FAULK FEARS HE'LL BE PHASED OUT---from the rumor site

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  • RamWraith
    Registered User
    • Mar 2001
    • 8660

    FAULK FEARS HE'LL BE PHASED OUT---from the rumor site

    ***Mind you, this is coming from profootballtalk!



    Word out of St. Louis is that Rams running back Marshall Faulks fears that he's the next in line for the Kurt Warner treatment.



    Faulk, whom the Rams acquired in 1999 for a peanut butter sandwich and an old show, became a superstar in St. Louis. But his rise coincided with the out-of-nowhere ascension of Warner -- and with Warner now a fading memory Faulk knows that he's next.



    The fact that the Rams drafted running back Stephen Jackson in round one of the April draft likely has done little to calm Faulk's nerves. But Jackson and Faulk are represented by the same guy, Rocky Arceneaux, and there's a school of thought in some league circles that Arceneaux will structure Jackson's contract to allow Faulk to continue to be the starter -- and get paid well in the process -- for the next year or two.



    Even so, the concept of having only a year or two left is a bitter pill for a guy who, like Warner, believes that his spot atop the depth chart has transformed into a birthright. And with those concerns already creeping into Marshall's mind, it'll be interesting to see whether he rises up and recaptures his past MVP form, or whether he gets tentative as he fears the big hook that found Warner's neck a year ago.
  • Curly Horns
    Registered User
    • Mar 2002
    • 4047

    #2
    Re: FAULK FEARS HE'LL BE PHASED OUT---from the rumor site

    Even so, the concept of having only a year or two left is a bitter pill for a guy who, like Warner, believes that his spot atop the depth chart has transformed into a birthright.
    Well that is just a tad bit uncalled for. I don't think Warner or Faulk have ever considered their positions atop the depth chart as a birthright. Realistically, as a starting RB in the NFL, Faulk does not have that many years left, if for no other reason than age. I think Faulk has said on numerous occasions that he will know when the time has come for him to step aside.
    Curly ~ Horns

    Comment

    • RamDez
      • Mar 2001
      • 8445

      #3
      Re: FAULK FEARS HE'LL BE PHASED OUT---from the rumor site

      I think that the "article" coming from that site should be read as one would whilst sitting on the lavatory and looking for something to read just before one wipes ones arse.................. and said "article" just happens to be to hand

      __________________________________________________________
      Keeping the Rams Nation Talking

      Comment

      • AvengerRam_old
        Moderator Emeritus
        • May 2004
        • 21086

        #4
        Re: FAULK FEARS HE'LL BE PHASED OUT---from the rumor site

        Actually, the author of the article was a Monk from the hilltops of the Isle of Celon, blessed with the intuitive power of mind reading.

        Either that, or he knows a "league source."

        Comment

        • Nick
          Rams Nation MVP
          • May 2004
          • 25205

          #5
          Re: FAULK FEARS HE'LL BE PHASED OUT---from the rumor site

          Originally posted by AvengerRam
          Either that, or he knows a "league source."
          Of course he does. PFT has an army of "league sources" who provide them with incredibly accurate and breaking information. :bored:

          Comment

          • general counsel

            #6
            Re: FAULK FEARS HE'LL BE PHASED OUT---from the rumor site

            This sound like 100% crapola to me. It doesnt jive with anything faulk has said publicly. I dont think that the two situations are the same.

            ramming speed to all

            sign the big man

            general counsel

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: FAULK FEARS HE'LL BE PHASED OUT---from the rumor site

              From all I've ever heard/read Faulk is a team first kind of guy. Does he think he'll be phased out, probably. But he knows that's what happens to backs his age, and also knows it would be stupid for himself and the team to continue to rely on only one back. Having an up and comer on the team, will only prolong his career, and I believe he knows this. Will he still command the elite back pay status, he knows the answer to that too.

