Dick Vermeil regrets leaving Rams

[Elmgrovegnome]

There have been a lot of people who retire after winning a Super Bowl in order to "go out on top", specially since he was 63 at the time. It just seems way too conspiracy theory-ish to me... which is pretty much the same reason I don't buy that Georgia murdered Carroll Rosenbloom either (at the risk of opening another can of worms.)

Are there really a lot that do retire after winning a SuperBowl? I am asking honestly because I don't know. Besides the Chin who else did? Walsh?

I have not heard the murder theories either.

 

[Boffo97]

Are there really a lot that do retire after winning a SuperBowl? I am asking honestly because I don't know. Besides the Chin who else did? Walsh?

I have not heard the murder theories either.

I'm sure if I did research, I'd come up with quite a few names of people who retire after winning the Super Bowl (or whatever the championship of their sport is). It sounds logical, right? Going out on top and all that?

The murder theories don't come up OFTEN, since Rosenbloom's death predates the Internet by so long... but they seem to typically revolve around the idea that Rosenbloom died via drowning, but was a championship swimmer.

 

[brokeu91]

Hard not to read between the lines and think that Vermeil was encouraged to retire. Martz had his pick of available head coaching jobs that offseason and Vermeil was just a year removed from an almost team mutiny. It's easy to see how the front office might think that the overnight success had more to do with Martz coming in than with Vermeil and it's very easy to think that the front office feared losing Martz.

Now, I'm not entirely opposed to the idea that Vermeil made an emotional decision but I have serious doubts about him deciding to hang it up again so soon after finally coming out of retirement and more importantly, so very soon after finally accomplishing what he'd spent so many years trying to do. When you add to that the fact that he obviously didn't really want to quit once he had time to think about it, it all adds up to him leaving the Rams under questionable circumstances.

I can't say for certain if that happened. I do remember that Martz started to have a lot of offers/rumors of offers. The Rams signed him to a contract where he automatically becomes HC after Vermiel leaves. This was a practice used back then to keep your coordinators there. Under that arrangement, if Vermiel would have stayed so would have Martz as OC. The Rams would have never granted him an interview with another team. I really don't buy that Vermiel was forced out.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

Except Martz salary would go up if offered by another team. The Rams would never pay two big coaching contracts at once.

 

[rdlkgliders]

I, for one, remember thinking "WTF is he doing"? Just stupid crap, I think we would have a second ring if he wasn't weak on that moment after the SB. Sucks

Not sure about the second ring.
cheatriots still would have stole Vermeil's playbook and spied on his pre SB practices too

 

[blue4]

We lost to a team named the Patriots right after 9-11. Nothing fishy there, nothing at all. Certainly the refs called a fair game, and I most certainly doubt that any one filmed us for nefarious purposes. I mean, these two teams were so evenly matched, the young fast receivers against the AARP defense.

I don't know how to turn on blue font.

 

[nighttrain]

We did fine with Martz until the wheels came off at the end. I blame that more on the front office at the time. He had a .623 winning percentage - the best of any Rams coach going back to Chuck Knox during the 70's. Of course he had a good team and could have learned to play nice with others, etc.

Would have loved it if Vermeil had stayed, but as you say, Ziggy and Co. put the Rams in shambles, not Martz
train

 

[DaveFan'51]

Well, I suppose we find ourselves at an impasse then. To you and others, it's obvious that Vermeil was forced out. To me and others, it's obvious that he wasn't.

Have a good one.

The problem I have with taking your side of the debate is I can't remember any Coach ( In the SB or Pre SB era ) retiring after winning his 1st Championship Game.

 

[blue4]

The problem I have with taking your side of the debate is I can't remember any Coach ( In the SB or Pre SB era ) retiring after winning his 1st Championship Game.

Didn't DV retire after the Eagles SB? Or very shortly thereafter due to burnout?

 

[DaveFan'51]

Didn't DV retire after the Eagles SB? Or very shortly thereafter due to burnout?

Yes But the key words in my statement were "...after WINNING his 1st Championship"

 

[blue4]

Yes But the key words in my statement were "...after WINNING his 1st Championship"

Good point. Maybe kinda shows a pattern, though. He wasn't a young man this time, either. He probably thought he wanted to retire, esp with the amount of work he put in.

 

[moklerman]

That's the thing about Vermeil, he retired after being back just 3 years and then came back and coached the Chiefs another 5. Doesn't make it seem like he was ready to call it quits. I don't think he was suffering from burnout like he did in Philly.

 

[blue4]

That's the thing about Vermeil, he retired after being back just 3 years and then came back and coached the Chiefs another 5. Doesn't make it seem like he was ready to call it quits. I don't think he was suffering from burnout like he did in Philly.

Maybe he sensed the FO turmoil coming and got out. Managing to take Saunders and Green with him to start out ahead. Maybe he realized Martz would have much bigger influence than before, or maybe being the guy that he is he knew it was Martz's time. Which it was. Had we had a professional FO and scouts, he could have been one of the best IMO.

 

[Boffo97]

The problem I have with taking your side of the debate is I can't remember any Coach ( In the SB or Pre SB era ) retiring after winning his 1st Championship Game.

Is there any other coach who did so in his 60s?

And as pointed out, the guy already had a history of retiring after making it to the big one.

There's a reason that "going out on top" is a cliche. It really isn't that farfetched that Vermeil saw nothing left to accomplish, then changed his mind too late to re-demote Martz.

 

[RamBill]

Dick Vermeil on the Rams Rise from Doormat to SB Champs

Dick Vermeil joined the Kevin Wheeler Show on 90′s day to talk about the Rams ’99 Super Bowl team and the lasting bond of the players he coached.

Listen To DV Talk Rams SB Team

 

[moklerman]

Is there any other coach who did so in his 60s?

And as pointed out, the guy already had a history of retiring after making it to the big one.

There's a reason that "going out on top" is a cliche. It really isn't that farfetched that Vermeil saw nothing left to accomplish, then changed his mind too late to re-demote Martz.

Tom Coughlin