Historical Moments:
1995: As the Rams got ready for their first season in St. Louis, work was speeded up for
a brand new domed stadium in downtown St. Louis. Despite the increased work the
new Trans World Dome would not be ready for the season, and the Rams would have
to use Busch Stadium fromer home of the Cardinals for their first 2 home games. After stunning the Packers in Green Bay 17-14 on September
3rd, the Rams came home to play their first official game in St. Louis.
Fans in the gateway were pleased to have the NFL back and sold out Busch Stadium
as the Rams beat the New Orleans Saints 17-13 to improve to 2-0. The Rams would
go on to win their next 2 games as well to complete a 4-0 start. After a 21-18
loss to the Colts in Indianapolis, the Rams set to open the Trans World Dome
against the Atlanta Falcons. The Rams would open the dome with a 21-19 win to
improve to 5-1, setting up a showdown game with San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers
game was the moment of truth for the Rams; unfortunately it exposed many weaknesses
as the Rams lost 44-10. At 5-2 the Rams still sat in good playoff position,
but the loss to the 49ers was only the beginning in the final 9 games the Rams
won just 2 to finish with a 7-9 record.
1996: The Rams shake up their team by trading unhappy stars RB Jerome Bettis, and Shawn
Gilbert. To replace Bettis the Rams draft Nebraska star Lawrence Phillips. The
new look Rams start their second season in St. Louis with a win 26-16 against
the Cincinnati Bengals at the Trans World Dome. However the Rams would lose their
next 4 as Phillips struggled in his rookie season. After a win over the Jacksonville
Jaguars the Rams would continue to struggle and sat at 3-9. The Rams would
win 3 of their last 4, to finish with a 6-10 record. However Coach Rich Brooks
was still fired following the season in which Phillips only rushed for 632
yards, while scoring 4 TDs.
1997: The Rams change their entire coaching staff, as a group of old pros come in to lead
the Rams. Leading the way is Dick Vermiel who is returning to coaching after
a 15-year hiatus. One of Vermiel's first moves is to trade up in the draft to
select OT Orland Pace to be the foundation of a strong Offensive Line. The Vermiel
led Rams win their first game of the season against the New Orleans Saints
38-24. However once again the 1-0 start would not last long as the Rams lost 10
of their next 11 games. The Rams would close the season strong again winning 3
of their final 4 to close out with a 5-11 record.
1998: In the off season the Rams are forced to release Lawrence Phillips after off the
field troubles, and on field struggles become to much for the club to handle. When
the season started the Rams continued to struggle going 4-12 on the season.
Following their 9th consecutive losing season the Rams release turnover prone
QB Tony Banks.
1999: The Rams reshaped through trades, and free agency as the Rams acquire Marshall Faulk
in a blockbuster draft day trade from the Indianapolis Colts. To lead the offense
the Rams sign free agent QB Trent Green. Green and Faulk show promise in
the preseason, as the Rams were impressive in winning their first 2 exhibition
games. However, in the 3rd preseason tune up Green suffers a season ending knee
injury, forcing the Rams to change directions once again. To replace Green the
Rams cal on back up Kurt Warner, who had never started a NFL game in a career
that featured stints in NFL Europe, and Arena Football. Going into the season
with an unknown QB most experts thought Rams were in for their 10ths straight losing
season, as Dick Vermeil was a lame duck coach, who's time had passed him
by. Led by QB Kurt Warner the Rams get off to a fast start winning their first
3 games while scoring 100 points. However none believed the Rams for real, as they
set to play the San Francisco 49ers, a team that has exposed them as phonies
in the past, and a team they had not beaten in 9 years. The Rams would not only
win the game, but it was not even close as the Rams ran over the aging 49ers
42-20, forcing people to take notice of the Rams unknown QB. The Rams would win
their next 2 games to complete an incredible 6-0 start. In Week 7 the Rams would
suffer their first defeat of the season 24-21 in Tennessee against the Titans.
