The RAM-GOAT: AD99's Legacy

[badnews]

Aaron Donald is the best defensive player in Pro Football. That is a fact. It's an opinion, but it's supported by numerous statistics, accolades, the respect given by his peers... it's as close as a football opinion gets to being a fact.
He is the best player in the league at any position... but I'm sure some people would debate that. Stupid people, sure, but they are out there.

Aaron Donald is the best player on the Rams is a statement that is also true and nobody is going to challenge that.

But is Aaron Donald the G.R.O.A.T.? Is he the Greatest Ram Of All Time?
If not, who is?
Is Donald better than Deacon?
Is AD better than ED? Better than Faulk? Than Warner? Bruce? Pace? Hell, Youngblood?

How would a super bowl victory change his legacy?

We are in the eye of the storm known as Aaron Donald. We are in the quiet part of his career. He's not new, he's not on his way out... the league is almost used to him, or his presence at least... and I can't help but feel like we as a fanbase are slowly, quietly, unintentionally taking his career for granted. This is one of the most special players to ever line up in the trenches and we should be worshipping him like he's our LeBron, or, like he's our Mahomes. Hindsight is blah blah blah but I don't want to look back after his golden era is over and be nostalgic for something I could have appreciated more in real time.

Where do you place Donald among the best defensive players ever?
Where do you put him among the greatest Rams ever?

 

[Loyal]

He is the greatest Ram right now and probably is the best defensive player since Jack Youngblood.. I think in the end he will be the greatest defensive player of all time, but Merlin Olsen still has 14 of 15 seasons as a Pro Bowler. I don't know if Merlin missed a game in that stretch. He was an All Pro for 6 years of that time. AD hasn't reached that yet...

 

[badnews]

He is the greatest Ram right now and probably is the best defensive player since Jack Youngblood.. I think in the end he will be the greatest defensive player of all time, but Merlin Olsen still has 14 of 15 seasons as a Pro Bowler. I don't know if Merlin missed a game in that stretch. He was an All Pro for 6 years of that time. AD hasn't reached that yet...

But Merlin had a Deacon

Thanks for your thoughts and good points.

 

[CGI_Ram]

In my lifetime, there have been many great Rams...

Marshall Faulk (at his peak) and Aaron Donald are the two players I’ve seen that seemed to be playing on a whole other level compared to the league around them.

Definitely hope we can get Donald a ring.

 

[Merlin]

We've really been blessed by DTs. By the time he's done he'll be the greatest ever and greatest in horns. But goddamn we need to get this dude a Super Bowl win like now. This season.

I'm also hoping he's got longevity like old 74 did. And don't ever play for another team AD. Retire in horns with class like Olsen and Slater did. And I'd love to see him at least come close to 74's string of 14 straight Pro Bowls.

 

[CGI_Ram]

And don't ever play for another team AD.

This day and age it seems doubtful, but with Donald it feels possible.

I worry about a final run in Pittsburgh, but maybe we can hold it together to the end and be an outlier.

 

[blackbart]

Undoubtedly he is the best Ram in this era, best defensive player in the league for a few years now.

In my opinion he is not the greatest Ram of all time but, he’s not done either.

There is a whole lot of Rams history and some great players who have worn the horns before TV, before all the money and hype.

I’m not even sure you can compare players from different periods, life in general dictates huge differences.

 

[Loyal]

Undoubtedly he is the best Ram in this era, best defensive player in the league for a few years now.

In my opinion he is not the greatest Ram of all time but, he’s not done either.

There is a whole lot of Rams history and some great players who have worn the horns before TV, before all the money and hype.

I’m not even sure you can compare players from different periods, life in general dictates huge differences.

The only way that I think you can compare players from different eras, is to measure how much greater they were than the players they matched against, vs the difference of another player from a different era with those with whom he played.

Merlin Olsen was a man among boys. AD has a different style but is just as dominant.