              Maineram

              Comment

              • evil disco man
                Registered User
                • Nov 2001
                • 2149

                #8
                Re: FAULK FEARS HE'LL BE PHASED OUT---from the rumor site

                Agreed. Crap, crap, crap. The guy could've at least tried a little harder. No fake quotes, no fake sources, and he couldn't even spell Steven Jackson's name correctly. The offseason makes idiots out of people. Or is it that the idiots simply feast in the offseason? I don't know.

                Comment

                • ramstiles
                  Registered User
                  • Sep 2001
                  • 829

                  #9
                  Re: FAULK FEARS HE'LL BE PHASED OUT---from the rumor site

                  Howard said that the rams were always interested in a RB in the draft because of Faulks age and previous injuries and that at the combine the Rams were interested in Maurice Clarett Then the rams selected Jackson in the draft, so none of this is surprising.

                  He also thinks that the current Faulk story is centered around the concern that exists that perhaps his knee still isn't totally right. Apparently Faulk has told people he's not sure about the knee

                  Howard thinks that talk of an impending retirement is premature. Rams people believe he will be at camp, but there is always the possibility he will feel it just isn't right. At this time, there's no way of knowing what will happen.

                  It is also certain the addition of Jackson would lead to a lesser role for Faulk
                  Last edited by ramstiles; -07-09-2004, 12:07 AM.

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                  • AvengerRam_old
                    Like Warner, If Faulk's Not Faulk, A Clean Break Is Needed
                    by AvengerRam_old
                    And so, my friends, I fear we find outselves in somewhat familiar territory.

                    A star player who helped the Rams win their only Super Bowl is potentially at a point of decline and it is questionable whether he can ever play at a level close to what we remember from 1999-2001.

                    Behind him is a young, promising player who many feel is ready to step in and take over.

                    If Faulk knee is not healed, and he can't be the feature back, the best thing for the Rams is to let him go and move on. Steven Jackson has the potential to be a feature back as a rookie. Even if he's not and never will be Marshall Faulk, if Marshall can't be either, he shouldn't be played because of nostalgia.

                    Its the nature of the beast. Great players don't last forever.
                    -07-10-2004, 07:25 PM
                  • RamWraith
                    Faulk's Finest Hour
                    by RamWraith
                    Wednesday, December 19, 2007

                    By Nick Wagoner
                    Senior Writer

                    Stuck in a dire situation, Marshall Faulk found himself in a form of football purgatory in 1998. After five years in Indianapolis, Faulk had reached his breaking point.

                    All of the struggles, all of the mistakes and most of all, all of the losses had finally caused Faulk to go to management and seek something better. Faulk didn’t ask much; it wasn’t about the money. He could have had plenty of that from the Colts.

                    What Faulk wanted was a chance to win. So when he received word on April 15, 1999, that he was being sent to the Rams for a second and fifth round selection in the upcoming NFL Draft, Faulk was less than thrilled.

                    “My thoughts when I first came to St. Louis weren’t good,” Faulk said. “I felt like I was in a bad situation and the situation in St. Louis wasn’t any better.”

                    Considering that in his five seasons in the league, the Rams had won 26 games or six less than the Colts in that same time frame. Of course, Indianapolis had gone 3-13 the two previous seasons and appeared headed nowhere.

                    But that didn’t mean Faulk was thrilled with his new home in St. Louis. As Faulk watches his No. 28 jersey raised to the rafters Thursday night, never to be worn by a Ram again, it’s hard not to imagine how he went from unhappy all-star to man of honor.

                    A MINI REVELATION

                    Entering the 1999 offseason, the Rams were faced with the task of overhauling a boring offense that scored so little that the scorekeeper at the Edward Jones Dome felt like the Maytag repairman.

                    To that end, the Rams aggressively pursued help on the line and at the skill positions. They signed Trent Green to play quarterback and Adam Timmerman at guard. They drafted young receiver Torry Holt out of North Carolina State and hired a young offensive-minded coordinator in the form of Mike Martz.

