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Rams' most memorable honorable mention
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/9630/rams-most-memorable-honorable-mention
We wrapped up the weekly series featuring the NFL's most memorable plays by team and you'll soon have the opportunity to vote for the most memorable plays in the league as a whole but before moving on, I wanted to offer a few of the other suggestions you all made here on ESPN.com and on Twitter as options for the Rams.
When we first opened the discussion, the three plays that you all nominated from the 1999 season were the first ones to come to mind. Ultimately, you all overwhelmingly suggested that trio of plays. But there were some other good ones deserving of mention. Without further ado, here's a glance at some of the options that were also presented.
Vince Ferragamo to Bill Waddy for a 50-yard touchdown to beat Dallas -- 1979 NFC divisional playoffs: After an injury to quarterback Pat Haden midway through the season, Ferragamo took over and promptly led the Rams to wins in four of their final five games to make the playoffs at 9-7. There, they had to face a Cowboys team that had been a thorn in their side. With about two minutes to play and trailing 19-14, Ferragamo found Waddy for the 50-yard game-winning touchdown. It was a momentous occasion in franchise history and spurred the Rams to a Super Bowl appearance. Had they not fallen short in that Super Bowl, this play might have been a slam dunk for the top three.
Norm Van Brocklin to Tom Fears for a 73-yard touchdown to beat Cleveland -- 1951 NFL title game: Long before Isaac Bruce's 73-yard Super Bowl winning catch, the Rams had another big play from the same distance in a championship game. This time, it was Van Brocklin to Fears for 73 yards to knock off the Browns by a score of 24-17. Coincidentally, the Rams beat the Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV 23-16. Kind of eerie, right? This was a game winner in the biggest game the league had at the time. You can't help but feel if it had happened more recently it would have rated higher with voters.
Any number of runs by Eric Dickerson, especially in 1984: There were many suggestions of simply picking one of Dickerson's many great runs throughout a Hall of Fame career. And many focused on his record-breaking 1984 season when he rushed for 2,105 yards or his 248-yard game against Dallas in the playoffs. There's certainly a strong case to be made for Dickerson's inclusion, but the lack of a big play or performance in a championship setting made it difficult for him to crack the list.
Trent Green suffers a season-ending knee injury against San Diego -- 1999 preseason game No. 3: This was one of the more macabre suggestions offered, but I liked the line of thought because this was the play that set into motion a chain of events that resulted in the Rams' win in Super Bowl XXXIV. Green was the team's big free-agent signing, the choice of coordinator Mike Martz to run his high-powered offense. And Green looked the part in the exhibition season before Rodney Harrison took him out at the knees. The result was a torn ACL and a missed season. Coach Dick Vermeil then famously put his faith in unknown quarterback Kurt Warner and the rest, as they say, is history.
All told, there was a lot to choose from here and you can't go wrong with many of the plays offered. There were even some plays going against the Rams that could have been nominated. Either way, it was a fun project. Thanks to all of you for participating.
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/9630/rams-most-memorable-honorable-mention
We wrapped up the weekly series featuring the NFL's most memorable plays by team and you'll soon have the opportunity to vote for the most memorable plays in the league as a whole but before moving on, I wanted to offer a few of the other suggestions you all made here on ESPN.com and on Twitter as options for the Rams.
When we first opened the discussion, the three plays that you all nominated from the 1999 season were the first ones to come to mind. Ultimately, you all overwhelmingly suggested that trio of plays. But there were some other good ones deserving of mention. Without further ado, here's a glance at some of the options that were also presented.
Vince Ferragamo to Bill Waddy for a 50-yard touchdown to beat Dallas -- 1979 NFC divisional playoffs: After an injury to quarterback Pat Haden midway through the season, Ferragamo took over and promptly led the Rams to wins in four of their final five games to make the playoffs at 9-7. There, they had to face a Cowboys team that had been a thorn in their side. With about two minutes to play and trailing 19-14, Ferragamo found Waddy for the 50-yard game-winning touchdown. It was a momentous occasion in franchise history and spurred the Rams to a Super Bowl appearance. Had they not fallen short in that Super Bowl, this play might have been a slam dunk for the top three.
Norm Van Brocklin to Tom Fears for a 73-yard touchdown to beat Cleveland -- 1951 NFL title game: Long before Isaac Bruce's 73-yard Super Bowl winning catch, the Rams had another big play from the same distance in a championship game. This time, it was Van Brocklin to Fears for 73 yards to knock off the Browns by a score of 24-17. Coincidentally, the Rams beat the Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV 23-16. Kind of eerie, right? This was a game winner in the biggest game the league had at the time. You can't help but feel if it had happened more recently it would have rated higher with voters.
Any number of runs by Eric Dickerson, especially in 1984: There were many suggestions of simply picking one of Dickerson's many great runs throughout a Hall of Fame career. And many focused on his record-breaking 1984 season when he rushed for 2,105 yards or his 248-yard game against Dallas in the playoffs. There's certainly a strong case to be made for Dickerson's inclusion, but the lack of a big play or performance in a championship setting made it difficult for him to crack the list.
Trent Green suffers a season-ending knee injury against San Diego -- 1999 preseason game No. 3: This was one of the more macabre suggestions offered, but I liked the line of thought because this was the play that set into motion a chain of events that resulted in the Rams' win in Super Bowl XXXIV. Green was the team's big free-agent signing, the choice of coordinator Mike Martz to run his high-powered offense. And Green looked the part in the exhibition season before Rodney Harrison took him out at the knees. The result was a torn ACL and a missed season. Coach Dick Vermeil then famously put his faith in unknown quarterback Kurt Warner and the rest, as they say, is history.
All told, there was a lot to choose from here and you can't go wrong with many of the plays offered. There were even some plays going against the Rams that could have been nominated. Either way, it was a fun project. Thanks to all of you for participating.
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