Rams Players Who Would Have Thrived, No Matter the Situation

[Loyal]

I was reading through the various "misses" in the draft (that we admitted..lol), and one poster said well such and so player would have been great no matter what. I began thinking about the team sport and which players would be great no matter what, regardless of surrounding talent, etc... I think there are positions on the team, mostly on the lines, which would have provided opportunity to succeed better than other positions. Curiously, it seems that amateur GM's dream of trading guys like this when they excel, especially when the team ends up with a losing record... I know that it might seem to be recency bias with my first pick, but I think he is the best Dline player in Rams history, and that's saying something. These are my top 10 players who would have been great regardless of surrounding cast/system
1. Aaron Donald
2. Merlin Olsen
3. Jackie Slater
4. Orlando Pace
5. Deacon Jones
6. Jack Youngblood
7. Marshall Faulk
8. Isaac Bruce
9. Torry Holt
10. Tom Mack

There are other great players who needed others to excel. Kurt Warner needed Orlando Pace and the Oline, plus Holt & Bruce & Faulk to be what he he was with the Rams. I'm gonna get blasted for this, but Dickerson, Gurley, and even SJAX needed holes provided by the Oline to cut loose. Marshall was so versatile, instinctive and elusive, he could deal with adversity better than them, I think. For my proof, I provide this run which Faulk did, and Vermeil was telling everyone "We didn't block anybody (for Marshall)"


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdG0T0lMpvc

 

[Loyal]

Here is a gif of the same run, but it cuts off before the satisfying finish...

View: https://i.imgur.com/zq3wlor.gif

 

[FrantikRam]

While Dickerson had a good OL, he had no passing game. Stopping the run is a numbers game, so for ED to have had so much success is special.

 

[Ramlock]

Marshall’s “by himself” is a bit overrated.

Pace is a HOFer, Timmerman is rightfully credited with being a piece that turned around the Oline in ‘99.
And they never really replaced Fred Miller adequately when he left in FA.

Gurley came along during the LT merry go round; he was very dynamic as O Rookie of the Year and All-Pro RB.

I don’t put Marshall in another class above ED and TG in their primes.

IMO

 

[TSFH Fan]

Yeah, my memory could be off, but to me, Isaac Bruce's early years would put him higher on that list.
He got 100+ receptions his second year with Chris Miller and Mark Rypien throwing in his general direction. There was not much of a running game with Jerome I-quit-on-the-team Bettis and there was no other real receiving threat on that team.
In Ike's 3rd year he made the PB with a backfield of Tony Banks and LP. Yeesh!!!
Both years featured the stellar coaching of Rich Brooks.

If we're talking about guys who could have produced regardless of surrounding talent, I think Bruce proved pretty well that he could.

 

[FrantikRam]

Marshall’s “by himself” is a bit overrated.

Pace is a HOFer, Timmerman is rightfully credited with being a piece that turned around the Oline in ‘99.
And they never really replaced Fred Miller adequately when he left in FA.

Gurley came along during the LT merry go round; he was very dynamic as O Rookie of the Year and All-Pro RB.

I don’t put Marshall in another class above ED and TG in their primes.

IMO

I don't think Gurley belongs with either of the other two TBH. When you boil it down, Gurley only had three above average seasons and only two elite seasons - and it's fair to wonder how much Gurley was responsible for. McVay clearly elevated the entire offense.

Marshall was tearing it up with mediocre to bad Colts teams for years prior to coming to the Rams. I think he and ED are comparable and should be thought of as a tier or two above Gurley, even if only counting their prime.

 

[ReekofRams]

Nolan Cromwell, Irv Pankey, Jerry Gray

 

[LARAMSinFeb.]

1. Roman Gabriel

 

[ReekofRams]

Crazy Legs himself Elroy Hirsh

 

[ReekofRams]

Bob Waterfield, Norm Van Brocklin

 

[Deac]

Henry Ellard, Kevin Greene, Elroy Crazylegs Hirsch, funny thing about Crazylegs is with that egg beater running motion he could cut at full speed in the open field, like Isaac Bruce, fun to watch the old film

 

[den-the-coach]

1. Ken Iman
2. Rich Saul
3. Doug Smith

My Kingdom for another perennial all pro Ram Center.

 

[AZRams]

No.

There was a block at the line but, yeah, not much more than that...

 

[ReekofRams]

Johnny Hekker, Jeff Wilkins, Keith Lyle, Todd Lyght

 

[Memento]

There are other great players who needed others to excel. Kurt Warner needed Orlando Pace and the Oline, plus Holt & Bruce & Faulk to be what he he was with the Rams. I'm gonna get blasted for this, but Dickerson, Gurley, and even SJAX needed holes provided by the Oline to cut loose. Marshall was so versatile, instinctive and elusive, he could deal with adversity better than them, I think. For my proof, I provide this run which Faulk did, and Vermeil was telling everyone "We didn't block anybody (for Marshall)"


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdG0T0lMpvc

Disagree on S-Jax. He dominated behind some of the worst lines in NFL history. He ran behind lines including Goldberg, Romberg, Barron, Smith, Bell, etc., etc. and so forth. He had no weapons once Bruce and Holt moved on to greener pastures, and Bulger went full deer-in-headlights. He still got 1,000 yard seasons, along with a great number of receptions. He was the only threat for a time, and still produced.

 

[Loyal]

Disagree on S-Jax. He dominated behind some of the worst lines in NFL history. He ran behind lines including Goldberg, Romberg, Barron, Smith, Bell, etc., etc. and so forth. He had no weapons once Bruce and Holt moved on to greener pastures, and Bulger went full deer-in-headlights. He still got 1,000 yard seasons, along with a great number of receptions. He was the only threat for a time, and still produced.

I just have these memories of him getting stuffed at line of scrimmage, because everyone knew he was everything the Rams had on offense. His straight up running style, didn't help. He did have those grinding 1000 yard seasons, for sure.

 

[Loyal]

Johnny Hekker, Jeff Wilkins, Keith Lyle, Todd Lyght

I like those guys, but they don't break my Top 10

 

[Loyal]

Bob Waterfield, Norm Van Brocklin

old homer

 

[Loyal]

Yeah, my memory could be off, but to me, Isaac Bruce's early years would put him higher on that list.
He got 100+ receptions his second year with Chris Miller and Mark Rypien throwing in his general direction. There was not much of a running game with Jerome I-quit-on-the-team Bettis and there was no other real receiving threat on that team.
In Ike's 3rd year he made the PB with a backfield of Tony Banks and LP. Yeesh!!!
Both years featured the stellar coaching of Rich Brooks.

If we're talking about guys who could have produced regardless of surrounding talent, I think Bruce proved pretty well that he could.

My Top 10 is pretty stout. All except Holt and Donald are HOFers, so I could live with shifting some names.

 

[Loyal]

While Dickerson had a good OL, he had no passing game. Stopping the run is a numbers game, so for ED to have had so much success is special.

He had one of the best Olines in Ram's history, but he wasn't a back to bull through a Dline, if memory serves. He had that extra gear (or two) when he got to the second level, and was almost uncatchable. Still, that Oline normally had to spring him loose....