LA Rams: Did Matthew Stafford trade constitute ‘last call’ for Lombardi?

The LA Rams have been at it just four seasons under head coach Sean McVay.  Over those four seasons, a winning record is just taken for granted.  The Rams have amassed a 43-21 record, and a 3-3 playoff record just one year removed from returning to Los Angeles. Most teams would consider that an incredible run. But the history of the NFL, particularly through an NFL historian like McVay, is not kind to very good NFL teams that fail to win it all.

The Buffalo Bills had four chances to will it all, yet failed to do so. The Purple People Eaters of the Minnesota Vikings have not done so either. The LA Rams were a very good team from 1973-1977 for head coach Chuck Knox but did not once even appear in a Super Bowl. They were turned away each year by either the Dallas Cowboys or the Minnesota Vikings.

Many very good chapters of NFL teams have not done so. And that’s a problem. If the intimate success was evenly spaced, the Rams would be looking at their next Lombardi in 2031. But it’s not evenly distributed. A player like Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady has played 21 NFL seasons, appeared in 10 Super Bowl games, and claimed seven NFL Championship rings.

That is not typical.  Some great NFL players will never compete for the Lombardi Trophy in their lifetime. For all the greatness, for all the eyebrow-raising statistics, and for all the accolades and awards earned on an individual basis, that NFL Championship ring is indeed the most coveted of the bunch. That award, one of the most fleeting in the NFL, is prized because in one instant it can be shared with anyone and everyone within the entire organization. The gratification of WE versus I is an entirely new level of thrill.

The NFL is truly a team sport. It’s a team of forged relationships that last a lifetime. Facing adversity through association is a sure-fire way to build incredibly strong bonds of friendship and loyalty. The US Military deploys that very strategy to fast track those human bonding instincts. It’s no different than the vigorous training for the football team in spring and summer camps.