Just 5 things I lobbied hard for at the times and think could have helped extend their run. Whether or not they won another Super Bowl I don't know. But it wouldn't have ended as quickly:
1. Vermeil stays one more year. I think it would have helped Martz to be an OC and the #2 guy one more year. Not that Martz didn't have some issues no matter what but I think abruptly being thrown into being HC less than a year removed from being a QB coach couldn't have helped in the long run.
2. Draft DT Cornelius Griffin in the 1st round of the 2000 Draft vs. Trung Canidate. Ray Agnew was 32 years old and they could have kept their defense going adding young blood in Griffin. He became a very good DT for the Giants and Redskins. That pick seemed so obvious.
3. Re-sign London Fletcher in 2002. Simply their worst free agent loss in the 10 years before or 10 years after.
4. Draft WR Josh Reed in the 1st round of the 2002 Draft vs. OLB Robert Thomas. Another obvious one I felt. They'd just let Az Hakim walk (which was the right move) but the GSOT started losing its edge by not adequately replacing him as the 3rd WR. Terrance Wilkins was a bust that couldn't understand the offense. Reed was a smart player and became a solid slot WR in Buffalo. He could have been even more with the Rams.
5. Bypass DT Jimmy Kennedy in 2003. Rams needed some young OL help with Tom Nutten turning 32 and should have traded back 10-12 spots, added picks and taken OG Eric Steinbach (who was seen as a top 20 pick that slipped to 33rd with the Bengals). Nutten missed all of 2003 and only started 12 games in 2004 and 2005 and LG became a revolving door for the Rams.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/23/2017 02:49PM by LMU93.
