MVN: Most Valuable Network

Although the St. Louis Rams finished out their 2008 season with a 31-27 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, much can be taken away from this final contest.

- Rams cornerback Ron Bartell made a play that every football coach at any level references at least once a season.  On what looked like a sure touchdown run for stud Falcons running back Michael Turner, Bartell did not give up on the play and managed to track down the back at the two yard line, strip the ball, and recover the fumble!  While the validity of the fumble call was questionable, the amount of effort and desire that Bartell exhibited can never be doubted.  Bartell has proven himself to be a valuable piece of this franchise and hopefully the Rams are able to hold on to him for a long time.

- Oft criticized running back Steven Jackson played a game that reminds us all what a thrilling player he has the ability to be.  His stat line for the day was pretty impressive: 30 rushes for 161 yards and two touchdowns, not to mention four receptions for 54 yards.  However, Jackson's most stellar moment came in the fourth quarter as he caught a flare pass out of the backfield with one hand and proceeded to jump-hurdle himself over a defender who was nearly standing upright!  Fans and writers alike often forget the mindblowing athleticism of a player like Steven Jackson, but for a man who stands 6'2" tall and weighs 235 pounds to in essence, toss himself over another grown man as said man attempts to tackle him is truly amazing.  Jackson just played Sunday's game with a sense of urgency largely unseen this season.

- Sunday's contest might have been the last time Rams fans see interim coach Jim Haslett on the sidelines, but apparently most of the Rams themselves do not wish this to be the case.  Several players stated openly that they were playing for Haslett's job.  An anonymous player on the team even divulged the fact that many of the players on the team signed a petition to give to the front office in order that Haslett might be retained as coach.  Such fantastic outpourings of affection for ones coach are few and far between in the NFL and while the team still did not win this final game, I could argue that it was their best this season (they beat the Cowboys soundly, but Dallas appeared lethargic and unprepared for their game against the Rams while the Falcons were playing for a higher playoff seeding and were focused throughout, yet the Rams only lost by four.)

The season is finished.  2-14 record; worst ever in franchise history (since a 16 game schedule was introduced).  Ten game losing streak to close the season; opponents scored slightly more than twice as many points as the Rams did this season, 465 against, 232 for.  Both of these tallies rank only in front of the winless Detroit Lions and have secured the Rams the 2^nd pick in the NFL draft this coming spring.  Those are the facts.  This year is over and the Rams would be best to put it behind them as soon as possible (other than to use it as motivation to prepare for the 2009 season) so as to avoid a hangover into next season.

The Rams have a new GM in Billy Devaney who clearly has some crucial decisions to make in the coming weeks, namely who the head coach of this team will be.  Haslett looks to be the favorite amongst players, even though he presided over the ten game losing streak.  But he was certainly a motivating factor in the wins over the Redskins and Cowboys and he also seemed to provide a spark in the close losses to the Patriots and this past week against the Falcons.  If Haslett does get the job, one can only hope that his motivational abilities will translate into victories, not just great hustle plays and a couple big performances.  If Haslett is not the answer, there are several very appealing choices lingering.  The freshly fired Mike Shanahan and Eric Mangini are appealing options as is the head coach-turned announcer who seems to be interested in coaching again, Bill Cowher.  The allure of hiring draft-free agent-team-turn-around-football-guru Bill Parcells must also be high seeing as the Rams player personnel selections have been poor at best in the past five to seven years, which is a huge part of the reason why this franchise has won five games in the past two seasons.

No matter what direction Devaney chooses to go in, this will certainly be an interesting off season; and I for one, cannot wait.