Now that the helmets and jerseys have been put away for the Rams in 2013, have you ever been more excited about the next edition? Not since the Rams won the Super Bowl have the emotions been as high after a season ended. An ending that saw the Rams lose in Seattle, but anyone with the a brain the size of a gnat can see this team has made significant improvement and is ready for the next step.
I have been asked on more than one occasion recently what does this team need for next year? Who are they going to draft? It is simple, they need more offensive line help, linebackers and certainly a free safety.
Mind you, this year the Rams will not draft as early as their previous putrid records have a allowed them to, so this time some real thought will come into play in selecting the best player who can get on the field as soon as possible. The years of waiting and learning on the sidelines are over. When you are taken early in the rounds you are expected to contribute.
I guess this would be considered the most critical draft for the future of this organization, as the Rams will have extra picks that they can use to deal for players or other picks or just draft the player they think will help. In any event, there is a lot of work to do between now and April and the Rams have started to build momentum.
Black Monday
That is what they call the day after the season when they fire coaches in the NFL. There is one twist to this year. They are starting to fire General Managers as well.
Not a bad idea when you have a GM that has hired more than one coach who has not produced to the expectations you had hoped for. If you are a coach or GM who was there when new ownership takes over, the term “borrowed time” is one I would familiarize myself with if I were them.
The NFL is the most demanding league in the world when it comes to success. Only a storied program in college football may be as challenging. Former NFL coach Jerry Glanville once defined the NFL as standing for “Not For Long” if you don’t win and win early. He may not have been right about coaching decisions, but he was dead on about this.
No sport comes close to how the media can float a trial balloon about a coach and now GM and have an owner react. In most cases they are deserving, but when the injury bug bites or young players are slow to develop, then it is a matter of time. Did I mention a bad quarterback that is supported by a sub-standard offensive line? Yes, that will get you unemployed even quicker.
If there was ever an industry where a person deserves every nickel they get, it is being a head coach in the NFL. The stress is greater than you can imagine, and the lives and families that are involved when it comes to staff is staggering. No thank you. There has to be a better and happier way to make a living.
Awards? Really? Yes!
I have never been a big fan of how awards are selected in sports as it is either subjective, number-driven, a function of popularity or pure laziness. With that said I will give you my picks.
NFC Rookie of the Year … Robert Griffin III. He was drafted to save a floundering iconic organization. On and off the field he showed leadership and class well beyond his age. Griffin helped his team get into the playoffs. I did say HELPED as the Redskins had a terrific running game that saw the team rushing record broken. Throw in a very good defense and RGIII had a lot of things moving in his direction.
AFC Rookie of the Year … Andrew Luck. Luck walked into a situation where he was asked to replace a legend. No problem. Luck had to deal with a first-year head coach who was taken ill for most of the season, and now the team was going to be coached by the offensive coordinator whom Luck had no prior experience with. No problem. While he was at it, Luck showed great poise in helping the Colts get into the playoffs. Any guy that could resurrect the career of former Ram Donnie Avery should be considered for something.
NFL MVP … No brainer. Adrian Peterson and Peyton Manning. The easy way out? Ask either one of them how easy was it to come back from a career-threatening injury? What these two have shown is incredible for any sport or profession. Yes, they play for teams that made the playoffs and they were a big part of it. They helped a lot of other players be better on both sides of the ball. Class players who are deserving. As for Comeback Player of the Year, mark them down for that award too.
Anyone who reads this column will know that I am not a big fan of today’s product that is called the NFL. I also understand that it is not the fault of the players who now play. These players do the best they can by the rules prescribed and they should be recognized for that effort. To compare its era to others past would not be fair, as this era would have a tough time living up to other greats.
Having said that, the league as we know it gave many of its fans their monies worth. As for the teams that did not, I will remind you that Black Monday has now come and gone and the work is already underway to make sure it will not happen in the foreseeable future.
