To me the Rams demise in the 2000s was largely cultural. They rotted from the inside because Vermeil left too quickly (which he regretted) and of course infighting among the front office, coaching staff and between players and coaches (Martz and Warner, for example).
Of course yes, they drafted poorly in 2000 after drafting very well overall from 1997-1999. Trung Canidate was their Tutu Atwell pick...
But also remember the
terrible 2000 Rams defense they had- which they then turned over with 8 new starters and vaulted up to 6th in the league in 2001. Rebuilding one side of the ball can happen in one offseason. They added Aeneas Williams by trade for a 2nd and a 4th, started two rookies (Polley and Archuleta), elevated a couple backups like DT Brian Young and added other role player vets like Mark Fields, Tyocka Jackson and Kim Herring.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/13/2023 04:37AM by LMU93.
