For some LA Rams players, Super Bowl LVI could be their last stand

Teams win Super Bowls

To those of us who cheer and observe the NFL, rally behind our team, and glean the internet for stories about our team, we can be lulled into some misconceptions. Because we hear the tales of stars, big contracts, and highlight-reel performances, we believe that is the norm in the NFL. But the overwhelming majority of the NFL is shouldered by the guys who are selfless. The guys who block, run decoy routes, who make tackles, who stuff the run and deflect the pass. They cannot hope to carry the team to a Super Bowl as some NFL stars can.

They must be content to get there in whatever fashion possible, and then play their best when they do. In the end, the highlight reel of the Super Bowl will feature that game-winning touchdown catch or that buzzer-beating field goal.

But the heroes are also the offensive linemen who made key blocks. Defensive linemen who made key tackles.  In the end, the LA Rams have plenty of players who understand that this could very well be their last chance to win the Super Bowl.  But whether they realize it or not, that could be true of each and every player on the football field.

Coaches have a far better handle on the value of players on the roster than fans because we tend to gravitate our assignment of value to players based upon our standard of measurement. Namely, the points that a player can generate for our fantasy football team.

Blocking, tackling, defending the pass, are all fundamentally vital components to the success of a football team. But because we cannot win points for those efforts in Fantasy Football, do we truly track them as religiously as other more prominent statistics?

Super Bowl LVI may be the last stand for some LA Rams players. To be honest, many players competing in Super Bowl LVI may never compete in a Super Bowl again. Enjoy the journey. Hope for an injury-free game. And of course, cheer the LA Rams on to victory. But don’t lose sight of what it has taken for these LA Rams players to get there. Some may never be back again.