The 1998 Rams went 4-12, only two games better than our 2011 2-14 Rams, and the last thing anyone thought they would do was go to the Super Bowl in 1999. After all the Vegas odds were 200-1. (Man bet there's a lot of us who wished we'd put some money down on that now!) But the Rams did surprise the world and get there and win it all. But, how did they do it? They did it with smart business moves and intelligent decision making, something we hope this new regime is also going to do in 2012.
There is probably not a soul out there right now that thinks this Rams team will be ready to contend in 2012 and most say it will be a couple more years, but, if the 99' Rams did it, couldn't this team do the same thing if they make all the right moves? Let's look back to see what it was exactly the 99' Rams did to make history.
Number One and probably most important thing they did was to make that trade with the Colts for Marshall Faulk. Before the season started they traded a 2nd and 5th round pick to get the Hall of Famer on the roster. Faulk became the "kingpin" of the Greatest Show on Turf and was instrumental in propelling the team into the Super Bowl. Something like this more than likely won't happen this time around, but nothing is impossible in the scheme of things and the Rams need to keep alert to any possibility that could strengthen their roster.
Number Two was strengthening the offensive line with the likes of Adam Timmerman, Andy McCollum (lovingly known as the "Donut Brothers") and Trent Green. Trent Green of course went down to lend way to the fairy tale story of our beloved Kurt Warner. Timmerman was a great addition and helped to solidify the offensive line and giving Orlando Pace much needed help that propelled him to greatness. The 2012 Rams could shore up their offensive line by looking hard in free agency. Some notable free agents they could consider would be Carl Nicks of the Saints, Demetrius Bell of the Bills, Ben Grubbs of the Ravens, Chris Meyers of the Texans, Jeff Saturday of the Colts and Nick Hardwick of the Chargers.
Number Three is when the Rams drafted a wide receiver in the 1999 draft that became an impact player the first time he took the field and that would be Torry Holt from North Carolina State. Even though Holt was hyped up pretty much during the draft, that did not turn out to jinx him and make him a bust, instead he lived up to all of the hype and beyond! Dre Bly was also a great rookie pick up for the Rams that year, otherwise, their draft really was pretty much a bust. But Holt was just what they needed to pair up with Isaac Bruce! The Rams need to draft a receiver that can start immediately and pair up with Brandon Lloyd and make an immediate impact. Rookies that are considered to be of the quality of Holt would be Justin Blackmon of Oklahoma State, Alshon Jeffery of South Carolina, Michale Floyd of Notre Dame, Kendall Wright of Baylor and Mohamed Sanu of Rutgers. (My personal favorite would be Justin Blackmon).
Number Four was vital to the success of the Rams on both offense and defense and that is when Dick Vermeil, allowed his coaching staff to do their thing without interfering. We all know what that led to..."Mad Martz" creating one of the greatest offensive performances in history. As much as many fans in the end didn't like him, not one fan can deny that he created one of the best offensive units to ever grace the field! But it wasn't just the offense that got the Rams to the Super Bowl and credit must go out to Peter Giunta who put together a pretty good defense. This is probably the easiest thing that the Rams can imitate when it comes to trying to copy the blueprint for this team. Fisher has hired a very aggressive DC in Gregg Williams and Fisher is known to let his assistants do their thing. Plus he has hired Shottenheimer who is a fellow disciple of the Air Coryell, just like Martz.
Number Five is something that has to come from within the heart and soul of a player and that is giving great performances each and every time they are out on the field. This means even from players that no one would expect to see such greatness from. The Rams in 1999 had many that did just this, Kurt Warner of course would be the top but let's not forget Jeff Robinson who converted to a TE or Ricky Prohel who propelled the Rams into the Super Bowl with his only TD catch of the season but there are many more, they all bought into it, into what Vermeil and selling them and it made each and every one of them special. There are a few players right now on this Rams team that could turn into outstanding players if they put their hearts and souls into it and those players would be Josh Gordy, Jason Smith, Austin Pettis and Lance Kendricks, if they put their mind to it, they could have break out years, if they don't buy into Fisher's system, then more than likely, they'll be gone.
So, can the Rams make it to the Super Bowl in 2012, more than likely not, but there is always hope. However, if they try to duplicate what the 1999 Rams did this year, there is absolutely no reason at all why they can't be contenders in 2013 and for years to come after that.
The Rams will immediately improve once some of their key players are back such as Danny Amendola, Greg Salas, Ron Bartell, Jerome Murphy, Bradley Fletcher, and Roger Saffold. These players make impacts on the field and they were sorely missed last season.
Another thing that is going to help the Rams improve this year as well as in 2013 is the fact that they have the largest salary cap in the NFL right now and spending on quality players is not going to be limited in any way.
As we all know, everyone laughed at the thought of the Rams making it in 1999, but they proved to the world that the worst can move to first in a heartbeat in the NFL, so why couldn't it happen in 2012?
"All things are possible."