                    While those moves were a step in the right direction, none had the cache that would really draw the attention of landing a Pro Bowl running back such as Faulk. In the days leading to the draft, the Rams finally settled on a deal and Faulk became a Ram.

                    With Faulk in the fold, it appeared the Rams had the foundation for an explosive offensive but it remained to be seen how the pieces would come together. Of course, it would have been impossible for those pieces to fit if Faulk never entered the fray.

                    Faulk got to St. Louis without a new contract in hand and wasn’t even sure he wanted to be here. After careful consideration, Faulk decided to give the Rams a shot before he made a decision.

                    “I took my time and I thought about it and I think the best thing that I did was I decided to go to minicamp and I got a chance to be around the likes of Isaac Bruce, Trent Green, etc,” Faulk said. “I got an opportunity to see that this team was...
                    -12-19-2007, 03:44 PM
                  • RamWraith
                    Faulk retirement articles and comments
                    by RamWraith
                    Multitalented Faulk one-of-a-kind in St. Louis

                    By Jeff Gordon
                    ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
                    03/22/2007

                    Marshall Faulk is the greatest professional football player St. Louis has ever employed.

                    This claim is not meant to disparage the football Cardinals, a proud franchise that sent one tremendous player after another to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Larry Wilson, Jackie Smith, Dan Dierdorf and Roger Wehrli stand among the greatest to ever play their sport.

                    It’s a shame they never had a owner who measured up.

                    I don’t want to overlook contemporary Rams stars like Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt, Orlando Pace and Kurt Warner -– four other stalwarts from “The Greatest Show on Turf.” At least a couple of those Super Bowl heroes also will be enshrined in Canton, Ohio, some day.

                    But Faulk was the Next Level of competition. He was one of the elite talents in NFL history, but that is just the start of his story. We’ve seen a lot of highly gifted football players come and go without making much of an impact.

                    Faulk offered so much more.

                    TOUGHNESS: He took a beating. He played hurt. He willed himself forward despite needing one operation after another to repair his battered knees.

                    Faulk’s career highlight might have come at the end of the difficult 2000 season. With the Rams facing a must-win situation at New Orleans, his hometown, he led the Rams into the playoffs with a remarkable 220-yard, three-TD performance.

                    Plowing into the teeth of the physical Saints defense, Faulk refused to let the Rams lose. He single-handedly kept his team alive.

                    Faulk and his teammates couldn’t repeat that performance against the Saints in the playoffs, but his stand that afternoon was memorable.

                    SMARTS: Faulk knew the “Air Martz” offense as well as Warner did. He knew all the plays. He understood the intent of the plays. He got the philosophy behind them. He studied defenses, too, so he could read them on the field and made adjustments accordingly.

                    His command of this revolutionary scheme allowed him to attack defenses every way possible. He lined up all over the field. He often went in motion. His receiving skills matched his running ability. He blocked blitzing linebackers when needed, too.

                    In their heyday, the Rams dared opponents to blitz -– trusting their ability to counter-attack, typically by getting the ball to Faulk.

                    LEADERSHIP: On the field, Faulk barked out commands and policed his teammates. If a player didn’t get the concept of the “hurry up” offense, Faulk would pick him up off the turf and direct him to his spot in the formation. On the field, he was a second quarterback.

                    Off the field, he had maintained his teammates’ respect. If Faulk could take game tapes home for additional review, shouldn’t lesser players do the same?
                    ...
                    -03-23-2007, 05:07 AM
                  • RamWraith
                    Burwell talks about Faulk and retirement
                    by RamWraith
                    By Brian Burwell / PD

                    Coach Mike Martz says Faulk's sore knees need some rest. I asked Faulk how much rest he thinks he'll take. 'That depends on what you want to do,' he said, speaking generally, as if he were talking about someone else. 'If this is your last season, then what you do is rush back, deal with the pain and whatever happens happens and you retire at the end of the season. But if you've decided that you want to play at least one more year, and you're comfortable and accept a specific limited role, than you play it smart. You take your time, get healthy and come back when it's feeling right.'

