Both Cooper Kupp and Jalen Ramsey agree on this takeaway from winning SB LVI

There is a certain amount of brotherhood that will survive the test of time, and the bonds that bind the LA Rams roster who shared the victory of Super Bowl LVI are forged for a lifetime. This is nothing new, but fans need to understand this bond, as it becomes the crux of this article. After all, without common ground, the rest of what we talk about is not going to make much sense.

This article is about the journey. Now, this is not the first time that a journey has been the topic for Ramblin Fan, nor do I expect this to be the last time we cover this topic. We discussed the abundance of young talent on the Rams roster in 2023, and how that meant plenty of course corrections over the course of last year.

But that is all part of what made last year so incredibly entertaining after all. This was not about a team that finished with a final record of 10-7. The true tale of last season was about how a very young team came together and surged to NFL starters before the fans' very eyes. That was a journey not only worth making, but a journey worth telling, and retelling.

Much like the journey made by the team during the 2021 NFL season. This was not a collective narrative about professional football players whose decade-long journey finally paid off. This was a tale of 53 players, each with a different journey to get here, but whose individual tale became interwoven into the Super Bowl LVI tapestry that claimed the Lombardi Trophy for the city of Los Angeles, California.

But as All-Pro WR Cooper Kupp stated so profoundly, it was not about lifting the Lombardi Trophy that became a lasting memory for Cooper Kupp. The true lasting memory for Kupp, and for many players in that Super Bowl winning season was the friendships forged along the way. The journey became greater than the destination:

There is a lesson to be learned here. A lesson that elderly persons can all agree to. The greatest memories of life are never about the personal accolades or accomplishments. Rather, the nearest and dearest cherished memories are those relationships forged along the way.

Ask any military veteran if you doubt my claim. Those who served together for any length of time become family. Even now, decades after serving proudly alongside my veteran brothers and sisters, I still am proud to consider them family. Whether it's thanks to social media, or the occasional visit, it's as though no time has passed.

If you believe that the measures of life are about what you earn, accomplish, or the awards earned, then you will find that your life will take on a new and much more pleasant path when you also realize that it is and always has been about the journey. Whether it's high school, college, military, or simply career chapters of your life, destinations are simply mile markers along the way.

People are, in fact, social creatures. Tailgate parties can be just as memorable as the game itself, thanks to that effect. And that is what is most memorable about life when you make your own decision to hang up your cleats and retire.

Don't hesitate to pause along the way. Life is not a race at all. It's a scavenger hunt, a trek where each of us are scrambling to find and claim friendships, laughter, peace, prosperity, and companionship. It has never been about what you do when you get 'there,' no matter wherever that is. It's about finding reasons to laugh and enjoy along the way.

Don't take my word for it. But Cooper Kupp and Jalen Ramsey, two professional football players who are the best at what they do, believe that is the true meaning of life.

As always, thanks for reading.