The Rams would lose again the next week to the Lions in Detroit 31-27. Just
as people were thinking the Rams were crashing to reality, the Rams rebounded
winning their next 7 games to clinch the best record in the NFC. Along the way
Warner earned MVP honors by throwing for 4,353 yards, while connection on 41 TD
passes, while Marshall Faulk collected the Offensive Player of the year award
with 2,429 yards in total offense. In addition Dick Vermiel would own coach of
the year honors, proving the old pro still had something left. The Rams would lose
a meaningless game at the end of the season, as they headed to the playoff
for the first time in 10 years with a 13-3 record. On January 16th the city of
St. Louis host its first NFL Playoff game, as the Rams face the Minnesota Vikings
in the Divisional Playoff. The 2 top offenses in the NFL went back and forth
all afternoon; before the Rams emerged with an impressive 49-37 win. Unlike the
battle of offensive powers the NFC Championship Game was defense vs. offense
as the Rams faced the NFC's best defensive team in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The
Bucs and Rams would play a grind it out kind of game as the Rams under rated
defense rose to the occasion. However the Rams still trailed 6-5 late in the 4th
Quarter, before Kurt Warner found WR Ricky Proehl open for a 31-yard TD pass
that gave the Rams an 11-6 lead. The Bucs would drive down the field and appeared
to be in position to go for a winning Touchdown, but a key 3rd pass play was
ruled incomplete on instant replay, setting the Rams up for the kill. The Rams
would stop the Bucs cold on the next play to clinch a trip to Super Bowl XXXIV.
Super Bowl XXXIV: The first Super Bowl of the new millennium was held in Atlanta, as the Rams found
themselves in a rematch with Tennessee Titans. However unlike the regular season
the game was set to be played in a dome, the type of conditions the Rams excelled
in. The Rams held a 16-0 lead late in the 3rd Quarter, before the Titans
got on to board with a TD in the final seconds. After missing a 2-point conversion
the Titans continued their momentum and tied the game with 2:15 remaining.
The game appeared to be heading for OT, but the Rams struck back right away a 73-yard
pass form Kurt Warner to Isaac Bruce to give the Rams a 23-16 lead with
1:54 remaining. However the game was far from over, as the Titans drove down the
field, with time winding down. The Titans would have one last chance to tie the
game set up on the Rams 7-yard line with 7 seconds left. Titans QB would find
Kevin Dyson on the 3 and he appeared to be waltzing in for a game tying TD when
Mike Jones pulled him down inches from the goal line as time ran out. The St.
Louis Rams were Super Bowl Champions; Kurt Warner completed his journey form
unknown to Super Bowl MVP, as Dick Vermiel retired with his elusive Super Bowl
trophy in hand.
2000: Under new coach Mike Martz the Rams did not miss a beat winning their first 6 games
scoring 37 or more points in each game. However trouble was brewing as the Rams
allowed at least 20 points in every game. The Rams would lose their first game
in Kansas City against the Chiefs 54-34, but was more painful was a broken
finger suffered by QB Kurt Warner. The Rams would win only 3 of their next 8 games
despite strong performances from Offensive Player of the Year Marshall Faulk,
and back up QB Trent Green, and Kurt Warner when he returned form his broken
finger. The problem was the Rams defense was awful, and was allowing more then
30 points in every game. The Rams entered the final week of the season with a
9-6 record needing a win in New Orleans against the Saints just to get the final
playoff spot. The Rams would rise to the occasion beating the Saints 26-21, setting
up a rematch one week later in New Orleans. However in the Wild Card game
the Rams defense was porous allowed 31 points, as a woozy, but valiant Kurt Warner
could not lead the Rams back, as they fell 31-28.
