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  • #1

    I believe this will be it

    With all the scuttle-butt going on with Faulk, I believe we have seen the last of the great one in a regular season game. I think with the amount of reports starting to surface we will be seeing a news conference before the end of camp this season.

    Prepare yourlseves all you die-hards. This one will be just as hard to bite as Warner.
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  • #2
    Re: I believe this will be it

    Prepare yourlseves all you die-hards. This one will be just as hard to bite as Warner.

    We'll have to see how it plays out before we can say that for sure. If his knee is really shot and he can't perform according to his own standards that's one thing. If he's thrown on the scrapheap like Warner was, without a chance to show if his skills are diminished, then, yes, it will be just as hard to bite, at least for me.

    From another perspective, it's normal for running backs to start slipping after the age of thirty, at least historically that's been the case. Whatever happens, I hope the Rams handle it better than they did the QB situation.
    Clannie Nominee for ClanRam's Thickest Poster

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    • #3
      Re: I believe this will be it

      Isn't all of this Faulk talk just snowballing a bit? The last I heard the Rams and Faulk were just concerned about the knee responding this season. It's obvious that there would be concerns but I don't think anything substantial has been reported.

      I guess initially Hadley reported some "inside" information about the team having it's concerns about Faulk and his knee. Then Balzer or Randy K. said not to read too much into his comment, to take it in the spirit it was given. Basically, just looking at the situation realistically Faulk is a 30+ year old rb, coming off of a knee surgery, coming off consecutive seasons of missing games. It only makes sense that the team would have concerns. No one's saying "we just found out Faulk's knee is shot and won't heal" or anything like that.

      We all know that he's probably only got a year or two left if things go just right, so concerns over the knee, cutting that timetable down are bound to surface and fester until he can get on the field and see how it responds. Getting the knee surgery done before training camp will obviously be a benefit especially compared to last year when it wasn't done until after the season started. With a full camp and work in the preseason he should start the season looking at least as good as he did once he started playing regularly last year.

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      • #4
        Re: I believe this will be it

        Originally posted by moklerman
        Isn't all of this Faulk talk just snowballing a bit?
        Yep, I agree 100%. Yahoo and ESPN are reporting about it, which almost made my jaw drop. So much attention has been paid to what seems to be a very vague and unconfirmed concern. You have to wonder if that was Hadley's intention from the start.

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        • #5
          Re: I believe this will be it

          From my perspective, i will continue on the wishful thinking plan. I believe that the "story" was that he may sit out or retire. The reality is that there is uncertainty with the knee, which doesnt surprise anyone. I believe that hadley has been very successful at getting his name out there nationally, especially at a time when news in the nfl is slow. Of course the story snowballs, it makes a great headline.

          People have underestimated faulk and his competitiveness for quite some time. They have also underestimated his ability to contribute in a material way even when he is not at his best.

          The biggest difference between the warner and the faulk situation is that a team can have more than one running back that contributes and still is successful. Many, many teams have done that. It does not create the same type of distraction that arises when there are multiple qb's vying for the leadership and loyalty of the team. It is 100% clear that jackson represents the future. Faulk knows that. there has never been any illusion that faulk would be the lead guy for another five years like there was with warner.

          Warner believed that he was still in his prime years. A qb lasts a lot longer than a rb and that is just a fact. There is no such thing as a front line 35 year old running back. Find me just one in the history of the league.

          If faulk can physically play, wants to play, and is willing to accept less money in the future to contribute on a limited basis, i dont see any reason he cant stay around.

          I may be wrong, and if i am i wont be 100% shocked, but i think faulk will be ready when the season starts, at least to contribute to this team in a material way, even if its to tutor jackson.

          ramming speed to all

          general counsel

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          • #6
            Re: I believe this will be it

            Nice post general council. I could not agree more.

            I'll wait to see Faulk in action before I believe anything. I think the Rams have some interest in keeping the dual RB situation in a doubtful mindset. The offense certainly could be dangerous with the WRs and RBs on hand. Of course they still have Bulger so it's not going to be perfect, but the offense is shaping up with lots of solid players.
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            • RamDez
              Faulk faces many questions
              by RamDez
              Faulk faces many questions
              By Jim Thomas

              Of the Post-Dispatch
              07/29/2004






              MACOMB, Ill. - How much does he have left?

              How's the right knee?

              Is he about to retire?

              Rams running back Marshall Faulk has heard the questions. He's not sure of the answers himself.
              "Those are good questions," Faulk said. "It's things people should ask. Those are the things that are going to be answered this year. I feel up to the challenge, and we'll find out. As the season goes on, you guys will find out also."

              So how is the knee?

              "I don't know," Faulk said. "I practiced (Wednesday). I looked at (practice) film, and it looked pretty good. Of course, I'm critical about a lot of things that I do. But I felt pretty good about what I did and how my body responded."

              Faulk, 31, had another surgery on the knee during the offseason, fueling rumors that he would retire rather than play the 2004 season. But those rumors were unfounded.

              "I heard about it," Faulk said. "And it was news to me."

