- Joined
- Aug 10, 2013
- Messages
- 9,427
- Name
- Wes
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap30...n=fb-nf-sf192338139-sf192338139&sf192338139=1
Los Angeles Rams
1) Deacon Jones, DE (1961-1971)
2) Merlin Olsen, DT (1962-1976)
3) Norm Van Brocklin, QB (1949-1957)
4) Jack Youngblood, DE (1971-1984)
5) Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch, RB/WR (1949-1957)
6) Eric Dickerson, RB (1983-87)
7) Jackie Slater, OT (1976-1994)
8) Orlando Pace, OT (1997-2008)
9) Marshall Faulk, RB (1999-2005)
10) Tom Mack, G (1966-1978)
11) Torry Holt, WR (1999-2008)
Coach: George Allen (1966-1970)
When I was young, my neighbor would often take me to the preseason games. He'd make fun of me because I had a Jack Youngblood shirt that said "Jack the Ripper." Looking back, I would like to meet the marketing genius who put that on a T-shirt for children. But that neighbor loved Deacon Jones and would talk about him at great length. And I really studied his career -- Deacon's, not my neighbor's -- when I started interning for NFL Publishing. I've come to this conclusion: Deacon is one of the top five NFL players of all time. He also coined the term "sack." He said it was akin to sticking an opponent in a burlap sack and beating him into submission. Sacks didn't become an official stat until 1982, but he unofficially retired with 173.5. In an era when they never threw the ball.
I would have had Dickerson higher on this list, but his Rams career was cut short because he was traded away. In fact, I was trick-or-treating in a Dickerson jersey the night he was traded to Indianapolis. Fun times. Dickerson might have gone down as the second-greatest running back in NFL history if he played his entire career with the Rams. Or he didn't waste those years in Indy. And speaking of wasted years in Indy, Marshall Faulk did the reverse: Playing well in Indy, but truly thriving in St. Louis.
My biggest dilemma was at No. 11. Do I go Tom Fears, Isaac Bruce or Holt? Bruce was the first to be eliminated. He once led the NFL in receiving yards. And he's not going to the Hall of Fame -- I mean, he might visit, but not as an inductee. Fears and Holt were both selected to their respective All-Decade Teams and each earned All-Pro Honors once. I won't hold the HOF against Holt, because he might get in. But if Crazy Legs was the 1a for the Rams in the 1950s and Fears was the 1b, I should give the nod to the Rams' 1a of the 2000s, right? Listen, I'd be happy to keep the St. Louis guys out of here and give them their own designation. But I'll be fair and go Holt.
Los Angeles Rams
1) Deacon Jones, DE (1961-1971)
2) Merlin Olsen, DT (1962-1976)
3) Norm Van Brocklin, QB (1949-1957)
4) Jack Youngblood, DE (1971-1984)
5) Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch, RB/WR (1949-1957)
6) Eric Dickerson, RB (1983-87)
7) Jackie Slater, OT (1976-1994)
8) Orlando Pace, OT (1997-2008)
9) Marshall Faulk, RB (1999-2005)
10) Tom Mack, G (1966-1978)
11) Torry Holt, WR (1999-2008)
Coach: George Allen (1966-1970)
When I was young, my neighbor would often take me to the preseason games. He'd make fun of me because I had a Jack Youngblood shirt that said "Jack the Ripper." Looking back, I would like to meet the marketing genius who put that on a T-shirt for children. But that neighbor loved Deacon Jones and would talk about him at great length. And I really studied his career -- Deacon's, not my neighbor's -- when I started interning for NFL Publishing. I've come to this conclusion: Deacon is one of the top five NFL players of all time. He also coined the term "sack." He said it was akin to sticking an opponent in a burlap sack and beating him into submission. Sacks didn't become an official stat until 1982, but he unofficially retired with 173.5. In an era when they never threw the ball.
I would have had Dickerson higher on this list, but his Rams career was cut short because he was traded away. In fact, I was trick-or-treating in a Dickerson jersey the night he was traded to Indianapolis. Fun times. Dickerson might have gone down as the second-greatest running back in NFL history if he played his entire career with the Rams. Or he didn't waste those years in Indy. And speaking of wasted years in Indy, Marshall Faulk did the reverse: Playing well in Indy, but truly thriving in St. Louis.
My biggest dilemma was at No. 11. Do I go Tom Fears, Isaac Bruce or Holt? Bruce was the first to be eliminated. He once led the NFL in receiving yards. And he's not going to the Hall of Fame -- I mean, he might visit, but not as an inductee. Fears and Holt were both selected to their respective All-Decade Teams and each earned All-Pro Honors once. I won't hold the HOF against Holt, because he might get in. But if Crazy Legs was the 1a for the Rams in the 1950s and Fears was the 1b, I should give the nod to the Rams' 1a of the 2000s, right? Listen, I'd be happy to keep the St. Louis guys out of here and give them their own designation. But I'll be fair and go Holt.