Standing Room Only
Have you ever expected things to go a certain way, only to be shocked that the exact opposite has occurred?
In 1999, I was a freshman at this university. I knew St. Louis had the arch, Mark McGwire, and that horrible football franchise that relocated from Los Angeles. The Cardinals were having a then-typical year, where McGwire hits a billion homeruns but the team is nowhere in contention. The arch was all I expected it to be.a big and kind of pointless metal structure in downtown that provides a stellar view of this not-so-picturesque city. The Rams had a collection of players whom I had never heard of, a coach who would cry at the hint of anything sentimental, and a reputation of being one of the worst organizations in the history of sports.
And then it all changed.
After losing their starting QB before the season began, the Rams turned to Kurt Warner. Nobody on this planet had ever heard of this guy, and the expectations could not have been lower. Additionally, they were able to acquire running back Marshall Faulk from the Indianapolis Colts. Faulk had been a quality player, but most people reasoned that he lacked the talent and strength to be a high-profile player in this league.
I’m sure you all know how that season turned out, as it produced one of the most remarkable turnarounds in NFL history. This team went from being a last place dweller into a potential dynasty. Warner was now being mentioned in the same breath as Unitas and Montana. Faulk was doing things that no running back had ever done in the history of this league.
As I watched in awe, I felt honored to be witnessing such a drastic turn of events. After all, who knew how long it was going to be before any team would ever experience this big of a role-reversal again?
Turns out, it only took three years.and it happened to the exact same team.
The Rams have now started the 2002 season 0-4. Having to play the 49ers and Raiders in upcoming weeks, they most likely will be 0-6. This after starting the last three years at 6-0, with each of those years spurring talk of an undefeated season.
They were 2-1 odds to win the Super Bowl this year, and had they not underestimated the Patriots last January, they would have won two of the last three championships, thereby solidifying their dynasty. While the Pats deserved respect for manhandling this team, nobody expected anything less from the Rams then another stellar upcoming season.
Their first loss was understandable. Playing a strong Denver Broncos team on the road would have been tough for any team’s opening match-up. Their second game was perplexing.a close defeat by the New York Giants at home. Sure, they lost, but they had a good chance of winning the game on their final drive. Even their third loss could have been looked at differently. They were playing a team that has not only played them tough, but has beaten them the last two years.the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Combine that with being on the road again, and once again this would have been a tough win regardless.
However, there is no way to explain this past Sunday’s loss to the Dallas Cowboys. The Rams were at home. They had something to prove. They were playing a team that was slaughtered by an expansion team. They lost 13-10.
Now, the Rams are an exact, carbon-copy opposite of what this team was three years ago. There are no more touchdowns (which is somewhat fortunate for Dominoes Pizza and their “One dollar off for each Rams TD” campaign). There is no longer a mystique-like aura surrounding this team. The Super Bowl dreams are dead.
This is exactly what happened in 1999, in reverse. This team has gone from the highest of expectations, to be the worst in the league in the same abrupt manner that brought them their success.
It’s almost as if the Rams signed a pact with the devil, which stated that they would become Super Bowl champions, only to have this reign end when you least expect it.
Maybe the plug was pulled right as the Patriots kicked their Super Bowl game-winning field goal. Maybe the football gods realized that if you win a championship by tackling your opponent on the one-yard line (as the Rams did against the Titans), things should even out just as dramatically.
I find an ironic sense of symmetry between my arriving in St. Louis, and now leaving this city. The Cards are now a perennial World Series contender, with McGwire having long-since retired. The Rams have fallen just as far and unexpectedly as they previously had risen. And, I still don’t understand why a big metal arch stands out there by the river.
I guess some things just don’t have an explanation.
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