              Faulk wouldn't be here at Western Illinois University if he were contemplating retirement. Macomb, after all, isn't high on his list of summer "vacation" spots.

              "I love football," Faulk said. "I think that it's in me. I was given a gift to play this game. Not just a physical gift, but a mental gift to understand it. It's not all that I have. But it's something that I have that I love doing, and I have a passion for it."

              It's just that his passion is always tested in Macomb.

              "It's always at its all-time low at training camp," Faulk said, only half-jokingly. "And it's always high once training camp's over."

              The continuing knee problems have at least prompted him to think about retiring, albeit down the road.

              "This is probably the first year that I've thought, 'Man, if the body isn't acting right, what do I do?' " Faulk said. "Do I fight through it? Or do I not play?

              "That's something that I'm going to have to evaluate at the end of the season similar to what Aeneas (Williams) does."

              For the last several offseasons, Williams, 36, has re-evaluated whether he wants to continue playing. During the offseason Faulk talked to his agent, Rocky Arceneaux, about possibly playing only another year or two.

              After playing at such a high level for most of the past decade, Faulk's body might simply tell him that he no longer can play. That will influence the thought process on retiring.

              "It'll be that," Faulk said, "and if I can accept a lesser role - if that becomes the issue. Or if the situation here dictates that I can't be here any longer. So it's
              ...
              -07-29-2004, 11:47 PM
            • RamWraith
              No decision on retiring, Faulk says
              by RamWraith
              By Kathleen Nelson
              ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
              Tuesday, Jun. 13 2006

              For the past few years, Marshall Faulk has heard the question of retirement as
              a whisper. Recently, though, the question has grown louder and more persistent
              because of the departure of Mike Martz, the arrival of Scott Linehan and a knee
              that has been slow to respond to treatment.

              "When you get to Year 13, when you get a coaching change, you look at the
              bigger picture of things," Faulk said. "You say, 'Are we going to be playing
              for a championship?' If that doesn't seem possible, then you start thinking
              about other things. It's a thought that for the last two or three years has
              crept into my mind."

              The answer to the question remains elusive, Faulk said, despite rumors that he
              already has made up his mind.

              "That's second-hand. It didn't come from me," he said. As for an answer, he
              said, "There's no timetable."

              Faulk spoke at his fund-raising tournament Monday at Old Hickory Golf Club, the
              proceeds of which will be used for his charitable endeavors in St. Louis. Among
              the invitees were teammates Marc Bulger, Torry Holt and Dane Looker, as well as
              Grant Fuhr, Eric Dickerson and LaDanian Thomlinson. Despite the injury and some
              decent golfers in the crowd, Faulk expected to hold his own on the course.

              Walking and golf are "not cumbersome to my knees at all," he said. "I can run
              straight ahead. It's side to side that caused the setback. Other than that, I'm
              fine."

              Faulk underwent arthroscopic surgery on his knees over the winter. One knee has
              responded; the other hasn't. The injury prevented Faulk from participating in
              Rams' minicamp over the weekend and is one of the major reasons the question of
              retirement looms larger than in the past.

              "I'm kind of a foreigner to my own body," he said. "I thought I knew this piece
              of work here. As you get a little older, you kind of become a little distant
              with your body. You wake up, and things don't feel the way they used to."

              Learning from the past, Faulk said, he decided not to rush back from surgery.
              "The thing that I'm not doing that I used to do is accelerate it, do more to
              get back quicker," he said. "I've done that. I've had surgery in the season,
              come back and played. I don't think I could do that right now. I'm really
              taking my time with it and allowing it to let me know, 'We can go,' or 'We
              can't.'"

              Faulk said the timetable for recovery could extend beyond the opening of
              training camp in late July.

              "I don't know if you can say, 'Hey, knee, you've got to be ready by camp,'"...
              -06-13-2006, 05:01 AM
            • Ram Warrior
              Marshall will He return?
              by Ram Warrior
              The rumors had been flying for several days regarding running back Marshall Faulk. That he had decided to retire and would accept a job from the NFL Network. That his absence from the team's minicamp was as much about a rift with coach Scott Linehan as it was about one of his knees being slow to respond after February surgery on both knees.

              Faulk worked to stop the speculation when he appeared at his annual charity golf tournament June 12.

              When asked about talk he has decided to stop playing, Faulk said, "That's second-hand. It didn't come from me. There's no timetable."

              Concerning the problem with his knee, Faulk said, "I'm kind of a foreigner to my own body. I thought I knew this piece of work here. As you get a little older, you kind of become a little distant with your body. You wake up, and things don't feel the way they used to.

              "The thing that I'm not doing that I used to do is accelerate it, do more to get back quicker. I've done that. I've had surgery in the season, come back and played. I don't think I could do that right now. I'm really taking my time with it and allowing it to let me know, 'We can go,' or 'We can't.'"

              While the Rams apparently haven't pushed Faulk for a decision, it makes sense the team would like to know in time for the first training camp practice on July 27. But Faulk said that might not be possible.

              "I don't know if you can say, 'Hey, knee, you've got to be ready by camp,'" he said. "What do you do? How do I tell it that? If that was the case, I'd have told it to be ready six months ago."