Gayle Sayers, although he did not play long, was so superior to those he matched against. Even though he had less rushing yards than Frank Gore, there is no way I place Gore in Sayer's league.....jmo

 

[dang]

Donald is too proud to hang around the NFL for a paycheck. I believe the Rams afford him a great opportunity for a Super Bowl ring (or 2). So we get Donald until he decides he’s no longer at the top of his game. Let’s hope that’s for another 7-8 years. When the dust settles he will be regarded by anyone measuring his achievements objectively as the greatest NFL defensive player EVER...yes i said EVER...did i stutter EVER!!!

 

[FrantikRam]

IMO the only offensive players that come close to him are Marshall for peak - fitting that MF won OPOY three times and AD has won DPOY three times for us - but AD had already passed MF in longevity in terms of effectiveness at least.

Ike has him in longevity but was really never as good as AD.

And in checking - AD has the most first team all pro selections of any Rams player (with the Rams). Wow.

 

[HitStick]

Give me AD99 over any defensive Ram ever. While the game has changed to help the offense, and the league has more superstars than ever before, AD99 is STILL dominating at a level that hasn’t been seen in some time.

Greatest Ram? Ask me at the end of his career. He’s sure on track to take that title. Right now, for me at least, that belongs to Marshall Faulk. Without Faulk, we still don’t have a Lombardi.

 

[blackbart]

Deacon, Merlin, Van Brocklin, Warner, Waterfield, Faulk, Slater, OP, Tank, Youngblood, ED.

It would be interesting to me to see how many posters know any of the pre 90’s history.

 

[nighttrain]

Deacon, Merlin, Van Brocklin, Warner, Waterfield, Faulk, Slater, OP, Tank, Youngblood, ED.

It would be interesting to me to see how many posters know any of the pre 90’s history.

Dick Bass says howdy

 

[blackbart]

Dick Bass says howdy

So many to choose from over the decades who were all great players in their own rights.

I just don’t think it’s possible to say there is or was one guy who was undecidedly the best of them all.

 

[Allen2McVay]

Deacon, Merlin, Van Brocklin, Warner, Waterfield, Faulk, Slater, OP, Tank, Youngblood, ED.

It would be interesting to me to see how many posters know any of the pre 90’s history.

I can go back to the late-60's but believe in knowing/respecting the history of a franchise ... Hirsch, Fears, Richter and Matson are all Hall of Famers that played a significant portion of their careers in Rams' Horns.

As far as the 70s and 80s, I would add Tom Mack to the Hall of Fame list from above.

 

[nighttrain]

The record for most interceptions in a single season is held by Night Train Lane, who logged 14 interceptions as a rookie in 1952, while playing for the Los Angeles Rams. Previously Dan Sandifer of Washington and Spec Sanders jointly held the record, earning 13 interceptions, in 1948 and 1950, respectively.

 

[blackbart]

The record for most interceptions in a single season is held by Night Train Lane, who logged 14 interceptions as a rookie in 1952, while playing for the Los Angeles Rams. Previously Dan Sandifer of Washington and Spec Sanders jointly held the record, earning 13 interceptions, in 1948 and 1950, respectively.

And he was a ferocious hit man!!


View: https://youtu.be/9BaPMMYekkA

 

[nighttrain]

And he was a ferocious hit man!!


View: https://youtu.be/9BaPMMYekkA

Lane and Deacon Jones both caused the NFl into rule changes, Deacon for the head slap and Lane for the forearm shiveree
train

 

[dang]

Deacon, Merlin, Van Brocklin, Warner, Waterfield, Faulk, Slater, OP, Tank, Youngblood, ED.

It would be interesting to me to see how many posters know any of the pre 90’s history.

All but Tank??

 

[nighttrain]

All but Tank??

Tank Younger of the early 50's bull elephants backfield

"The "Bull Elephant" backfield were the American football running backs of the 1950s Los Angeles Rams. The line consisted of Dick Hoerner, Paul "Tank" Younger and "Deacon" Dan Towler."