Have the Rams Returned?

The St. Louis Rams have made their mark over the last eight years as “The Greatest Show on Turf” with their Super Bowl win in 1999 and an appearance in the big game in 2001. However, that era has slowly come to an end in St. Louis as they showed that they are aging.

For instance, think about the Rams wide receivers in those glory years. You had Issac Bruce and Torry Holt, who at the time were among the best wide outs in the NFL. Period. But to be honest, as a big Rams fan, Bruce has suffered a major setback since those days and Holt, well he seems to have held on to his youth. Many people, when thinking about top ten wide receivers in the NFL put Torry number one. It’s amazing how he has not lost his rhythm over these last couple of years. The guy is in his mid-thirties and that is usually the time that NFL players start to decline especially when you’re a wide receiver.

When you think about the quarterback position on this team, you remember the likes of Kurt Warner. Warner was the best quarterback in the NFL. Period. Once again, a position that was tops in the NFL at its peak for the Rams. Since then, however the Rams have been able to overcome Warner’s departure.

A man named Marc Bulger stepped into the quarterback position for St. Louis Rams. Bulger has been one of the most consistent quarterbacks in the NFL. He has barely thrown any interceptions per year during his time in the NFL which basically began after Warner left the organization in 2004. Last year was Bulger’s first full season as Rams starting quarterback and he showed that he could make the transition. He threw for over 4,000 yards and eight interceptions, tops in the NFL among the players who played a full season last year.

When it came to the wide receiving crew, the Rams also were able to vastly improve last year when Kevin Curtis turned in a solid performance. Although they weren’t able to bring back Curtis, they brought in someone just as reliable in 29 year old Drew Bennett who was the premiere wide out on the Titans last season when Vince Young broke into the NFL. He has 46 receptions last year and three touchdowns, one more then the league average for wide receivers.

St. Louis also had Marshall Faulk in those glory “Turf” years. Faulk was the best running back in the NFL. Period. And when he retired, how could they possibly replace him, you ask? Oh come on. Don’t you know about Action Jackson? He’s the new Faulk. Heck they’ve done away with a career and put him in the Hall of Fame already. Well, it’s not that easy. However, Stephen Jackson has made it easy for himself. S.J. ran for over 1500 yards last season. He also had 90 receptions and 13 touchdowns, an amazing year for him.

So overall, the St. Louis Rams have been able to bring back the “Greatest show on Turf”. And this year, it’s exhibit A in the museum that is the NFL.