OFFICIAL Countdown to the start of the 2025 season

[fanotodd]

Mike Greenberg admitted years ago, that after he interviewed Deacon on Mike & Mike, that Jones scared and intimidated him more than any other athlete ever did. I loved Deacon Jones and I hardly watched him play.
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I believe I saw that interview that morning. The Deacon was no spring chicken then, but he was entertaining as always.
They were talking about the rule changes and fines that were being levied around the league.

He said players had to adapt to the rules because if that’s the way they’re call it…but he then said if he were playing today he’d never make a dime.

He had those guys in stitches. Golic was thoroughly enjoying it, especially when Deacon said that when he went after a QB, if he got up, fine. If he didn’t, so be it. That’s probably what scared Greenie.

They both (me too) got a kick out of Deacon showing his hands (massive) and busted up fingers. They said he could hail a cab from any direction at the same time.

Thanks for reminding me of that interview. It was classic.

I too have always loved #75 even though he was a little before my time, but the films and his comments don’t lie. His legacy is one that changed the game and that’s why I not only consider him the greatest Ram of all time, but one of the greatest players in NFL history.

 

[Londoner]

one of the greatest players in NFL history.

Unequivocally.

But the greatest Ram of all time? There's plenty of competition...

 

[fanotodd]

Deacon always seemed in interviews to be one mean S.O.B., so that doesn't surprise me.

Two things on that:
1) he was once asked if today’s players were tougher than when he played. He might have been long into retirement but he almost flew out of his chair and yelled an emphatic, “Oh, HELL no!”

2) I recall the NFL network did a countdown of the greatest pass rushers of all time. Deacon was still alive at the time. The guy doing the list put Deacon at #1. He said it was because he didn’t want to run into Deacon if he didn’t.

 

[fanotodd]

Unequivocally.

But the greatest Ram of all time? There's plenty of competition...

Yeah I know. We could have a long running multi page debate on it, but it’s just opinions of Ram fans who love their team and have favorites. I will respect everyone’s opinion because we all have our reasons, and more importantly, we root for a franchise that has such a rich history that there are numerous players who could be in the conversation.

Incidentally, although I called Deacon the greatest Ram ever, he is not my favorite because I didn’t get the immediate impact of watching his career as it happened. Great defenders like Jack Youngblood and Kevin Greene would rank higher. I saw those guys play. I saw them grow and dominate.

God, I love being a Ram fan.

And as always, FUCK THE 9ers!

 

[Memento]

DEACON! The Secretary of Defense! The man who coined the term "sack".

This is why I love this team: there's so much history behind it.

 

[So Ram]

Without this guy, the confetti would be a completely different color.
Thank you big Whitt! for choosing LA as your team, and getting behind a young, promising HC & pushing the team to glory.

Best Rams Free Agent Ever

 

[Londoner]

Best Rams Free Agent Ever

You obviously forgot Drew Bennett.

 

[Neil039]

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If they were not committed to football, these guys could have been big!

Deacon, Merlin and Lamar all later commented that Rosey was the only one with some musical talent.

That's when men were just huge without daily weights and extreme diets. Merlin looks gigantic.
Not @Merlin he's a Duce-duce an a quarter

 

[Merlin]

Not @Merlin he's a Duce-duce an a quarter

Appreciate your generosity.

 

[David Ray]

74, need I say more?

 

[den-the-coach]

Before Merlin, John Baker, Jr. and the group picture has Len Teeuws on the left.

 

[den-the-coach]

The Great Charlie Cowan

Fred Miller

Russ Bolinger

Bobby Cross

 

[David Ray]

The Great Charlie Cowan

Charlie Cowan made the Pro Bowl and second team All Pro in 1968 playing RT. When the RAMS executed a trade with Philadelphia following that season that saw LT Joe Carollo (and WR Hal Jackson) depart the RAMS and the acquisition of future HOF RT Bob Brown from the Eagles, Charlie moved to LT and repeated those honors in 1969, then followed up with another Pro Bowl selection in 1970.

 

[den-the-coach]

Charlie Cowan made the Pro Bowl and second team All Pro in 1968 playing RT. When the RAMS executed a trade with Philadelphia following that season that saw LT Joe Carollo (and WR Hal Jackson) depart the RAMS and the acquisition of future HOF RT Bob Brown from the Eagles, Charlie moved to LT and repeated those honors in 1969, then followed up with another Pro Bowl selection in 1970.

Usually younger tackles started at RT then switched to LT, not so much anymore. We were spoiled as Ram fans going from Cowan, to Doug France and then Irv Pankey at LT for many years.

That 1973 Starting Offensive Line was the best in the NFL at the time.

LT...Charlie Cowan
LG...Tom Mack (HOF)
C...Ken Iman
RG...Joe Scibelli
RT...John Williams.

 

[Memento]

Our current #73, Steve Avila!

 

[Allen2McVay]

No love for Jimmy Kennedy?!?

...

 

[den-the-coach]

No love for Jimmy Kennedy?!?

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Jimmy Kennedy will always leave a bad taste in my mouth. Mike Martz wanted to draft Safety Troy Polamalu, but Chief Financier Jay Zygmunt did not feel a Safety warrantied that type of salary based on the analytical data and where the Rams would be drafting him. However, with Kennedy falling like he did, Zygmunt felt a DT did warrant that type of salary, so instead of Troy Polamalu the Rams ended up with Jimmy Kennedy. It is no wonder Martz and Zygmunt became enemies.

 

[Memento]

No love for Jimmy Kennedy?!?

... View attachment 71261

I will give credit to Jimmy Kennedy for one thing: he seemed like a genuinely good dude along with Pisa and Kevin Curtis. I was at the 2006 draft party, and they were all there. All three of them were nice and patient with me as a young teenager with autism who was just starstruck and listing off their stats and draft numbers nervously (they were the first football players I saw in my life, and 2003 was the first year I truly paid attention to the draft and players coming from it; 2006 being the first draft where I wanted my picks to be taken by the Rams).

 

[LARAMSinFeb.]

DEACON! The Secretary of Defense! The man who coined the term "sack".

This is why I love this team: there's so much history behind it.

Last I checked (been a few years) we were third in number of HOF players.

 

[dieterbrock]

Best Rams Free Agent Ever

Kurt Warner has something to say about that