If only Alex Mack were related to Larry Craig. Then maybe, just maybe, the symbiosis of both men’s "wide stance" could be more humorous to the long suffering Cleveland Browns fans. Alas, they’re not, and the late-game botched field goal that allowed the St. Louis Rams to win Sunday is another sad footnote in a game that may be the last tape saved in a NFL Films warehouse fire.
With the win and the subsequent home loss to the Jags by the Colts, the Rams are officially in no-man’s-land. Not able to land the number 1 overall pick (Andrew Luck) and either draft him and make 2012-2013 an insanely interesting season or trade him for a boatload of picks that can re-build a morbid bound franchise like the Rams.
Nope. Now they’re tied with the Panthers, Vikings and Dolphins, and with another win perilously close to slipping out of the top 10 in the upcoming draft all together.
The fan's tanking conundrum has been around for some time in the NFL. Joe Rams Fan loves his team and wants them to win the Super Bowl every year. But Joe Rams Fan knows that there is literally 0% of the Rams making the playoffs. Does he write off the current season in hopes of a better future through premium draft picks? Or would a ‘real fan’ go game by game and let the global thinking belong to the franchise?
It’s a tough call.
The 2011 Rams aren’t going anywhere this season. However, their schedule, damn tough in the first half, lets up quite a bit in the second half with 3 of the last 7 against the Seahawks and Cardinals. It wouldn’t be out of the question to see the Rams end up with 5, perhaps 6 wins by Week 17. Not a great season, but not a disaster either.
But 5 or 6 wins puts them at that 8-13 spot in the upcoming draft, AKA the no-win zone. You still expect those guys to be elite players, but they often aren’t. It’s why they slipped in the draft in the first place. Whereas if you’re in that 20-30 range, you know you’ll be getting a solid starter, but not asking that player to be elite and become the centerpiece of your franchise.
Followers of the 2011 St. Louis Cardinals will argue that you never know, that stranger things have happened. But we’re not talking about that. I’m asking if you, knowing there is zero chance of a playoff run, are still obligated to root for your team, even if you know winning games will not help that team the next season in any way whatsoever.
For far too long, we’ve been polite with the Rams. We’ve sat by and taken the few precious wins like manna from heaven and savored every minute of them.
It’s time to change that attitude, right?
6-10 is a losing season. So is 2-14. Both will be afterthoughts when you’re talking about the good old days 25 years from now. So why not root for the Rams to have an opportunity to have a game-changer?
Make me an argument that I shouldn’t at least be silent at the EDJ this Sunday. Why should I be passionate about a Rams team that is only hurting themselves with a win?