The All-St. Louis Rams Team

Quarterback

Kurt Warner: Two NFL MVPs, one Super Bowl victory and MVP, no contest. One of the all-time good guys and rags-to-riches stories in sports. Retired in 2009 and should be a first-ballot Hall of Fame selection. Marc Bulger: Led the Rams to the playoffs twice and has four 400-yard games. Best season was 2006: 4,301 yards, 24 TDs and just 8 INTs, qualifying him for his second Pro Bowl and a team-record $63 million contract extension. Took a major beating the next three years as the Ram offensive line and receiving corps declined and was let go after a failed 2009 season. Retired in 2011. Sam Bradford: How's this for a rookie season? Most completions by a rookie QB in NFL history. Most consecutive attempts by a rookie without an interception. Second-most passing yards in NFL history by a rookie QB. Fifth in TD passes. First rookie QB to win Rookie of the Month twice. One of only four rookie QBs to take every snap for his team his first season, one of three QBs to do it in 2010, period! And he set the record for most wins by a rookie QB drafted #1 overall. Can't wait to see the follow-up act!

Running Back

Marshall Faulk: Former league MVP, multiple Pro Bowler, multiple 1000/1000 seasons, briefly held NFL record for most TDs in a season. Cerebral player, true football warrior, every bit as key to the Rams' success in St. Louis as Warner. Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011. Steven Jackson: The leading rusher in the history of the team and only Ram RB with six consecutive 1,000 yard seasons, Jackson carries the Ram offense with a rare blend of speed and power. He's a three-time Pro Bowler, and his 2006 season, when he lead the league with 2,334 combined yards from scrimmage, was one of the best seasons ever by a running back.   Amp Lee: A true third-down back who led the team in receptions in 1997 and 1998. Faulk's predecessor as a RB/virtual WR. Dangerous receiver who disappeared in Faulk's wake. James Hodgins (fullback): A big, physical blocker who earned his "Hammer" nickname.

Wide Receiver

Isaac Bruce: The first Ram St. Louis fans really took to. Scored the franchise's biggest TD. Best receiver in Ram history. Second all-time in receiving yards, fifth in total receptions. Next stop: the Hall of Fame. Torry Holt: Multiple Pro Bowler. First receiver to have 6 straight 1300-yard seasons. Impact player from the moment he was drafted. Statistically Hall-of-Fame worthy, and personally, too; a class act on and off the field. Rickey Proehl: Nobody made more clutch catches than Proehl, including the 1999 NFC Championship gamewinner. Converted several third downs a game. Az-Zahir Hakim: Excellent athlete with blinding speed who gave the Greatest Show on Earth some of its most exciting moments.

Tight End

Ernie Conwell: Didn't have the greatest hands, but a high-character guy who gave it all every play. Easily the best run-blocking TE of the St. Louis era. Roland Williams: Though prone to the stupid penalty, probably the best receiving threat among all the St. Louis Ram TEs. Jeff Robinson: Defensive end who turned into a superb long snapper/special teams player and became a credible tight end.

Tackle

Orlando Pace: Dominating LT and probable Hall of Famer. Multiple Pro Bowler respected around the league. Anchored a championship offensive line. Fred Miller: Made up for his worst career game (Tennessee 1999) by shutting down Jevon Kearse in Super Bowl XXXIV at the end of that season. Ryan Tucker: Tough blocker with a mean streak who was improving as a pass protector at the time he left the Rams.

Center

Andy McCollum: Versatile lineman who also played guard and was the Rams' most consistent lineman in 2004.   Mike Gruttadauria: Centered for the Super Bowl champions. Well-liked player.

Guard

Adam Timmerman: Rams started winning when Adam arrived. Toughest run blocker they've had. Played through a lot of injuries.   Tom Nutten: Nobody played through more injuries than Nutten, who I doubt was ever 100% healthy his career. A very capable blocker nonetheless.

Defensive End

Leonard Little: Best pure pass rusher of the St. Louis era. 68.5 sacks from 2001-2006, 87.5 in 12-year career.   Grant Wistrom: His motor never shut off. Legendary interception return TD in Atlanta in 1999. Dangerous speed. Excelled at tracking runners down from the back side.   Kevin Carter: First St. Louis Rams draft pick and dominating defensive end, especially in 1998 and 1999. Led the league in sacks (17) the Rams' championship season. Chris Long:

Defensive Tackle

D'Marco Farr: One of the most popular Rams. Succeeded at DT on heart and hustle. 11.5 sacks in 1995. I have him with 35.5 sacks in his time here; who says DT's aren't supposed to get sacks?   Jeff Zgonina: Capable run-stopper and the best special teams blocker the Rams have had in St. Louis.

