Its over.
The worst Rams season in a decade is done.
There is still a part of me, as the founder of the
Scott Linehan Opposition Party, that hopes against hope that John Shaw will do a 180 and announce in the next few days that a new Head Coach will be hired for 2008. But, all indication is that, Linehan will be back. Never mind that it is now clear that the confidence of his players has been severely eroded. Never mind that the team essentially quit in the last two dismal weeks of the season. There is too much uncertainty at the top of the Rams franchise right now and, for whatever reason, it does not appear that Linehan will be the short term fall guy.
So, where does SLOP go from here? Certainly, SLOP will not be disbanded. If anything, SLOP will now enter a period of dormancy. After all, SLOP is really not about the offseason. Its about what happens on Autumn Sundays.
I look at 2008 as a year that will likely be difficult, but may also contain the seeds of promise. The Rams will have the opportunity to build for the future, or to condemn it to a long period of futility. The Rams will have the second pick in the draft, and three of the first 65. Use these picks wisely, and a core of talent for the future can result. Use them poorly, and this team may not have yet hit rock bottom.
The same goes for free agency and cap management. Young players like O.J. Atogwe and
Brandon Chillar should be embraced. Older players who are past their prime - Wilkins, Glover, Bruce, Pace, Little and Chavous - must yield financially to allow the roster to be enhanced. Make the right decisions, and this team could turn around quickly. Make the wrong decisions, and the future will be bleak.
I can't say I have much confidence in the people who will be making the decisions. I also fear that the potential of a future sale of the team could stay the hands of those who wish to pay the price for success.
And yet, through it all, the 12 year old boy in me, who couldn't fall asleep the night before or after the Rams first Super Bowl, remains hopeful. He would have never joined SLOP. His heart would not have let him. And that 12 year old boy still thinks that even John Shaw, Jay Zygmunt and
Scott Linehan might - even if by sheer luck - make the right decisions that will allow the Rams to bounce back and play in the postseason next year.
In the meantime, SLOP will be out there. The (nearly) 40 year old that I am today knows that it must remain. If things continue on the path we are on now, SLOP will again raise its voice of discontent.
Let's all hope that there is never a need.