Last dance at the Dome

[EastRam]

Last dance at the Dome with Rams 'Legends' game
By Jim Thomas St. Louis Post-Dispatch

[www.stltoday.com]


Mike Martz said there was a certain scent, a smell to the stadium. Nothing bad, mind you, but Martz always knew when he walked into the dome.

He remembers the buzz of anticipation when the fans started filing in and the Rams went through warmups.

“And the place was always full,” Martz said. “I think the biggest thing, the fans just wanted the team to be competitive. ... For a time there it was the loudest stadium in the league, wasn’t it?”

It was. What’s now called the Dome at America’s Center won’t even be close to full Saturday. As of Wednesday afternoon, about 8,000 tickets had been sold for the Legends of the Dome game, and its 2 p.m. kickoff. A sizeable walk-up crowd is expected, and organizers for the charity flag football game are hoping for 15,000.

That’s a far cry from the 65,000, 66,000 who used to pack the place back in the day. But those who do attend Saturday will have a chance to say thank you, to say goodbye, and to mingle with more than three dozen former Rams players and coaches.

Owner Stan Kroenke and the Rams’ front office never said thank you, much less goodbye, on their way to greener pastures in Los Angeles. So Saturday’s event, the brainchild of wide receiver Isaac Bruce, will serve as one last curtain call.

“It’ll give us a chance to properly close down the dome, where we had so many great memories,” left tackle Orlando Pace said. “And say goodbye to some fans that really supported us. Isaac did a great job of planning, he and his foundation. I’m just excited to be a part of it and to see the guys and share in this last moment.”

Proceeds of the event will benefit the Isaac Bruce Foundation, which remains active in the St. Louis area. The foundation focuses on health, wellness, nutrition, fitness and education of youth. It awards college scholarships, provides transportation to college for those in need, and in partnership with Ready Readers provides books for pre-schoolers.

It’s not cheap to open the dome for business, and Bruce put himself and the financial viability of the foundation out there to host the event, with expenses well over six figures.

For most of the coaches and players, it’s probably their last time in the dome. For some, it might be their last time in St. Louis, period.

“Yeah, I would believe that,” Dick Vermeil said. “It could be the last time. You know what? I know they’ll share a great experience, and they’ll have a lot of great memories.

“I think the real, true Rams fans — NFL football fans — will enjoy meeting the guys at the one-on-one sessions on Saturday and that kind of thing. And at the same time, I think we’ll raise money for Isaac’s foundation which does so much good. It’s nice of Isaac to put it together.”

Those who purchased $100 premium tickets will have an opportunity to mingle with the players on the field from 11 a.m. till noon. Only 1,000 of those tickets were available, and they went quickly — within two hours of availability.

Gates open at 12:30 p.m. for those purchasing $15 and $20 general admission tickets, but those spectators will also have a chance to meet and mingle with players on the stadium concourse from 12:30 to 1:30.

Pace will be honored at halftime for his pending Hall of Fame induction.

The game will feature four quarters with a 20-minute running clock. The format is nine-on-nine, with no blitzing and only a three-man rush allowed. The players will wear reversible jerseys, so look for some “trades” throughout the game.

Martz, for one, would like to see Bruce, Holt, Ricky Proehl, and Az-Zahir Hakim — the wide receiver mainstays of the Greatest Show on Turf — all line up at least one more time together for old time’s sake.

Ever the offensive strategist, Martz asked tournament organizers if there were any limitations on the kind of formations he could use. That got Holt, Bruce and Dane Looker wondering if they should get back in their playbooks.

“It’s so ingrained in my head,” said quarterback Marc Bulger, who estimated he still knows 70 percent of the book.

As much as he would like to call plays Saturday, Martz said, “My understanding is I don’t really do anything. But I don’t know. If they ask me, absolutely. When in doubt, go deep.”

Martz’s daughter Emily and son David still live in St. Louis. Even so, he’s leaving a family reunion of sorts this weekend in Idaho — he splits time between there and San Diego — to make the Legends game.

