and Zygmunt were the biggest problems. But Martz ego had a hand in it too.

 

[PhillyRam]

Shaw and Zygmunt were the biggest problems. But Martz ego had a hand in it too.

Agree. The FO failed to lock guys up before their walk year, thus few players ever saw a 2nd contract during that span.

Az, Fletcher, Carter, Miller, Wistrom, Tucker, Bly, Clemons, R.Williams, Pickett, etc...

Couple that with bad FA signings like Duncan, Jason Brown,Terrence Mathis, Drew Bennett, among others..

Then drafts like Trung Canidate, Travis Scott, Eric Crouch, Robert Thomas, Jimmy Kennedy, ..... My God and not even getting to the Tye Hill Adam Carriker years yet.

The FO F'd that whole thing up.

 

[nighttrain]

Shaw and Zygmunt were the biggest problems. But Martz ego had a hand in it too.

 

[FrantikRam]

The most bizarre part of the era was how we went from 5th in defense, to the worst in NFL history, to drafting 2.5 first round busts, to the best defensive ranking the Rams have had in the modern era.

In real time, it seemed like Kennedy, Picket and Archuletta were leading a defensive resurgence - but in reality, none lived up to their hype, save for maybe Pickett, but most of that came with Green Bay.

 

[nighttrain]

The most bizarre part of the era was how we went from 5th in defense, to the worst in NFL history, to drafting 2.5 first round busts, to the best defensive ranking the Rams have had in the modern era.

In real time, it seemed like Kennedy, Picket and Archuletta were leading a defensive resurgence - but in reality, none lived up to their hype, save for maybe Pickett, but most of that came with Green Bay.

Lovie to Marmie, and Martz was a terrible draft guy
train

 

[SWAdude]

Quite simply, the GSOT was doomed from the beginning.

We all got lucky and the stars aligned for a short amount of time.

The teams leadership was never capable of holding this together. It was put together in spite of themselves.

I literally said at the time that it couldn't last with Georgia as owner. Never.

It sure was fun while it lasted.

 

[Dieter the Brock]

The Greatest Show on Earth lives in my heart daily. That team will be forever be assembled in my mind until the day I die

GO RAMS!

 

[FrantikRam]

Lovie to Marmie, and Martz was a terrible draft guy
train

I know Lovie explains the jump from 2000 to 2001 - but then what was strange is that our defense went back to being mediocre/bad in 2002 and 2003 - also with Lovie. In 2003 it ranked middle of the pack, but we got by on turnovers during the season. Against the Panthers it was pretty bad in the playoffs - even with Lovie there.

 

[kurtfaulk]

I know Lovie explains the jump from 2000 to 2001 - but then what was strange is that our defense went back to being mediocre/bad in 2002 and 2003 - also with Lovie. In 2003 it ranked middle of the pack, but we got by on turnovers during the season. Against the Panthers it was pretty bad in the playoffs - even with Lovie there.

Yep, in 2003 if the d didn't get turnovers they got manhandled.

Half the victories were the direct result of the d tearing the opposition a new arsehole. Didn't they average close to 3 turnovers a game?

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[FrantikRam]

Yep, in 2003 if the d didn't get turnovers they got manhandled.

Half the victories were the direct result of the d tearing the opposition a new arsehole. Didn't they average close to 3 turnovers a game?

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Yep they did. Looking back at the stats, our defense allowed the same number of yards per play as our offense gained. Yikes.