              Faulk does acknowledge that thoughts of retiring have been in his head for a while. If he plays, Faulk will be a backup to Steven Jackson. He can handle that, but he also wants to feel comfortable that the team has a chance to be successful.

              "When you get to Year 13, when you get a coaching change, you look at the bigger picture of things," Faulk said. "You say, 'Are we going to be playing for a championship?' If that doesn't seem possible, then you start thinking about other things. It's a thought that for the last two or three years has crept into my mind."

              Still, he says he likes what he has seen from Linehan and he talks frequently with new running backs coach Wayne Moses.

              Faulk said, "We talk football a little. He (Linehan) seems very knowledgeable about what he wants to get accomplished, about what kind of team he wants to have. He's trying to get from me a feeling for the team, the guys and stuff like that. We're just trying to mesh, trying to put it all together and win some football games."

              Agent Rocky Arceneaux said that Faulk is "very sensitive to the Rams and what their needs are. Obviously if he can't go, they have to address that need and get a third running back,...
              -06-22-2006, 11:02 PM
            • RamWraith
              Proving Ground: Faulk ready to show he can still excel
              by RamWraith
              By Jim Thomas
              Of the Post-Dispatch
              Friday, Aug. 27 2004

              Only three players in NFL history have scored more touchdowns than Marshall
              Faulk. Only five players have more yards from scrimmage. Just 13 have more
              rushing yards. So there is no doubting Faulk's greatness, or his eventual spot
              in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

              But over the past two seasons, Faulk's rushing totals have decreased while his
              number of knee surgeries mounted. From a career-high 1,382 rushing yards for
              the Rams' 2001 Super Bowl team, Faulk dipped to 953 yards in '02. In 2003, a
              season in which Faulk missed a career-high five games due to injury, the total
              dropped to 818 yards.

              But for those questioning Faulk's future in the game at age 31, Rams defensive
              captain Tyoka Jackson has this message:

              "Keep doing it," Jackson says. "Keep saying all that stuff. 'Marshall's old.
              He's done.' Keep saying it. And just watch and see what happens."

              Just don't say it to Faulk.

              When an out-of-town reporter recently asked Faulk if he could get back to his
              former level of play, Faulk shot back: "I never thought I left."

              Faulk followed up by asking the reporter: "Hey, how long have you been doing
              this? Does your finger hurt? Does your hand hurt from writing?"

              Of course, taking notes doesn't normally involve gang-tackling, collisions or
              pass- blocking, something Faulk has been a part of for 10 NFL seasons - going
              on 11.

              But Faulk is a fiercely proud man, and he has earned that right based on his
              career accomplishments. Doubts?

              "It's hard to doubt greatness," said running backs coach Wilbert Montgomery,
              once an elite back himself. "Any time someone achieves what he has achieved,
              it's hard to put a question mark on it, hard to say, 'Hey, I doubt that this
              guy can do it.'

              "Marshall is going to be the guy to tell us when he can't do it. I go in every
              day, and every practice, every meeting, knowing that he's the guy. And that he
              can do it."

              And now, with the regular season quickly approaching, it's just about time to
              do it again.

              "I'm grinding away at it, getting back into the flow of things," Faulk said
              after his preseason debut Monday in Kansas City. "There's a conditioning factor
              that I'm working on. . . .You never know in this offense until your number's
              called five, six, seven times in a row if you are in the condition you want to
              be. But that's something that's going to come as I get my carries throughout
              the preseason, and throughout the year."

              The Rams have brought Faulk along carefully...
              -08-29-2004, 10:57 AM
            • RamWraith
              Those rumors about Marshall Faulk retiring this summer?
              by RamWraith
              BY JIM THOMAS
              Of the Post-Dispatch
              07/29/2004

              MACOMB, Ill. -- Those rumors about Marshall Faulk retiring this summer?

              "I heard about it," Faulk said Thursday. "And it was news to me. Hopefully that answers the question."

              In other words: No.

              Faulk plans on playing in 2004. Why else would he show up for his 11th NFL training camp?

              But in his first comments on the topic, Faulk indicated broadly that retirement could be a possibility after this season.

              "This is probably the first year that I've thought, 'Man. If the body isn't acting right, what do I do?' " Faulk said. "Do I fight through it? Or do I not play?

              "That's something that I'm going to have to evaluate at the end of the season, similar to what (Aeneas Williams) does."

              Other than that, Faulk couldn't provide any sure answers on his right knee, which underwent clean-up surgery during the offseason. Or his future.

              How's the knee?

              "I don't know," Faulk said. "I practiced (Wednesday). I looked at film, and it looked pretty good. Of course, I'm critical about a lot of things that I do. But I felt pretty good about what I did (Wednesday) and how my body responded."

              Faulk said he can understand the questions about his knee, the possibility of retirement, or concerns about his productivity. He's anxious to find out himself.

              "Those are good questions," he told reporters. "It's things people should ask. Those are the things that are going to be answered this year. I feel up to the challenge. And we'll find out. As the season goes on, you guys will find out also."
              -07-29-2004, 01:34 PM
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