Vermeil has a distant relative from France staying at his ranch outside Philadelphia but is breaking away for Saturday’s event. Holt had to finesse his way around a European trip.

But not everyone will make it. Various commitments prevented running back Marshall Faulk and linebacker London Fletcher from making the game. Running back Steven Jackson, defensive end Chris Long and linebacker James Laurinaitis were invited but couldn’t attend.

But there will be plenty of past mainstays on hand, including Hall of Famer Aeneas Williams, and the “Donut Bros.” — offensive linemen Adam Timmerman and Andy McCollum.

“They’ll probably be five boxes of Krispy Kremes in the locker room just for the two of them,” Martz chuckled.

Which would be fitting.

Some players will arrive in town early enough to take part in a charity golf tournament put on Friday by Mike “The Tackle” Jones at Union Hills Golf Course in Pevely.

There’s also a dinner for Legends players scheduled Friday night downtown.

And don’t be surprised if at some point over the weekend, Vermeil addresses the troops. As only he can.

“I hope so,” he said. “I hope I get the opportunity. You know I never can shut up. I enjoy ’em, I respect ’em, and admire ’em. I know what they went through to do what they did.”

LEGENDS ROSTER

Coaches • Dick Vermeil, Mike Martz, Jim Hanifan, Al Saunders

Quarterbacks • Kurt Warner, Marc Bulger, Dave Barr

Running back • Arlen Harris

Wide receivers • Isaac Bruce, Mike Furrey, Az-Zahir Hakim, Torry Holt, Tony Horne, Dane Looker, Shaun McDonald, Ricky Proehl, Derek Stanley

Tight ends • Ernie Conwell, Brandon Manumaleuna, Roland Williams

Offensive line • Wayne Gandy, Andy McCollum, Fred Miller, Orlando Pace, Adam Timmerman, Grant Williams

Defensive line • Ray Agnew, D’Marco Farr, Jeff Zgonina

Linebackers • Chris Draft, Mike Jones, Pisa Tinoisamoa

Secondary • Dre’ Bly, Jerametrius Butler, Rich Coady, Clifton Crosby, Billy Jenkins, Keith Lyle, Dexter McCleon, Aeneas Williams

Specialists • Sean Landeta, Chris Massey, Jeff Wilkins


Rams News Now!

 

[manmaderam]

No Marshal?

 

[Roman Snow]

Michael Sam had a previous engagement?

 

[Fatbot]

Totally forgot about Dave Barr. The torch is now passed to Goff to carry on that elite Cal-Rams QB tradition. And yes, he was #16, so if you still have that jersey you're golden ... (Cal Golden Bears pun intended)...

 

[CGI_Ram]

I wish there was a way the Rams could call both cities home.

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/colu...cle_d0de788e-6aab-5d99-a214-7791adc7139e.html

Although it has been six months since the National Football League voted to move the Rams out of his beloved St. Louis, the legendary Kurt Warner still finds it difficult to consider them the Los Angeles Rams.

As a broadcaster these days, he’ll eventually have to adjust. But he views the Rams like most folks in this area.

“I don’t know if it’s going to settle in until you actually see them,” he said. “When I think of the Rams I still think of them as St. Louis, not as the Los Angeles Rams. Me calling games now, it’s going to be weird.”

More than most, Warner appreciates just how much the people of St. Louis love their Rams. He lived it, felt it, embraced it.

Now the kid from Burlington, Iowa, wants to say thank you for the love and memories. He’s eager to play in Isaac Bruce’s Legends of the Dome game Saturday afternoon at the Dome at America’s Center.

“We always look for an excuse to get back to St. Louis because we feel like that community is so special to us,” Warner said. “I think the biggest thing is I’m hoping that a lot of people come out. It’s a great opportunity for us as players to say thanks for the memories.”

Bruce, who threw a perfect strike during the ceremonial first pitch at the Cardinals’ game Thursday, invited Warner and several former St. Louis Rams greats for the Legends of the Dome flag football game.

Stan Kroenke, arguably the most despised sports figure in St. Louis history, moved the Rams without having the decency to truly say goodbye to their loyal fans here.

