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When the GSOT was born, the Rams had suffered numerous years of bad luck. Rich Brooks started strong with special teams tricks and lots of turnovers that propped them to a good initial record in ‘95, but the remaining year and a half cemented them as pretenders. In came Dick Vermeil who instilled toughness to the team but the disaster that was Lawrence Phillips and the overall lack of imagination on offense diminished his accomplishments. He nearly lost the team by pushing so hard without winning season results.
But come 1999, Marshall Faulk became available for a song. Adam Timmerman became available through FA. Kurt Warner was an unexpected revelation. Special teams became explosive. The defense produced turnovers regularly. Ike’s hamstrings became reliable. The team suffered very few injuries. And the schedule by the end of the season was found to be one of the statistically easiest in the league. Ricky Proehl saved the day and the Titans ran out of time. It all went the Rams way that year. Yet as great as that team was...there was luck involved along the way.
Unfortunately, as the GSOT began to deteriorate, so did the luck factor disappear from the team. Injuries to OLinemen were amazingly persistent. Bradford was drafted the last year teams had to grossly overpay a rookie and his injuries never allowed him to develop. Penalties and turnovers destroyed many opportunities to succeed. They built themselves to compete with Seattle, SF, and AZ when each team rose to their pinnacles and though the Rams were generally competitive in the West, they sucked everywhere else.
Now comes 2017. Sean McVay flew under the radar due to his age. Wade Phillips was undervalued by the Broncos. Kroemer’s personal issues sent him looking for work. Aging OLinemen Whitworth and Sullivan didn’t suffer the same fates of Long and Wells. How many times has Rodger Saffold been healthy seven games in a row? How many picks has Jared thrown that were dropped by defenders? How often in this division’s history has the other three teams fielded the worst OLines in the league? We caught the Cowboys without their two best linebackers and their best CB. How would the Jags game have looked without everything going right on Special Teams? How many times in previous years did we not get a critical holding penalty like was called on Travis Frederick?
Good teams seem to make their own luck sometimes. This is a solid team that is growing in confidence and execution. But had this team seen the bad “breaks” (injuries, turnovers, running into good teams at their peaks), the confidence they have wouldn’t be nearly as pronounced. Buy-in and chemistry can be given by assent...but only sustained by success.
It can happen like 1999. The bad breaks of years passed heaped on this team by the football gods for a dozen years may have them smiling in the Rams favor all year long, we saw it before. Perchance to dream. The Giants have imploded at the perfect time. The Texans lost two of their best DLinemen and now maybe their offensive superstar Watson. Can the Eagles really replace an All Pro LT? The Vikings are blessed with our castoffs under center. The NFC West still sports the three worst OLines in football that our DLine can dominate.
But even if all the breaks don’t go the Ram’s way...there’s no denying one simple fact: this is an ascending team that will continue to improve because this start has instilled in these men a belief that they should win anyway...luck be damned.
But come 1999, Marshall Faulk became available for a song. Adam Timmerman became available through FA. Kurt Warner was an unexpected revelation. Special teams became explosive. The defense produced turnovers regularly. Ike’s hamstrings became reliable. The team suffered very few injuries. And the schedule by the end of the season was found to be one of the statistically easiest in the league. Ricky Proehl saved the day and the Titans ran out of time. It all went the Rams way that year. Yet as great as that team was...there was luck involved along the way.
Unfortunately, as the GSOT began to deteriorate, so did the luck factor disappear from the team. Injuries to OLinemen were amazingly persistent. Bradford was drafted the last year teams had to grossly overpay a rookie and his injuries never allowed him to develop. Penalties and turnovers destroyed many opportunities to succeed. They built themselves to compete with Seattle, SF, and AZ when each team rose to their pinnacles and though the Rams were generally competitive in the West, they sucked everywhere else.
Now comes 2017. Sean McVay flew under the radar due to his age. Wade Phillips was undervalued by the Broncos. Kroemer’s personal issues sent him looking for work. Aging OLinemen Whitworth and Sullivan didn’t suffer the same fates of Long and Wells. How many times has Rodger Saffold been healthy seven games in a row? How many picks has Jared thrown that were dropped by defenders? How often in this division’s history has the other three teams fielded the worst OLines in the league? We caught the Cowboys without their two best linebackers and their best CB. How would the Jags game have looked without everything going right on Special Teams? How many times in previous years did we not get a critical holding penalty like was called on Travis Frederick?
Good teams seem to make their own luck sometimes. This is a solid team that is growing in confidence and execution. But had this team seen the bad “breaks” (injuries, turnovers, running into good teams at their peaks), the confidence they have wouldn’t be nearly as pronounced. Buy-in and chemistry can be given by assent...but only sustained by success.
It can happen like 1999. The bad breaks of years passed heaped on this team by the football gods for a dozen years may have them smiling in the Rams favor all year long, we saw it before. Perchance to dream. The Giants have imploded at the perfect time. The Texans lost two of their best DLinemen and now maybe their offensive superstar Watson. Can the Eagles really replace an All Pro LT? The Vikings are blessed with our castoffs under center. The NFC West still sports the three worst OLines in football that our DLine can dominate.
But even if all the breaks don’t go the Ram’s way...there’s no denying one simple fact: this is an ascending team that will continue to improve because this start has instilled in these men a belief that they should win anyway...luck be damned.
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