- Joined
- Dec 20, 2012
- Messages
- 577
(First piece for 101ESPN... Glad to be back. I want to thank everyone for their kind words as I was dealing with family tragedy and the great support X and many, many of you have shown me over the last year or two. Happy new year to each of you and hope you enjoy the read.)
By Shane Gray
With a 7-8-1 record, the St. Louis Rams completed their most successful season since a 2004 campaign that culminated in a trip to the NFC playoffs.
This season’s slate saw the NFL’s youngest roster close out the league’s third toughest schedule in an impressive fashion — winning three of its’ final four road contests and four of its’ final six overall.
Make no mistake, we witnessed the beginnings of a full-fledged Rams renaissance, a renaissance that should — sooner rather than later — see St. Louis and Super Bowl contender penned synonymously for the first time since the greatest show on turf era.
The renaissance began when Stan Kroenke opened his pocketbook and gave Chief Operating Officer Kevin Demoff the go-ahead to aggressively pursue head coach Jeff Fisher, one of the league’s elite leaders. Subsequently, Kroenke then coughed up additional cash to provide Fisher the freedom to solicit a trusted collection of coaches that ultimately armed St. Louis with one of the league’s more highly regarded staffs.
Of course, the addition of general manager Les Snead and his trade of the No. 2 pick — a move that only the historic Hershel Walker and Ricky Williams deals can compare to in regard to draft related swaps — provided the Rams with a plethora of premium picks from 2012 to 2014, setting the organization up with an exceptional opportunity to maximize their revival long-term.
Looking beyond the past offseason and into the upcoming one, I see the following items as key for continued ascension in St. Louis:
http://101sports.com/category/misc-blog ... -Overview/
By Shane Gray
With a 7-8-1 record, the St. Louis Rams completed their most successful season since a 2004 campaign that culminated in a trip to the NFC playoffs.
This season’s slate saw the NFL’s youngest roster close out the league’s third toughest schedule in an impressive fashion — winning three of its’ final four road contests and four of its’ final six overall.
Make no mistake, we witnessed the beginnings of a full-fledged Rams renaissance, a renaissance that should — sooner rather than later — see St. Louis and Super Bowl contender penned synonymously for the first time since the greatest show on turf era.
The renaissance began when Stan Kroenke opened his pocketbook and gave Chief Operating Officer Kevin Demoff the go-ahead to aggressively pursue head coach Jeff Fisher, one of the league’s elite leaders. Subsequently, Kroenke then coughed up additional cash to provide Fisher the freedom to solicit a trusted collection of coaches that ultimately armed St. Louis with one of the league’s more highly regarded staffs.
Of course, the addition of general manager Les Snead and his trade of the No. 2 pick — a move that only the historic Hershel Walker and Ricky Williams deals can compare to in regard to draft related swaps — provided the Rams with a plethora of premium picks from 2012 to 2014, setting the organization up with an exceptional opportunity to maximize their revival long-term.
Looking beyond the past offseason and into the upcoming one, I see the following items as key for continued ascension in St. Louis:
http://101sports.com/category/misc-blog ... -Overview/