2001: After a season in which the Rams defense let them down, the squad is completely over
hauled; Lovie Smith comes in as the new defensive coordinator, as 7 of 12 defensive
starters are replaced. The Rams defense shows improvement as they get
off to a 6-0 start. The defense suffered a set back in a 34-31 loss at the dome
to the New Orleans Saints. The Rams would win their next 2 games before a hard
fought Monday Night loss at Dome at American Center to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
After the loss to the Bucs the Rams caught fire again winning their final 6
games to close the season with an impressive 14-2 record, as Marshall Faulk won
his 3rd straight Offensive Player of the Year, and Kurt Warner won his 2nd MVP
in 3 years. The Rams path to the Super Bowl was clear; all they need was 2 home
wins at the Dome at American Center to return to the Super Bowl. The first opponent
was the Green Bay Packers, most expected an offensive shoot out, and instead
Rams fans were treated to a blowout. The Rams dominated on both sides of the
ball forcing 6 turnovers in a 45-17 romp. In the NFC Championship Game the Rams
fought off a challenge from the Philadelphia Eagles to hold to a 29-24 win
for a return trip to the Super Bowl.
Super Bowl XXXVI: Going in to the Super Bowl in New Orleans the Rams were 14-point favorites, as most
viewed the game as a coronation of the unstoppable Rams. However, the patriotic
atmosphere of the Super Bowl seemed to be just right for the New England Patriots,
who were looking to stun the world. The Rams offense could not get going
all day, and trailed 17-3 going into the 4th Quarter. In the 4th the Rams offense
began to click as they scored twice to tie the score at 17-17. With 2 minutes
left the Rams had momentum, as the game appeared to be heading to overtime.
However the Rams defense allowed the Patriots to get in Field Goal range where
Adam Vinatieri stunned the Rams and the World by kicking the Pats to a 20-17 win.
2002: Coming off their stunning Super Bowl loss the Rams looked as if they were still in
a daze as they dropped their first 4 games. Making matter worse QB Kurt Warner
was knocked to the sidelines with a broken hand. The Rams would fall to 0-5 as
Jamie Martin struggled in a 37-13 road loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Facing
the undefeated Oakland Raiders at home in Week 6 the Rams turned to another Quarterback
Marc Bulger with hopes of turning around their season. Surprisingly
Marc Bulger would lead the Rams to 5 straight wins starting with a 28-13 win over
the Raiders. At 5-5 the Rams were suddenly back in the playoff picture as Kurt
Warner returned to action, which was good timing since Bulger himself suffered
a hand injury. However Warner continued to struggle as the Rams lost 2 straight
before a stress fracture shut down Warner's season. Kurt Warner who won the
rookie of the year in 2001 was winless in 7 start in 2002 throwing just 3 TD passes
to 11 interceptions. Things would go bad to worse the following week as the
Rams were mauled by the Kansas City Chiefs 49-10 with Jamie Martin at QB. Bulger
would return the following week and improve to 6-0 as a starter. Bulger's
magical run would end a week later as the Rams lost on the road to the Seattle
Seahawks 30-10. In the season finale on Monday Night Jamie Martin would lead a
stirring 4th Quarter comeback over the 49ers at home. However, it would not salvage
the season for the Rams who finished with a disappointing record of 7-9.
2003: After a year of injury Kurt Warner returned to the Rams starting lineup as the Rams
kicked the season off on the road against the New York Giants. Warner looked
shaky from the start and had trouble just holding on to the ball as he had 6 fumbles
while being sacked 6 times in a 20-13 loss. Warner would suffer a concussion
in the game and would be benched in favor of Marc Bulger. With Bulger under
center the Rams would recover winning 4 of their next 5 games. By the time Warner
was able to play he had lost his job to Bulger who had the Rams offense firing
on ally cylinders despite missing Marshall Faulk who was sidelined for 5 weeks
with a knee injury. Warner even suggested himself that Bulger, remain the
starter to avoid controversy. Despite an early 2-game deficit the Rams played consistent
football all year and would go on to finish with a solid 12-4 record
winning the NFC West for the 3rd time in 5 years while earning a first round playoff
bye. Among the Rams having great year was Tory Holt who racked up 1696 receiving
yards while scoring 12 Touchdowns. In the playoffs the Rams would play
host to the surprise Carolina Panthers. The game would go back and forth for the
first 30 minutes before the Panthers took control in the 3rd Quarter. Trailing
23-12 late in the 4th Quarter the Rams went on a 15 play drive which was capped
by a 1-yard TD run by Marshall Faulk to pull within a Field Goal Bulger hit
Dane Looker for a successful 2-point conversion. Needing to get the ball back the
Rams recovered the onside kick and were in business driving toward a possible
game winning TD. However inexplicably after getting the ball to the Panthers
25, Coach Mike Martz decided to run the clock out and let Jeff Wilkins send the
game to overtime. In overtime the teams played without a score through the first
15 minutes as each side missed long field goal attempts. However on the first
play of the 2nd OT the Rams season came to a sudden end as the Panthers connected
on a 69-yard TD pass to give the Panthers a dramatic 29-23 win. Following
the game Coach Martz was widely criticized. Things also would unravel between Martz
and 2-time MVP Kurt Warner who publicly feuded, before Warner was released
to clear up salary cap space, while Marc Bulger finally was established as the
starting QB, after capping his season with the Pro Bowl MVP.
