MVN - Most Valuable Network

Looking Back on the Rams’ 500 Victories

Sunday’s victory against the Whiners–I mean the Niners–was the Rams’ 500th regular-season victory all-time. Milestones like this are supposed to be accompanied by pomp and ceremony. The 500th victory is supposed to be a flashy, triumphant conquest of a major foe, a fond memory to look back upon until the 1000th victory comes along.

The Rams’ 500th, however, only brought them to 2-8 on the season and came against a team that was once a serious rival but is now stagnating in the cellar of the West after suffering an eight-game losing streak. It was an unwatched, irrelevant game, even as these Rams became just the sixth franchise to amass 500 wins. It was, arguably, a disadvantageous victory as this team gets farther away from that coveted top draft pick with every W it chalks up. And to top it off, both teams played terribly, as all the playmakers appeared to have become allergic to the end zone–the final combined score of 22 was eight less than the 30 runs the Texas Rangers put up against the Orioles this summer.

It was an ugly game and an ugly win in the midst of an ugly season, but it was historic nonetheless. These guys, though a little optimistic–no, really optimistic–have the right idea about things. History is important, and during this historic week, what better way to celebrate 500 victories than a look back at the storied Rams franchise? So, for your reading pleasure, I have prepared a shortlist of some of the most important Rams moments in their march to a 500-449-20 regular-season record:

1937: The NFL Cleveland Rams (who are somehow different from the ‘36 AFL Rams), led by rookie-of-the-year fullback Johnny “Zero” Drake, play and lose their first-ever game 28-0, en route to a 1-10 season, finishing in the bottom of the league in points scored and points allowed. See, Rams fans, it’s been worse.

1945: Things turn around for the Rams, as they go 9-1 and win their first NFL Championship.

1946: Coming off their championship, the Rams commemorate their move to Los Angeles by becoming the first NFL team to integrate, hiring Kenny Washington and Woody Strode out of UCLA. The season, unfortunately, is disappointing, as the Rams fail to make the playoffs.

1951: The Rams win their second championship after winning the West Division with an 8-4 record. In the ensuing decades, despite stretches of brilliance and legendary players such as the Fearsome Foursome, Jack Youngblood, and Roman Gabriel, the Sheep would never win a championship again until their move to St. Louis and…

1999: Super Bowl XXXIV and the pinnacle of Rams history thus far. Led by Warner, Faulk, and Bruce, the Greatest Show on Turf captures the Lombardi Trophy from Tennessee after Mike Jones engraves his name in Rams fans’ hearts with “The Tackle.”

2007: The Rams start a dismal 0-8, their worst season-opening losing streak ever. However, consecutive wins against the Saints and 49ers jump-start the team, which, to the shock of the football world, rattles off 8 straight victories to finish 8-8 and win the awful NFC West as the Seahawks falter down the stretch. The suddenly unstoppable offense plows its way through the early playoff rounds, winning games with the greatest of ease. They head into Super Bowl XLII in Arizona as 14-point underdogs to the New England Cheatriots, but proceed to dismantle the Pats 44-7, a perfect clobbering which culminates in a poignant scene in which Tom Brady and Bill Belichick break down and beg a fiery-eyed Steven Jackson for mercy, who merely grins as he hands the football to a terrified Patriot linebacker, picks him up, carries him into the end zone, then takes the ball back for Jackson’s fourth touchdown of the game.

That last one may be a little far-fetched, but hey, the day after Thanksgiving officially marks the beginning of Christmas season, and making dreams come true is what Christmas is all about, right?

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I will be back tomorrow with a preview of the Rams-Seahawks matchup on Sunday.

This entry was posted on Friday, November 23rd, 2007 at 12:38 am and is filed under Roman Gabriel, National Football League, Los Angeles Rams, Cleveland Rams, Rams History, Professional Sports, Isaac Bruce, St. Louis Rams, NFL, NFC West, Marshall Faulk, General NFL, Kurt Warner. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.