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That was always my question back in the 70's is how the hell we didn't win or get to more SB's. I assume the answer was we always had sub par QB play?
I promise to stop after this; and, again, these are just my opinions.
YES and NO but I think it's a little too simplistic to say it was only the quarterbacking.
The YES part.
From 1973-1980 the Rams were in the playoffs ... eight straight seasons, and one Super Bowl appearance. They lost to the Cowboys four times ... three with Roger Staubach and once to Danny White; and the Vikings three times ... twice with Fran Tarkenton and once to Bob Lee (UGH!)
Staubach and Tarkenton were probably the two best QBs in the NFC in the 1970s (Jim Hart was really good), so there was a QB-talent differential but the Rams' quarterbacks did not suck. There was an MVP (Hadl in 1973) and several Pro Bowl appearances.
The NO part.
The Rams had some very disappointing playoff performances in that stretch. They were clearly out-played when they lost in 1975, 1978 and 1980. The 1977 game was played in awful conditions, and the Rams did not play well. That's four of the seven losses which (in my opinion) the Rams were NOT the better team THAT day.
The other three losses were really tough. In the Divisional Round in 1973, the Rams out-played the Cowboys for much of the game but they also made a handful major costly mistakes.
The 1974 and 1976 NFC Championship Games, in Minnesota remain the two worst defeats (other than Super Bowls) in my 50-plus years of being a Rams' fan. Three reasons ... the Rams were just one game from the Super Bowl ... the Rams were the better team those seasons ... and, the Rams were the better team THAT day.
Of course, I was a teenager in 1974 and 1976; and was stoned a lot.
