So What if We Had Drafted Dan Marino?

[Mojo Ram]

@Loyal
Had an incredible leather helmet collection at home at one time.

Unfortunately cameras weren’t invented yet so no pics.

 

[Londoner]

@Loyal
Had an incredible leather helmet collection at home at one time.

Unfortunately cameras weren’t invented yet so no pics.

He’s still got an incredible leather helmet now.

 

[Classic Rams]

Just my recollection and opinion.

I loved watching Dickerson run. He was truly great. However, over the past three decades, I have found Dickerson’s comments about the past debate able, at best … and, occasionally, entertaining fantasy.

The Bears 46 Defense always played the run first, and then went to Kill the Quarterback.

They didn’t load-the-box for Dickerson in the 1985 NFC Championship. The box was already loaded. Six of the Bears front Seven were legitimate Pro Bowl players. Three of them were Hall of Famers; and, arguably, it could have been five.

The 1985 Rams’ offensive line had four Pro Bowl players; and the 5th (Irv Pankey) was really good. The Bears defensive front dominated the Rams’ O-Line that awful Sunday, as it did the week before in the Divisional Round and a couple weeks later in the Super Bowl.

If Eric Dickerson thinks the Rams were a ‘halfway competent QB’ away from winning that game, THAT is fantasy world stupid, in my opinion.

Anyway, that’s my memory … and, these days, I can sometimes forget my address … but I would love to hear what some posters who were around in 1985 (but not kids) recall and think.

I was around.

Bears 46 D was a "stuff the run keep going to the QB if he has it" defense. I believe they always called it loading the box with the SS lined up close, and they did with Fencik. Madden would gush about it. The CBs were on an island and they had 2 who could stay with their man until the rush got there. Dolphins' upset on MNF showed that if you give Marino enough time he could expose them.

Rams did need a halfway decent QB in all of ED's years with the Rams. Everett showed signs of that in ED's last 2, but also he had some rookie mistakes. Ferragamo had been either regressing or the OC didn't play to his strengths. He wasn't a timing pass QB as I recall, and he could be really off the mark at times in his last 2 years. Kemp and Brock were average at best. And Ellard being a young talented rookie as their only vertical threat means their offense was very limited. Duckworth had shown some signs but then mysteriously went AWOL and wasn't available. Michael Young as backup, who's afraid of that guy? And Ron Brown wasn't always "that guy" either and was inconsistent.

The Rams had beaten that 46 defense pretty decisively in 1983 and 1984 in the big A. But with Brock at QB there was just no way they were gonna get past the Bears D. Back then I had higher hopes for him because he had at least 4 very good games that season. But he was trash in the playoffs.

As for the OL, pretty much what you said. Pankey wasn't all pro but I remember his battles with LT. It wasn't anything like Slater vs Reggie White in 1988, but they had some good back and forth plays. Pankey didn't usually require help on the all-world LB, and would sometimes get off a good block on him, or hold, and LT would get fired up and make the next play. Irv held his own, but one could only do so much vs Taylor. Madden was great calling the replays. Of course he was always an LT guy but he gave Pankey some props.

I actually liked the Bears back then mainly because they dethroned the whiners and thrashed the cowgirls. I rode their wave of cool misfits for a bit until that championship game. Then I was like screw them and their fans. A team I like becomes an enemy when they play the Rams. The fridge hype started to get old, and I thought the song video they did was dumb... until I saw the Rams' cringe version!