John Shaw hired Ortmayer from the Raiders as General Manager and Ortmayer fell for Phillips during the National Championship game and the Raiders never cared about character...Hired Richie Brooks after only one winning season at Oregon in like 15 years and the Poppa Smurf Hat was born. Brooks proving no grown man should be called "Richie."
Add in that Laurel & Hardy signed Steve Walsh over Randall Cunningham and all of us need to thank the heavens that John Shaw got one decision right and coaxed Richard Albert Vermeil out of retirement to save the Ram franchise.