Outside Linebacker

Mike Jones: Known primarily for the (T)ackle that ended Super Bowl XXXIV, Mike was also easily the best linebacker in pass coverage of the St. Louis era.   Roman Phifer: Good all-around LB who struggled in obscurity on bad teams before making his way to the Patriots.   Pisa Tinoisamoa: Became first Ram rookie to lead the team in tackles in 2003. Good playmaker and hitter. Stayed healthy in 2008 and had a career season.

Middle Linebacker

London Fletcher: No competition. Fletcher worked his way from rookie free agent into a tackling machine and vocal defensive leader. A Pro Bowl-quality LB here though he didn't make it until his 12th pro season, with the Redskins in 2009. The St. Louis Rams' first MLB to play at a high level.   James Laurinaitis: 2009 second-round draft pick jumped right into the fire, leading the defense on the field at MLB and leading it on the stats page with 107 tackles. Led the team again in tackles in 2010 by a wide margin, with 98.   Will Witherspoon: Will got a big free-agent contract in 2006 and made immediate impact, leading the team with 113 tackles and showing ability to cover the field from sideline to sideline and defend deep passes, like he did to save the Rams' '06 win over Detroit. His 2007 season was even better, as he again led the team in tackles (110), led in sacks (7), and basically carried the Ram defense most of the season.

Cornerback

Aeneas Williams: A true shutdown corner, multiple Pro Bowler and pretty certain Hall-of-Famer. Another high-character player and team leader who led the Rams' 2001 defensive turnaround his first season here.   Todd Lyght: Also a former Pro Bowler and a shutdown corner at the height of his career.   Dre Bly: Dynamic playmaker and ideal nickelback who made a big name for himself in Detroit. Made big interception in 1999 NFC Championship game. Also a big threat as a punt returner.   Dexter McCleon: Never a super player but usually a good complement to the #1 CBs. Best year was 2000, led team with 8 INTs.

Safety

Keith Lyle: Smart player who had 17 interceptions in 1996 and 1997 combined.   Toby Wright: Bat-out-of-hell effort guy who hit like a truck, which unfortunately made his NFL stint a short one.   Oshiomogho Atogwe: Broke through in 2007 with a team-leading 8 INTs out of his free safety position. Led the NFC in INTs for the season and finished second in the league to Antonio Cromartie.   Billy Jenkins: Just on this roster for his hitting ability. The special teams unit of this team would knock the crap out of people.

Special Teams

Kicker - Jeff Wilkins: No contest here. Wilkins is easily the best placekicker to play for a St. Louis team.   Punter - Donnie Jones: The most pleasant surprise of the Rams' awful 2007 and 2008 seasons. Jones came off a mediocre 2006 in Miami to establish Rams records for season average (47.2) and longest punt (80 yards) in 2007 and followed that with a season for the ages in 2008, becoming the second punter in NFL history to finish a season averaging 50 yards a punt. (And he didn't make the Pro Bowl?!?!?)   Kick Returner - Tony Horne: Capable of taking it all the way every time. Kickoff TD after halftime of 1999 playoff vs. Minnesota turned the tide of the game.   Punt Returner - Az-Zahir Hakim: Capable of taking it all the way every time. Unfortunately, also capable of fumbling it away every time. But nobody in the St. Louis era has shown Az's big-play capacity.   Specialist - Robert Holcombe: A very capable teams player, about the only headhunter the Rams have had in recent years. Special teams started to crumble after he and Jeff Robinson left. Holcombe was also an ultimate team player. Repeatedly switching positions, he gained or lost 20 lbs. so often he should have been nicknamed "Oprah."

Coaching Staff

Head Coach - Dick Vermeil: Built and coached a Super Bowl winner and laid the foundation for the team's continued success after the championship season.   Offensive Coordinator - Mike Martz: Almost immediately became the most feared offensive mind in football. Led the Ram offense to heights very few offenses have ever reached. Three straight 500-point seasons, for starters. Took team back to Super Bowl in 2001 as head coach.   Defensive Coordinator - Lovie Smith: Turned a bottom-of-the-league disaster into a ball-hawking, swarming league leader.   Special Teams - Frank Gansz: Gansz, who passed away in 2009, led the only successful special teams unit of the St. Louis era to date. Special teams are a somewhat-overlooked aspect of the Rams' championship season, but plays like Tony Horne's kick return TD in the playoffs vs. Minnesota were critical to getting the Rams to Super Bowl XXXIV.

