Troops honor Armey

[RamWraith]

By Jim Thomas
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Thursday, May. 10 2007

Like millions of Americans, Charley Armey sidled up to the television on
Saturday morning, April 28, and didn't budge for hours. His wife, Audrey,
brought in drinks and food. They repeated the procedure the next day.

For the first time in 30 years, Armey wasn't participating in a professional
football draft, a period encompassing stints in the NFL and the old USFL.

"It was kind of fun to sit back and be a draftnik," Armey said, chuckling. "I
watched the entire thing from start to finish. It was kind of different."

That's for sure. For the previous nine years, Armey had organized Rams drafts
for coaches Dick Vermeil, Mike Martz and Scott Linehan — first as vice
president of player personnel, and then as general manager.

Before that were front-office or scouting stints with New England, Green Bay,
Atlanta and Buffalo of the NFL, plus Denver, Memphis and Chicago of the USFL.

Before going pro, Armey was a college coach at North Dakota State, Montana
Tech, Montana and Colorado State.

But it's all coming to a halt: 40 years in college and pro football; 27 years
in the NFL; 10 years with the Rams. Last summer, the Rams brought in Tony
Softli from Carolina to be their vice president of player personnel — in
essence to replace Armey, whose role was dramatically reduced. Last August,
Armey said he planned to retire at the end of his current contract, and that
time is here. Or almost here.

Armey, who turns 68 in July, is under contract with the Rams through June. But
he has throttled back since mid-February and will be feted tonight in "roast"
style in the main ballroom of the Ameristar Casino in St. Charles. Vermeil will
be the master of ceremonies, with members of the Rams' 1999 Super Bowl
championship team invited as special guests.

"It's the last hurrah for Charley Armey," Armey said in self-deprecating
fashion. "It's gone by real fast. That's one of the few problems about doing
something that you really love, something that you really have a passion for —
it goes by so fast."

Although there were times it seemed the Rams were pushing Armey out the door,
he said he has no qualms about the way his 10-year run ended in St. Louis.

"I've never been treated any better in my life than I was treated by the Rams,"
Armey said. "They handled my retirement beautifully."

Last year, Armey did advance scouting for the Rams in his lesser role of vice
president of pro personnel. After the season, he evaluated prospective free
agents throughout the league, then faded deep into the background.

Instead of making a "farewell tour" at the NFL scouting combine in
Indianapolis, he stayed away. Ditto for the NFL draft. While Softli, Linehan
and team presidents John Shaw and Jay Zygmunt were busy in the draft room at
Rams Park, Armey was 15 minutes away watching draft coverage on TV at his town
home in O'Fallon.

"It was important for the new guy that took my place, Tony Softli, to come in
and establish himself and run things the way he wants them run," he said.
"Everybody does things differently."

In his time with the Rams, Armey was known for his off-color humor and sharp
opinions. He never was afraid to give his opinion on anything, no matter with
whom he was speaking.

Armey's opinions on personnel frequently were so pointed that Martz once gave
him the nickname "Charley Blunt."

But Armey always has had an eye for talent. He had many more hits than misses
with the Rams, even during the "Greatest Show on Turf'' years when the Rams
were drafting near the end of the rounds and making their share of strange
picks under Martz and defensive coordinator Lovie Smith.

"I've been around a lot of good football people," Armey said. "I've learned
from a lot of people. Norm Pollom — Debbie Pollom's dad — he started me out in
scouting, and I learned a lot from him. And Bucko Kilroy."

Debbie Pollom is the Rams' director of scouting administration. Kilroy was a
longtime scout and personnel executive with the Patriots.

Armey added: "And I've worked with some great coaches that knew talent: (Bill)
Parcells and (Bill) Belichick, and Marv Levy, Forrest Gregg, and of course,
Dick Vermeil. ... Luckily, some of it rubbed off."

Armey is typically blunt in discussing his high and low moment in football.
Both came while he was with the Rams.

The most fun?

"Winning the Super Bowl (against Tennessee), obviously," Armey said. "Being in
the Super Bowl, and winning the Super Bowl, are totally different. ... There's
an unbelievable feeling knowing you've won it."

The least fun?

Losing the Super Bowl two years later to New England.

"My biggest disappointment is that we didn't give Marshall Faulk the ball 35
times and let him be the MVP and win that Super Bowl in his hometown (of New
Orleans)," Armey said. "That's the one thing in football that haunts me, and it
will haunt me forever."

[MoonJoe]

"My biggest disappointment is that we didn't give Marshall Faulk the ball 35
times and let him be the MVP and win that Super Bowl in his hometown (of New
Orleans)," Armey said. "That's the one thing in football that haunts me, and it
will haunt me forever."

OUCH!!!