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Bernie is not happy unless he is stirring the pot and causing turmoil among Rams fans. His latest soap opera is attacking Steve Spagnuolo's supposed cutting of all ties with the past.
His evidence is, as usual, anectdotal, at best. He cites to the firing of the Rams long-time trainer. He recently interviewed Jack Youngblood, who expressed his frustration over the Rams' failure to use him and other greats of the past as resources to develop Chris Long (never mind the fact that Chris has a HOF DT to work with him every time he visits his family). He keeps mentioning the supposed removal of photos of former Rams from Rams Park.
Of course, he also conveniently ignores contrary facts. For instance, Spagnuolo has reportedly expressed an interest in talking to Isaac Bruce about a possible coaching position. Also, Spagnuolo didn't have any problem having Deacon Jones' jersey retired at the Rams home opener (his first home game as a HC). Finally, the current Director of Player Personnel is Lawrence McCutcheon (a teammate of Youngblood's) and Ray Agnew (who played on the 1999 championship team) is a scout.
Why is Bernie doing this? Well, for one thing, he's made it no secret that he does not like the fact that Spagnuolo does not give him and other sportswriters the kind of access they had under previous HC regimes. But, when it comes down to it, Bernie just likes to stir the pot and then say "see?" when things go badly.
In the end, though... this is just soap opera material. It has nothing to do with the team's success or failure. When Jimmy Johnson took over for Tom Landry, he broke ties with the Cowboys' past. How did that turn out? Then, he did the same thing when he replaced Don Shula in Miami. How did that turn out? Same person, same approach, different results. Hmmmm... maybe it doesn't really matter that much.
If the Rams are going to succeed, it will be because they have talented players lead by the right coaches. Whether the greats from the past (who certainly should be revered and respected) are on the sidelines has little, if any, impact on the W/L column.
So, there... I've said my peace. I will now ignore, and withhold comment regarding, any future soap opera comments by Bernie regarding the "break from the past."
I'm more interested in what is being done for the future.
His evidence is, as usual, anectdotal, at best. He cites to the firing of the Rams long-time trainer. He recently interviewed Jack Youngblood, who expressed his frustration over the Rams' failure to use him and other greats of the past as resources to develop Chris Long (never mind the fact that Chris has a HOF DT to work with him every time he visits his family). He keeps mentioning the supposed removal of photos of former Rams from Rams Park.
Of course, he also conveniently ignores contrary facts. For instance, Spagnuolo has reportedly expressed an interest in talking to Isaac Bruce about a possible coaching position. Also, Spagnuolo didn't have any problem having Deacon Jones' jersey retired at the Rams home opener (his first home game as a HC). Finally, the current Director of Player Personnel is Lawrence McCutcheon (a teammate of Youngblood's) and Ray Agnew (who played on the 1999 championship team) is a scout.
Why is Bernie doing this? Well, for one thing, he's made it no secret that he does not like the fact that Spagnuolo does not give him and other sportswriters the kind of access they had under previous HC regimes. But, when it comes down to it, Bernie just likes to stir the pot and then say "see?" when things go badly.
In the end, though... this is just soap opera material. It has nothing to do with the team's success or failure. When Jimmy Johnson took over for Tom Landry, he broke ties with the Cowboys' past. How did that turn out? Then, he did the same thing when he replaced Don Shula in Miami. How did that turn out? Same person, same approach, different results. Hmmmm... maybe it doesn't really matter that much.
If the Rams are going to succeed, it will be because they have talented players lead by the right coaches. Whether the greats from the past (who certainly should be revered and respected) are on the sidelines has little, if any, impact on the W/L column.
So, there... I've said my peace. I will now ignore, and withhold comment regarding, any future soap opera comments by Bernie regarding the "break from the past."
I'm more interested in what is being done for the future.
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