Photography by Kelly Martin, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
In August 1999, then-St. Louis Rams head coach Dick Vermeil said, “We will rally around Kurt Warner, and we will play good football.” That was right after starting quarterback Trent Green injured his knee and was lost for the season.
On Sunday, Rams head coach Jeff Fisher said, “This team is going to rally around Shaun [Hill], and this team is going to go play.” That was a day after starting quarterback Sam Bradford again injured his knee and was lost for the season.
In one of the NFL’s most incredible stories, Warner led the Rams to a Super Bowl victory over the Tennessee Titans and went on to a career that could land him in the NFL Hall of Fame.
Of course, it will be tough for Hill to duplicate such heroic feats.
“A lot of people are going to liken this to 1999," Warner said Sunday on the NFL Network. "It wasn’t all about me. We had Marshall Faulk, Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt, Orlando Pace, Mike Jones, Todd Lyght. It was a cumulative effort. No one can expect a quarterback to come in and carry this team. They have to rebuild now and rally the troops."
During the off season, former Rams quarterback Kellen Clemens left the team and joined the San Diego Chargers. With both Michael Vick and Mark Sanchez available, the Rams instead signed Hill, a former starter for the Detroit Lions with a record of 13–13 as a starting quarterback. “He’s a back-up for a reason,” noted the NFL Network’s Terrell Davis and other pundits.
Hindsight is 20/20, but what if the Rams would have drafted Johnny Manziel? Instead of doom and gloom, imagine the buzz if "Johnny Football” were named the Rams' starting quarterback. Though Manziel didn't win the starting role for the Cleveland Browns, it wouldn't have mattered here: With Bradford out, he likely would have been under center on September 7, when the team opens the season against the Minnesota Vikings.
Of course, before Bradford's injury, there was more bad news for the team last week. Forbes' annual rankings of NFL franchise values recently listed the Rams dead last, at $930 million, behind the lowly Buffalo Bills (a team that's currently up for sale). Forbes linked the Rams to Los Angeles, saying, “The Rams play in the antiquated Edward Jones Dome, but can break their stadium lease and leave St. Louis in March 2015 if they do not reach a new agreement with local and state officials before then. All signs are pointing to Los Angeles.”
Considering Bradford's six-year, $78 million contract—with $50 million guaranteed—the least valuable team in the NFL just lost its most valuable asset.
If there is some good news, the Rams’ value did jump 6 percent—one of the largest vaults in the league. But if the team were to relocate to L.A., Rams owner Stan Kroenke might borrow Manziel’s trademark: that two-finger sign that means “money.”
