The crew at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch put the bye to good use, compiling an extensive account of how the Rams, who in three years broke records, dominated the NFL, and won a Super Bowl, became the team -- term used liberally -- we see today.There are the five most damaging decisions, all the money tied up in injured players this year (btw, Leonard Little is on the IR), Jim Thomas' lengthy and fascinating document on how Dick Vermeil's first retirement began the degradation of the franchise, and a few draft-day gambles that didn't pay off. Yeah, that about covers it.
Speaking of those draft-day gambles, here's what I found most damning from Thomas' must-read:
Only one player remains from the '00, '01, and '02 drafts - the three drafts that followed the Greatest Show seasons.
Even factoring in the rapid turnover rate of players in today's NFL, there should be four or five current starters from those drafts now in the prime of their careers, helping to form the backbone of the 2007 Rams. Instead there is just long snapper Chris Massey, a seventh-round pick in '02.
Fast forward through the '03 and '04 drafts, and only running back Steven Jackson, and linebackers Pisa Tinoisamoa and Brandon Chillar remain. So out of the five drafts following the Super Bowl XXXIV championship season, only four players remain: three starters and a long snapper.
Jackson is the only Rams Pro Bowler produced from any draft since Super Bowl XXXIV - that's a 1-for-63 batting average over the past eight drafts.
