A Comprehensive Account of the Downfall of the St. Louis Rams

The crew at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch put the bye to good use, compiling an extensive account of how the Rams, who in three years broke records, dominated the NFL, and won a Super Bowl, became the team -- term used liberally -- we see today.

There are the five most damaging decisions, all the money tied up in injured players this year (btw, Leonard Little is on the IR), Jim Thomas' lengthy and fascinating document on how Dick Vermeil's first retirement began the degradation of the franchise, and a few draft-day gambles that didn't pay off. Yeah, that about covers it.

Speaking of those draft-day gambles, here's what I found most damning from Thomas' must-read:

Only one player remains from the '00, '01, and '02 drafts - the three drafts that followed the Greatest Show seasons.

Even factoring in the rapid turnover rate of players in today's NFL, there should be four or five current starters from those drafts now in the prime of their careers, helping to form the backbone of the 2007 Rams. Instead there is just long snapper Chris Massey, a seventh-round pick in '02.

Fast forward through the '03 and '04 drafts, and only running back Steven Jackson, and linebackers Pisa Tinoisamoa and Brandon Chillar remain. So out of the five drafts following the Super Bowl XXXIV championship season, only four players remain: three starters and a long snapper.

Jackson is the only Rams Pro Bowler produced from any draft since Super Bowl XXXIV - that's a 1-for-63 batting average over the past eight drafts.

Right. If a team can't build itself through the draft it has no chance. The sudden inability to find talent begins with Vermeil's departure; the Rams struggled in both the draft and free agency because of a disconnect inside headquarters post-Vermeil.

During the 2004 season, a disgruntled Mike Martz dropped a "flip card" from the Super Bowl XXXVI loss to New England on a reporter's desk. A flip card lists rosters and depth charts of participating teams. Martz had used yellow marker to strike out starters and key reserves from the '01 Rams who were no longer around. Only a few names remained from the '01 defense.

Martz's point? Management had let too many players get away in free agency. From London Fletcher, to Grant Wistrom, to Dre' Bly, to Brian Young, to Jeff Zgonina, to Dexter McCleon. All except Bly were starters on the Super Bowl XXXVI defense. Since Zygmunt controlled the purse strings, Martz's say in free agency was limited.

Management counters that the constraints of the salary cap, coupled with the inevitable roster raiding of successful teams, made it impossible to keep everyone. Besides, Martz's frequent waffling on players made it impossible to zero in on which core players to re-sign. One week, Martz wanted Adam Archuleta signed to an extension; the next week he wanted him cut. Or so the story goes.

Thomas' piece ends on a particularly gloomy, yet downright accurate, note. Obsolete management, a probable lame duck coach, and a roster whose key players are aging with no considerable replacements in sight produce this -- "In short, there appears to be no easy way out of this valley, one that deepens with each defeat."