Injured Reserve

Greg Hill: After he was stupidly benched for the 1998 season opener, Hill had fantastic games against Minnesota and Buffalo before Ted Washington of the Bills broke his leg. Though that ended Greg's season, he was the team's leading rusher until (I believe) week 15.   Jackie Slater: Hall-of-Famer and offensive line legend who was injured most of 1995, his only season here, but got a standing ovation for briefly taking the field during the Dome opener, which allowed him to take the field for a twentieth consecutive season.

Practice Squad

Darian Stewart:   Chris Massey: Drafted as a long snapper, and to my knowledge, has only made one or two bad snaps his whole career.   Danny Amendola: Undrafted free agent kicked around on a couple of other teams' practice squads before making the Rams in 2009 and has developed into an all-purpose threat. In 2010, he led the league in all-purpose yards and ranked in the top 10 for receptions. He led the NFL in 2009 and 2010 for most combined returns and was the 2009 leader for kickoff yards and kickoff returns. An impressive start to what's shaping up to be an excellent all-purpose career.   Justin Watson: RB who dominated the second halves of preseason games, making several Ram rosters through hard work.   Todd Kinchen: An all purpose returner and WR, cocky beyond all belief, but that's what made him fun.   Trent Green: After signing big free-agent contract to play QB here in 1999, Green notably lost his starting job to Kurt Warner after a preseason injury but never complained about it. Had be been a selfish player, Green could have created a QB controversy and ruined the chemistry of the Greatest Show on Earth. Instead, he'll be remembered for his team-first attitude, willing to step into the background and let the Show roll on.   Nate Hobgood-Chittick: Mainly for the name, but "The Hyphen" nearly stuffed Steve McNair on a 4th-and-1 during Super Bowl XXXIV, which would have effectively ended the game.

Transactions:

Best draft pick

Leonard Little, third round pick in 1998

Honorable mentions:
Az Hakim, 4th round 1998
Cliff Ryan, 5th round 2007
Brian Young, 5th round 2000
(Of course, Warner and Fletcher didn't even cost the Rams a draft pick)

Best Player

Marshall Faulk. Faulk was the NFL MVP for 2000 with over 2000 combined yards and a then-record 26 TD, and that's just scratching the surface of his accomplishments as a Ram. In 1999 he achieved the rare feat of topping 1000 yards receiving and 1000 yards rushing in the same season. 2001 became his third straight season of 2000 combined rushing and receiving yards, an unparalleled feat in NFL history. Over those three seasons he averaged just under 5.5 yards a rush and 10.5 yards a catch. He will finish his career no worse than 4th all-time in TDs scored (136), in the top 10 in rushing yards (12,279) and in the top 20 in receptions (767). Those numbers clearly make Marshall the greatest receiving RB the NFL has yet seen, and they made him a first-ballot Hall of Fame inductee in 2011.

Best player wife

Has to be Angie Harmon, doesn't it? The one good thing about Jason Sehorn's brief Ram career.

Best plays

1. Isaac Bruce's 73-yard game-winning TD, Super Bowl 34.
2. Mike Jones' game-ending tackle, Super Bowl 34.
3. Rickey Proehl's game-winning catch, 1999 NFC Championship.
4. Isaac Bruce's 77-yard TD on the Rams' first play on offense, 1999 Div. Playoff vs. Minnesota.
5. 2000 season-opener vs. Denver, Az Hakim 80-yard TD where he and Torry Holt trash-talk all the way down the field.
6. 11/17/99 at Atlanta: First-and-goal for Falcons from the 10, but Mike Jones hits Chris Chandler's arm as he throws, and Grant Wistrom fields the popup and outruns Atlanta's WRs for a 90-yard TD, with Jones also throwing a key block downfield.
7. 10/24/99, Marshall Faulk's 33-yard TD run against Cleveland where he seemed to elude every Brown player at some point.
8. 10/10/99, as the Rams finally snap their long losing streak to the 49ers, Kurt Warner unleashes the most perfect pass of his career, a 42-yarder to Isaac Bruce for Ike's 4th TD of the day. Rams win 42-20.
9. 10/15/06, Torry Holt's jaw-dropping, juggling catch-and-run for a TD with a Seattle DB blanketing him puts the Rams up 28-27 with just under 2:00 left. Unfortunately, the Rams would lose the game on a late FG.
10. 10/21/01 at the Jets: Az Hakim and Trung Canidate work a QB-option-like gadget play to perfection. Hakim suckers in several Jet defenders after about a 10-yard run and pitches to Canidate, who gets an uncontested 44-yard run for the TD.