As we go into the final week of the NFL season, I am reminded of the great line from then-Indianapolis Colt head coach Jim Mora when a reporter asked him did he think his team had a chance to make the playoffs after playing poorly: “Playoffs? You talking about playoffs? Are you kidding me?”
That could have been said by any Rams fan at the beginning of the season as they were coming off an abysmal 1-15 season. Well, miracles do happen and there is a chance one could take place in Seattle this Sunday night as the Rams will play the Seahawks in a winner-take-all battle to see who goes to … yes … the PLAYOFFS.
No, it was not the work of art we witnessed when the Greatest Show on Turf under Mike Martz would initiate teams, but times have changed and so do people. Today’s Rams under Steve Spagnuolo has won with a steady defense and the steady growth of quarterback Sam Bradford and the leadership of Stephen Jackson.
It has not always been pretty, but did you ever think that it would come to the last game of the season where the Rams could decide their own destiny? I for one thought the Rams were still at least a year away from making an impact, but when you look at a weak division that someone had to win and the Rams said, “Why not us?”
Either Rams fans can’t believe what they are seeing, or they have elected to stay home and watch on TV as the attendance has been disappointing. If not for the organization stepping up and making the games available to see on TV, I’m not sure if anyone would have known they were playing in St. Louis. I understand the pricing issue, but this is the NFL and they have it like that.
I must commend the Rams as an organization, they have bent over backwards to get fans interested in this team. They have made themselves available in the community unlike anything we have see from this team since they have been in St. Louis. The Rams understood there was work to be done, on and off the field, and they had no problem rolling up their sleeves and getting to it. They have made their presence felt from Spagnuolo and his family on down to the 53rd man on the roster.
So here we are. Playing for a playoff spot. I have no idea what to expect. If you are looking for experience in big games in the NFL, forget it. There are more players who have bowl game experience than there are players who have been in the position they will be in on Sunday, and yet you have to like their chances. After all, no one thought they would have gotten this far.
If you are going to take a plane ride all the way out to Seattle, you may as well do something good while you are there. Either way, it has been a surprising season that they can certainly build on.
And build they must, as the schedule maker will make them pay dearly for next season. Try Philadelphia, Baltimore, Atlanta, for starters, coming to St. Louis. If you think that is a handful, the Rams will venture to Dallas, who will be better, New York to take on the Giants, Pittsburgh, Chicago or Green Bay. Did I mention that the division they are in will be better?
Let’s just enjoy Sunday night, and let next season sit on the back burner for a while. We have not had many moments like this.
Softies?
Last Sunday I was all set to watch the Sunday night game when I learned that it was postponed until Tuesday night due to the weather. At that point, my good friend and former NFL player wondered on Facebook just what the heck was going on? He was not alone.
I even challenged the makeup of today’s player as I questioned their toughness, then I realized they had nothing to do with it. They are the last to know anything anyway.
Today’s player is supposed to be bigger, stronger and faster, but I really wonder about it. I am certain when it comes to cardiovascular testing of some, it does not meet the standards set by those of just 10 years ago. There are no Faulks, Deions and certainly Jerry Rices of today. While Peyton and Brady have the quarterback position in check, the other positions on the field are short on what yesteryear provided on nearly every roster.
But I digress. Allow me to get back to the matter at hand, I had no football on Sunday night.
Bob Costas of NBC said it was a matter of public safety. I somewhat get it. The weather was something that few cities would be prepared to deal with when it came to snow removal before the game. If I were a taxpayer, to see a city channeling all their efforts to get roads ready to accommodate football fans when my street was not clear, we are going to have a problem, especially if I was not a fan or had no intention in going. That brings me to my next point.
Why would anyone brave the elements, buy a ticket, risk heart failure, exposure and frostbite to go sit outside to watch a game, when they have the flat screen at home, with plenty of food, a good pair of socks, a shorter line to the bathroom and the option to turn to something else at the push of a button. To say that “I was there” as you are now short a couple of fingers because you left your gloves in the car and frostbite won is not my idea of gallantry.
Has the game gone soft? It did not take a snow storm to answer that question. It’s not solely the players’ and coaches’ fault. It is more of a microcosm of our society.