2004: The Rams would start the season off with a win over the Arizona Cardinals before
losing their next 2 games as they played inconsistent football all season. At times
they were brilliant such as a comeback road win over the Seattle Seahawks
in overtime as Marc Bulger connected with Shaun McDonald on a 52-yard Touchdown
pass for the 33-27 win. However two weeks later they would frustrate their fans
with a 31-14 loss to a 0-6 Miami Dolphins team. The loss to the Dolphins would
be the start of 2 months of struggles as the Rams won just 2 of their next 6
games, only keeping their playoff hopes alive by beating the Seahawks for a 2nd
time. As the season wore on the Rams would rely less on a Marshall Faulk who was
slowed by age and injuries as Rookie Stephan Jackson began to take a bulk of
the carries. At 6-8 the playoffs were a long shot at best as the Rams entered
their final 2 games of the season. However a solid 20-7 win over a Philadelphia
Eagles team not playing their full complement of stars gave them a chance to make
the playoffs with a win in their final game. The Rams as they did much of the
season needed to rally as Marc Bulger passed for 450 yards as the Rams beat
the New York Jets in overtime 32-29 to reach the playoffs at 8-8. In the playoffs
the Rams would face the Seahawks for a 3rd time returning to Seattle, and once
again pulling off the upset beating the Seahawks 27-20 to become the first 8-8
team to win a playoff game. However a week later the Rams would come crashing
back to earth hard as they lost to the Atlanta Falcons in the Divisional Round
47-17.
2005: The Rams got off to a rough start losing the opener to the San Francisco 49ers 31-28,
despite 362 yards passing by Marc Bulger. The Rams would rebound to win the
next two games, but a Week 4 loss on the road to the New York Giants exposed
their porous defense as they lost 44-24 spoiling a 442 yards passing from Bulger.
After a tough 37-31 loss at home to the Seattle Seahawks the Rams season took
another rough turn as Marc Bulger suffered a sprained shoulder in a Monday Night
45-28 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, in which they saw a 17-0 lead quickly
disappear. Following a 28-17 win over the New Orleans Saints, Coach Mike Martz
was hospitalized with a heart infection. With Assistant Coach Joe Vitt taking
over the Rams led by back up QB Jamie Martin and RB Steven Jackson who had become
the Rams primary back the stunned the Jacksonville Jaguars 24-21 to improve
to 4-4. The Rams would get Marc Bulger back in time for a rematch with the Seahawks,
but once again were beaten 31-16, as turmoil began to swirl through the front
office and the team. Martz who was unable to Coach due to a heart infection
was not even being allowed to talk to the team as it became apparent he would
be dismissed at the end of the season. Meanwhile Bulger would go down again and
so too would back up Jamie Martin as they were forced to rely on 3rd stronger
Ryan Fitzpatrick , who did play well leading the Rams to a stunning comeback 33-27
overtime win over the Houston Texans in his first game, but there would be
no saving their season as they ended up with a disappointing 6-10 record as former
offensive stalwart Marshall Faulk was a shell of his former self scoring just
1 TD, in what would likely be his final season as lingering knee injuries would
force him to miss the entire 2006 season, as Scott Linehan was named the new
Rams Coach.