The Legends of the Dome game will provide a great opportunity for fans to find closure.

St. Louis has already lost the football Cardinals and the Rams, and one must wonder if the NFL will ever find its way back to the Gateway to the West.

Whether the NFL returns or not, we must find a way to honor Warner beyond the Legends of the Dome game. There needs to be a statue of Warner to go along with the statues of other sports legends downtown.

We must honor Warner in the same way Blues legends Brett Hull, Al MacInnis and Bernie Federko are honored with statues in front of Scottrade Center. Most baseball fans here can tell you about the statues of Stan Musial, Bob Gibson, Lou Brock and other Cardinals legends outside Busch Stadium.

We must not let Kroenke’s greed deny us of an opportunity to leave a monument for local fans to remember one of the St. Louis Rams’ all-time greats.

To be clear, this is not my idea. Esteemed Post-Dispatch NFL writer Jim Thomas, who covered every St. Louis Rams game, mentioned this idea earlier this week when he gave me a lesson on the team’s history.

When I told Warner about Thomas’ idea, Warner appeared humbled by the suggestion.

“It’s more about people in that community and how they rallied around me and my family both off and on the field for many years,” Warner said. “I don’t even know how you think of or consider (statues and) that stuff. It’s about the people and the organization.

“It’s a tremendous honor any time you’re a part of something like that. When you leave you want to believe you left it better than when you got there and left a lasting impact that doesn’t leave when you step off the field.”

Warner definitely left his mark in St. Louis. His rags to riches story inspired legions of fans throughout the Midwest. Who doesn’t love a story of a guy reaching the NFL after spending three years with the Iowa Barnstormers?

Most Americans and perhaps even most folks in St. Louis had no idea that the Iowa Barnstormers even existed until Warner joined the Rams 18 years ago. I surely had no clue there was such a thing as an indoor football league back then. Did you?

Moreover, Warner’s University of Northern Iowa isn’t exactly known for pumping out NFL quarterbacks.

By now, Warner’s story is the stuff of legend. From stocking the shelves on the night crew at a Hy-Vee in Iowa to the Super Bowl with the Rams. You wouldn’t believe that story if you saw it in the movies.

Despite not being drafted by the NFL, Warner refused to abandon his dream. He honed his skills with the Barnstormers and then cherished every moment with the Rams.

Warner was the architect of the Greatest Show on Turf. He reached the NFL in 1998 and appeared in one game that season. Then he took over the starting spot in 1999 and led the Rams to the Super Bowl title that season.

He led the Rams to the Super Bowl two years later, falling to the New England Patriots 20-17. He threw for 32,344 yards in a 12-year career that included stints with the Giants and Arizona Cardinals. He still has a son living in St. Louis.

He also has his foundation here, so he and his wife Brenda return at least three times a year. He’s excited to see his old Rams teammates and their loyal fans this weekend.

“First of all it’s great to just go back and play a game back in St. Louis and say, ‘Thank you’ to the fans for the great support they gave us when I played there. It’s going to be special. And it’s always awesome to find an excuse to get together with the guys and reminisce.”

Warner doesn’t need any excuses to return to St. Louis, but it would nice to ask him back one day to unveil a much deserved statue here.

 

[EastRam]

They can call both cities home

But unfortunately the current ownership chooses not to.

Sucks for the fans. Hell of a way to build a global brand.

 

[LesBaker]

They can call both cities home

But unfortunately the current ownership chooses not to.

Sucks for the fans. Hell of a way to build a global brand.

There you are........hope to see more of you going forward and during the season.

I think most of us think of them as the LA/STL Rams, because they are very much both. This isn't like the Saints playing in college stadiums temporarily while their dome was fixed. This is a team with a lot of history in both cities.

A long storied history in LA. of course..........and the apex for the franchise was achieved in STL.

There is plenty to share and go around for every fan wherever they are.

 

[Loyal]

What a melancholy event. It also sounds fun for Rams fans, so those that went, hope you had fun.