                    Faulk sounded like a man who was more interested in returning for one more scaled-back run next season. He also sounded quite comfortable with this changing of the guard.

                    As we talked, Faulk was nearly trampled as the media moved in to circle and interview quarterback Chris Chandler. Faulk slipped on his black leather jacket, pulled his wool knit cap down snuggly over his head, flipped a backpack over his shoulder and nimbly tried to get out of the way.

                    As he attempted to make a quick getaway, a few more reporters converged on him.

                    'Can we ask you a few questions, Marshall?' someone asked.

                    'Awww, nah,' he whispered, feigning modesty. 'Why do you want to talk to me?'

                    Faulk is not quite ready to say goodbye to his athletic life just yet. But he is perceptive enough to know that this wasn't his moment. This was not his time. Faulk could see that big fellow over there on the other side of the room with the flowing dreadlocks and youthful legs was finishing up his postgame radio interview. Faulk knew Jackson was about to march back to his locker stall.

                    Faulk knows a thing or two about the paradox of the past and the future never occupying the same space. So the living legend nearing the end of his 11-year Hall of Fame run slipped quietly out the back locker-room door. A few moments later, the future - young Mr. Jackson - slipped seamlessly into his space.
                    -12-06-2004, 01:44 PM
                  • RamWraith
                    Faulk will announce his retirement per NFL.com
                    by RamWraith
                    Just announced on NFL Network.

                    Press Conference to be held Monday.

                    As always, Faulk knew what he had to do

                    By Adam Schefter
                    NFL Analyst

                    (March 22, 2007) -- For 12 NFL seasons, all the way up until his retirement from the game became official today, running back Marshall Faulk had all the right moves.

                    We watched feet that moved as if he were dancing with the stars. We watched hands so dependable, it was as if they were drenched with stick-um. We watched plays that no other running back in the game could make.

                    Yet for all the yards he gained, for all the passes he caught, for all the touchdowns he scored, what fans couldn't see was one of the primary reasons -- maybe the primary reason -- Faulk should be taking up residence in Canton four years from now.

                    It was what was under the helmet.

                    Faulk didn't just have a beautiful mind, he had a football mind.

                    Outside of quarterbacks, and maybe even including quarterbacks, there weren't any players any smarter than Faulk. He was the proverbial Smartest Guy in the Room. To this day, his former head coach Mike Martz thinks Faulk might just be the smartest player he has ever coached.

                    With his vision and awareness, Faulk understood the game in a way others did not. He knew where each player was supposed to be on each play.

                    Especially himself. Faulk knew when it was safe to leave the backfield to go out for a pass, and he knew when he had to step behind to pick up a blitzing safety, as he did in Super Bowl XXXIV, on the play in which Kurt Warner threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Torry Holt to give the Rams a 16-0 lead.

                    Of all his attributes, this was Faulk's greatest: the centerpiece of the Greatest Show on Turf could beat you with his brawn or his brains.

                    The same brains that made him so effective on the football field made him a great analyst in his rookie season at NFL Network. He saw things other analysts did not. He made comments few others could. Few have ever started their TV careers with as much success as Faulk had over the past year. He was, unquestionably, the TV Rookie of the Year.

                    And now, Faulk has used that same brain to make his latest and last intelligent football decision. Instead of taking another hit, Faulk has dished one out himself. He has informed the Rams, and the football world, that he's retiring.

                    Faulk, who grew up on the streets of New Orleans before going on to star in Indianapolis and St. Louis, is smart enough to recognize that this is the right time to go.

                    One more time, Faulk is scampering away, unable to be brought down.
                    -03-22-2007, 01:34 PM
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