2006: The Scott Linehan era started well in St. Louis as the Rams beat the Denver Broncos
18-10, behind six Jeff Wilkins Field Goals. A week later the Rams took a step
backward as the Rams were beaten by the San Francisco 49ers 20-13. A week later
the Rams played sloppy again, but won as the Rams defense picked off Kurt Warner
three times to hold on to a 16-14 win over the Arizona Cardinals. In Week
4 the Rams returned home to host the Detroit Lions who had a familiar face on the
sideline with offensive coordinator Mike Martz. In a high scoring game the Rams
would win the game in the 4th Quarter when Mark Bulger hit Isaac Bruce in the
endzone for a 41-34 from 5 yards out. After winning a third straight game against
the Green Bay Packers on the road the Rams faced the Seattle Seahawks at
the Edward Jones Dome with first place in the NFC West on the line. The Rams jumped
out to an early 21-7 lead as QB Mark Bulger passed for 360 yards with three
touchdowns. However, the Seahawks would rally and would stun the Rams 30-28 on
a 54-yard Field Goal by Josh Brown with four seconds left. The loss to the Seahawks
would send the Rams reeling as they lost their next five games, before beating
the 49ers 20-17 in dramatic fashion as Mark Bulger connected with Kevin
Curtis on a game winning 5-yard TD pass with 27 seconds left. However the Rams
could not build off the win as they were their own worst enemy in a 34-20 home
loss the Cardinals, committing 126 yards in penalties. The Rams continued to struggle
the following week as Devin Hester returned two kickoff for touchdowns as
the Rams dropped to 5-8 in a 42-27 loss to the Chicago Bears. Facing the lowly
Oakland Raiders the Rams would have their best defensive effort of the season
forcing five turnovers in a 20-0 shutout win on the road. A week later at home
it would be the offense that carried the day as the Rams beat the Washington Redskins
37-31 in overtime with Mark Bulger passing for 388 yards with 4 TDs. The
Rams would continue to finish the season strong with a 41-21 win over the Minnesota
Vikings as RB Stephan Jackson rushed for 142 yards to finish the season
with 2,334 All-Purpose Yards and 16 Touchdowns, as Marshal Faulk quietly retired.
Despite their strong finish the Rams would fall short of the playoffs with an
8-8 record.
2007: To say the Rams season did not get off to a flying start would be an understatement,
not only did they lose at home to the Carolina Panthers 27-13, but they lost
Orlando Pace for the season with a shoulder injury. The loss of Pace seemed to
hurt the entire offense as Stephen Jackson had trouble finding holes and struggled
through an injury filled season, in which he barley cleared 1000 yards rushing.
However, some blames the play calling of Coach Scott Linehan, who seemed
to transform the Rams offense to the greatest show on turf to a boring predictable
offense that had trouble scoring, which would send the Rams reeling. The Rams
followed their opening game loss with another home loss to the San Francisco
49ers as Dante Hall muffed a punt late in the fourth quarter to set up the game
winning field goal in a 17-16 win for the 49ers. After dropping their first
two games at home the Rams struggled just to stay competitive as they lost their
next six games to start 0-8, along the way the Rams scored less then ten points
four times and allowed more then 30 points four times. After the bye week the
Rams finally awoke from their season long slumber as Marc Bulger led the way
with 302 yards passing as the Rams stunned the New Orleans Saints 37-29, the win
would be just the boost the Rams needed as they actually won three of their next
four games. However, it was just a short reprieve as the Rams ended the season
with four straight losses, getting blown out three times including an embarrassing
48-19 loss to close the season against the Arizona Cardinals. Following
the season the Rams made some tough choices letting both Isaac Bruce and Jeff
Wilkins, who were part of their championship team, go. It was also a sad time for
the Rams, as longtime owner Georgia Frontiere succumbed to breast cancer at
the age of 80 on January 18th. |