 

[RamFan503]

Offensive line • Wayne Gandy, Andy McCollum, Fred Miller, Orlando Pace, Adam Timmerman, Grant Williams

What's the over/under on false starts?

 

[EastRam]

What's the over/under on false starts?

Dunno, you should have put it in the sports book

 

[LetsGoRams]

Some good pictures in this article..

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_7ec91a0c-cf5c-50f0-8637-d185ce6bafa3.html

 

[Psycho_X]

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/news/s...ors-trash-stan-kroenke-outside-002022870.html

St. Louis fans honor Rams legends indoors, trash Stan Kroenke outside
Eric Edholm,Shutdown Corner 16 hours ago

ST. LOUIS — Jeff Schnurbusch spent his hard-earned money on his beloved St. Louis Rams for more than 20 years, but he has made his final two purchases toward the team whose owner broke his and thousands of others’ hearts when the franchise moved to Los Angeles.

One was a ticket to Saturday’s Legends of the Dome game that honored the great Rams teams of the late 1990s and early 2000s. The other was a custom-made Rams jersey with one clear message.

St. Louis Rams fan Jeff Schnurbusch has a message for Rams owner Stan Kroenke (Yahoo Sports)
That would be Stan Kroenke, perhaps the most hated man in Missouri. As much as Saturday’s event was a celebration for most of the Rams legends that lit this city on fire starting in 1999, it also served as another painful memory of the team that the city now has lost, the second time in 30 years an NFL left St. Louis behind.

“It’s going to be retired after today,” Schnurbusch said before the game. “I am going to try to get the players to sign it. Then I am going to make a shadowbox and it’s going to be the only Rams memorabilia that I’ll own.

“We had these players who won us a Super Bowl in St. Louis. And ‘Suck It Stan’ reveals my dislike for us getting shafted by a guy who was supported by this city.”

Schnurbusch was not the only one. Inside The Dome at America’s Center it was a comfy 72 degrees for the flag football game to sponsor the Isaac Bruce Foundation to support health, wellness, nutrition, fitness and education for children.

But outside, it was 97 degrees without a cloud in sight. Yet dozens of tailgate groups parked and partied hours before for one last time as Rams fans. The smoke from the charcoal grills only added to the heat. But Kroenke cranked the mercury up even more.

“I don’t want to hear Stan’s name,” said Bob Aebel, another tortured Rams fan. “Today has nothing to do with Stan. This is for Isaac Bruce’s charity and to honor these Rams players.”

Added another 20-year Rams supporter, Steve Norwood: “They played us. We go from the ‘Greatest Show on Turf’ to whatever we had the past few years … and this is how they play us? We’re heartbroken! We’re really heartbroken.”

Bruce was the pied piper for the game, which pitted some of the best Rams legends from the glory days against each other. Mike Martz coached the Blue Team featuring Kurt Warner, Bruce, Pro Football Hall of Famer Aeneas Williams, Ricky Proehl and others. The White Team, coached by Dick Vermeil, was led by Marc Bulger, Torry Holt, soon-to-be Pro Football Hall of Famer Orlando Pace and more. (Marshall Faulk was one big-name player from that era who did not show.)

There was joy and pro football — sort of — for one more day in St. Louis. The team that put the fun back in the NFL passing game in 1999 relived the good times. On the first drive, Warner hit Proehl, who gave his signature first first-down demonstration. Then Warner hit Bruce on a corner route for the first touchdown of the day and the first of the final “Bruuuuuuuuce” chants to ever rain down in the dome. At the end, Bruce led a “Bob & Weave” celebration from back in the heyday.

On the White team’s first play, Holt caught an 80-yard touchdown from Bulger. “I’m home,” Holt said to the sideline reporter over the Dome PA system.

The fans — officials say 10,600 tickets were sold — ate it up. For a brief moment, they could close their eyes and it was just like old times when Warner and Co. used to blow the roof off the joint on a weekly basis in the fall. The participants marveled at the attendance and the response.

