Tommy Polley 2001 NFC Championship Ring Auction

[NJ Ramsfan1]

I disagree on the point about officials. Do i agree that we should have made adjustments? Of course, and that is what my post says. Am i apologizing for martz? Of course not, that is not what my post says.

It is one thing to say that the officials missed a call here or there. That is not what i am talking about. I also dont think that you can look at 20-30 calls in any specific game because i think during a typical game calls go both ways and almost all the time they tend to balance out. In this game, there was a systematic rule breaking by one team that the officials ignored. I dont see how you can say that did not play a factor in the outcome of the game. I understand that less penalties are called in the playoffs, but that is not an excuse for refusing to enforce the rules, and that is what happened here. Even in a hockey game in the stanley cup blatant penalties are called.

The key to officiating at any level is to be consistent and even handed. When one team is completley flaunting the rules, and the refs dont bother to make any calls, the refs are impacting the outcome of the game and that is exactly what they should never do.

I dont "blame" the officials for the loss, but they were certainly a contributing factor.

Martz should blame himself, because all he had to do was do what he did against the eagles and run faulk down their throats.

ramming speed to all

general counsel

I just think it smacks of sour grapes when we place significant blame on officials for losses. That's not to say I am never critical of refs- I've whined and cried like everyone else about officiating from time to time- but I think it is disingenuous in this instance for one reason. I don't recall anyone- announcers or any other talking head- complaining at the time that the Rams were being manhandled or screwed over in some way. ONLY AFTER we lost did this become an issue.

We were 14 point favorites in this Super Bowl and laid an egg. One of the great disappointments of all time and we really have only ourselves to blame.

[AvengerRam]

we really have only ourselves to blame.

Wait a second... what did I do wrong?

[HUbison]

Wait a second... what did I do wrong?

The mere fact that you have the gall to stand there and even ask that question shows that you have no remorse at all.

No remose, I say!!!

[NJ Ramsfan1]

Wait a second... what did I do wrong?

You know, it's funny, when I typed that i had a feeling someone would ask that question!! Just never got around to re-stating it.

[ZiaRam]

Bringing up this stuff truly brings a sour taste to my mouth. Seeing that this game single-handedly ruined the GSOT, and Warners career in St. Louis. During his documentary Warner said it himself, his relationship in St Louis with Martz was never the same after that loss.

If Kurt wins that second Super Bowl, we stick w him during the tough times with the injuries and fumbling, then who knows?

That team broke my heart in a way that can never be healed, no matter how many titles we win in the future. Second best team in the history of the NFL to not win it all (behind the undefeated patriots team), and in my view, a better team than the '99 team that won.

ramming speed to all

general counsel

Beleave me I feel the same exact way... I was so disappointed that we lost... couldn't even vision us not winning. I was so confident we were at the beginning of a dynasty and Warner would be our QB to career us into legend.
We had very poor offciating, had some poor plays, had Martz being bull headed in his play calling and having our practices taped lead to a huge heartbreak from many a error.

[BlueTalon]

However, i have always felt that the refs were a disgrace in that game. If the refs call the game by the rules, we win. End of story.

I feel your pain.

[ZiaRam]

I feel your pain.

You guys got hosed by the refs against the Steelers....

[general counsel]

A lot of people forget that we played the patriots earlier that year and beat them in a close game on the road. In hindsight, we would have been better off playing the steelers, who had never seen us before and teams that hadnt seen us before really had problems adjusting to our speed.

The patriots were a better team that year than people realized, and a lot of people underestimated them in part because of the rookie qb. That being said, we had of course absolutely no basis for losing to them, especially in a Dome where our speed should have been a big edge.

As crushed as we all were as fans, i can't even begin to imagine how painful that experience was for the great marshall faulk. In what should have been his greatest triumph, winning a super bowl in his home town, he was largely ignored by his own head coach, which more than anything else led to us losing the game. If the patriots wanted to put all those db's on the field and take away the deep throws, all martz had to do was pound faulk up the middle over and over and we would have worn them down and then creamed them at the end. In a hall of fame career, the most talented Ram ever suffered what had to be his most painful and disappointing day as a professional.

I will never forget leonard little coming about a quarter of a step from sacking brady and causing a fumble on the last drive. It happened right in front of where i was sitting. I have always given darth hoodie credit for trying to win the game at the end rather than running out the clock. He took the chance, knowing that if he was conservative and punted (or ran the clock out and lost the coin toss), there was no way they were going to stop us.

I gained 25 pounds and lost 40 pounds off my bench press after that loss. I was at the game, and i spent the night alone in my hotel room after consuming about 250 ounces of diet coke, unable to sleep all night, while next door to me was a patriots championship party!

ramming speed to all

general counsel

[ZiaRam]

I was at the game, and i spent the night alone in my hotel room after consuming about 250 ounces of diet coke, unable to sleep all night, while next door to me was a patriots championship party!

ramming speed to all

general counsel

Wow, I would of needed Av as my lawyer after a shooting spree...

[general counsel]

In the room directly next to mine, two massively drunk patriots fans spent the night arguing about whether bledsoe or brady should be the qb the following year. One guy kept saying over and over, as he got drunker and drunker, that brady stinks and they got lucky as heck to win, that if we played them 100 times the rams would have won 99 with brady at qb. The other guy kept saying "We just won the super bowl, who cares about next year, and by the way, brady has more upside in the future." This literally went on from midnight to 6am. It is seared into my brain forever and i will never get it out of my head. It was like a scene from the movie groundhog day.

ramming speed to all

general counsel

[ZiaRam]

In the room directly next to mine, two massively drunk patriots fans spent the night arguing about whether bledsoe or brady should be the qb the following year. One guy kept saying over and over, as he got drunker and drunker, that brady stinks and they got lucky as heck to win, that if we played them 100 times the rams would have won 99 with brady at qb. The other guy kept saying "We just won the super bowl, who cares about next year, and by the way, brady has more upside in the future." This literally went on from midnight to 6am. It is seared into my brain forever and i will never get it out of my head. It was like a scene from the movie groundhog day.

ramming speed to all

general counsel

wow talk about some paper thin walls.... " Hello, night deck manager GET ME A M&%^$* F'N NEW ROOM!"

[live4ramin]

I thought the 2001 Rams were the best football team I ever saw play.

[general counsel]

In the world of dream teams (and off season boredom), i offer this thought. The 2001 rams offense combined with the 1985 bears defense would be an unbeatable team.

Ramming speed to all

general counsel

[HUbison]

In the world of dream teams (and off season boredom), i offer this thought. The 2001 rams offense combined with the 1985 bears defense would be an unbeatable team.

Ramming speed to all

general counsel

Wow! If that team doesn't go 19-0, no team would.