Who can forget our goofy Head Coach back in 1996 when the Rams played in Pittsburgh on the 3rd of November and Brooks had the goofy blue knit hat and everyone compared him to Papa Smurf. Rams got embarrassed that day 42-6 and Jerome Bettis looked like Jim Brown. Brooks looked and acted clueless and I think it was that game that put John Shaw on notice that the regime of GM Steve Ortmayer & Head Coach Rich Brooks needed to be severed. Not that Shaw ever had a clue, but he did hire Dick Vermeil, showcasing even a broken clock is right twice a day.

I even recall an article later by Bernie Miklasz where he wrote about Brooks being a nice guy a type of guy, who's like your neighbor wearing a funny hat while shoverling snow.....That was good for Miklasz and right on point back in 1995 Rams seemed to have no way to turn because of the move, but Gene Stallings should have been the hire and Ortmayer hired the putz Brooks and although Brooks did go back to college and did some yeoman's work with the Kentucky program, it was obvious, he was over his head IMHO.