“I am amazed at the crowd,” Vermeil told Shutdown Corner. “I am amazed at how many people there are. I didn’t anticipate this kind of reception. I came to a game here a couple years ago and there weren’t too many more people here than there are today.”

But Proehl, now the wide receivers coach for the Carolina Panthers, wasn’t surprised. He expected a first-class reception from the St. Louis fans.

“I knew there would be a lot of support. This fan base always supported us,” he said. “I played in six different cities, and these were the best fans in the league. The five years I was here were the most I ever felt at home away from home.”

The game featured some hilarious moments, too, with Martz drawing up a Fumblerooski run play for offensive guard Adam Timmerman in the red zone, followed by a touchdown pass from Warner to … kicker Jeff Wilkins. Proehl had his shorts completely ripped off after one catch. Timmerman scored a touchdown. Some lesser-known Rams, such as Roland Williams and Dane Looker, were treated just as warmly as the stars.

Pace, a few weeks away from his induction into Canton, also was honored with a halftime ceremony with his family on the field. He’s a St. Louis native and almost unnaturally beloved by the locals despite playing a position — left tackle — that sometimes doesn’t receive its proper share. Not here.

“I’ve always been humbled by the people here. They’ve always been great to us, which is why I live here still,” he told Shutdown Corner. “I can’t predict what the future will hold with us here, but I live here and will always be a part of it. I wish we could do this every year, just to bring back the good feelings to the people here.”

But as the game wore down, a bit of the air was let out of the building. It was the reality and the reminder of what Rams fans once had here — football nirvana for a few years — and what was ripped from them in a Los Angeles cash grab by Kroenke. This might not be the last time the team is honored in St. Louis as its only non-baseball championship team in nearly 60 years, but it’s almost certainly the final one in the building in which these Rams became the Greatest Show on Turf.

“It’s bittersweet,” Wilkins said. “You’d like to think there’s a home here for us when we come back for events. But it’s like anything else — as we get older, time passes by and memories fade. I think the support will always be here and the guys will always want to come back.”

Said Warner, “You never know if there’s one proper sendoff, especially everything this city gave to me, my family and my teammates. It was at least a fun way to say ‘thank you’ one more time to them.

“I don’t think guys are ever going to stop coming here. … But now you just wonder where the excuses are going to come from guys like me to come back and be able to interact with the community. I am fortunate that my son lives here. My foundation does stuff here. But a lot of these guys, there’s nothing that draws them back like a football game or an event like that. But I hope we feel like we have a home and guys continue to come back.”

Several players, including Wilkins and Pace, indicated that they were Rams for life and would continue to follow the team in Los Angeles, and it’s possible that with no NFL in St. Louis that many of them might not return for a long time after this weekend.

Rams head coach Jeff Fisher told Shutdown Corner last month that the team plans to reach out to as many former members of the organization as it can to be a part of things even after the move.

“We’ll do what we did when I first got to St. Louis, which is bring those guys back for games and pregame and halftime events and other things in the area,” Fisher said. “We want that connection. There are three groups of [Rams] fans — the ones from L.A. back in the day, the ones from St. Louis and the new fans I think we’ll have. We’re going to try to merge all those things together and make it one big family going forward.”

Don’t count, however, on many St. Louis fans spending much time or money in L.A., though, not with their wounds that appear to be still fresh. They showed up Saturday — a White 56, Blue 49 final — for a variety of reasons: for autographs, for photos with the players, to support Bruce’s charity, and to watch their favorite players run around for a few hours and take their minds off the fact that there’s no more NFL in their town.

“I am an emotional guy and I appreciate the passion of these fans,” Vermeil said. “The relationship all of these coaches and players have not only with each other but also with the fans here, it hasn’t diminished at all. In fact, I think time has made it grow. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, as they say.

“This is our way to come back one more time and say, ‘I am sorry, I understand. It’s the nature of the business.’”

Which is why the fans also came to spite Kroenke, who likely was blissfully ignorant of Saturday’s events, a few times zones away in his new city.

“I can tell you now that the entire NFL is dead to me,” Schnurbusch said. “I am going to watch college football. I will have a hard time watching anything NFL. To me, it’s just supporting people who took advantage of us.”

 

[LesBaker]

“We’ll do what we did when I first got to St. Louis, which is bring those guys back for games and pregame and halftime events and other things in the area,” Fisher said. “We want that connection. There are three groups of [Rams] fans — the ones from L.A. back in the day, the ones from St. Louis and the new fans I think we’ll have. We’re going to try to merge all those things together and make it one big family going forward.”

I hope they can accomplish that but I wouldn't hold my breath. I suspect most fans in LA are going to be pretty ambivalent about STL players visiting.

 

[OldSchool]

I hope they can accomplish that but I wouldn't hold my breath. I suspect most fans in LA are going to be pretty ambivalent about STL players visiting.

I'm so tired of seeing these negative comments about other Rams fans.

 

[Loyal]

I'm so tired of seeing these negative comments about other Rams fans.

I might have said it a little differently, Old School, but I think Les is right. LA Rams fans that were still fans during the St Louis Rams era, would be absolutely thrilled to see GSOT players in LA. New fans and returning LA Ram fans don't have the GSOT connection like we do. It's like the bored responses I would get when discussing all of those great LA Rams teams in the 70's at the PD...most St Louis era fans in Missouri could give a rip about what had been important before 1995. It's not slam..It is, what it is.

Just my humble opinion.

 

[OldSchool]

I might have said it a little differently, Old School, but I think Les is right. LA Rams fans that were still fans during the St Louis Rams era, would be absolutely thrilled to see GSOT players in LA. New fans and returning LA Ram fans don't have the GSOT connection like we do. It's like the bored responses I would get when discussing all of those great LA Rams teams in the 70's at the PD...most St Louis era fans in Missouri could give a rip about what had been important before 1995. It's not slam..It is, what it is.

Just my humble opinion.

So Rams fans from both cities have been asses to each other in the past and with us having one of the smallest fan bases lets just go on and make snarky comments about each other. That's a great way to be as a fan base!

 

[LesBaker]

I'm so tired of seeing these negative comments about other Rams fans.

It's not a negative comment about Rams fans at all..........you are misunderstanding.

When LA players visited STL most fans shrugged their shoulders.

Old Cardinals would have brought out more enthusiasm.

Other than Youngblood, but he is crazy over the top respected by ANY fan of football.

Now if you trot out old LA Rams players the place will erupt. But I suspect it won't for STL players, even the GSOT guys.

 

[Loyal]

So Rams fans from both cities have been asses to each other in the past and with us having one of the smallest fan bases lets just go on and make snarky comments about each other. That's a great way to be as a fan base!

No..I don't know why you are pushed out of shape. Even 20 something Niner fans have no connection to the glory years of Montana and Young, just as I have no connection to the 1951 NFL Championship of the Rams. In my case, I wasn't alive to understand what it was like to enjoy that championship. St Louis fans were not aware of, and reasonably didn't care about the 1970's or 1980's Rams while Big Red was in town. It's not a slam to recognize these facts.

 

[RamFan503]

I hope they can accomplish that but I wouldn't hold my breath. I suspect most fans in LA are going to be pretty ambivalent about STL players visiting.

I think you're wrong simply by virtue of how big of an affect the GSOT years had on the league and that the Rams winning a Superbowl in the Lou. I think you'd be hard pressed to find a single LA fan who is ambivalent about players like Bruce, Warner, Faulk, Holt, Pace, and a couple others.

 

[OldSchool]

Now if you trot out old LA Rams players the place will erupt. But I suspect it won't for STL players, even the GSOT guys.

This right here is a shallow attack IMO at LA fans who won't recognize in your opinion Hall of Fame players who brought the franchise their only Lombardi. Players like Warner, Faulk, Pace, Bruce and Holt will get the cold shoulder by LA fans? You LR and I clearly disagree on this so I'll just drop it but this attitude has gone on for decades and I guess I'm the only one tired of it and refrain from insulting other Rams fans.