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The last several weeks we have heard that Marshall Faulk has lost a step, can't hit the holes, has no speed, can't make any long gains, can't run behind our line and isn't earning his money. Did I forget anything? Can we put any questions about his abilities and worth to rest?
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Re: The Reports Of Marshall's Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated
I will be in canton for sure the weekend he is inducted, which will be the first year he is eligible. Seeing how productive faulk is, and realizing of course that he is certainly feeling some effects of age and a hundred knee operations, should make us all appreciate how lucky we have been to have this incredibly exceptional player in a rams uniform since 1999.
Kudos again to the front office. That trade changed the course of rams history.
I repeat, for the 100th time (and reserve the right to continue to do so), that if rodney harrison doesnt knock out trent green, we might have won the superbowl anyway. But if the front office doesnt trade a #2 and a #5 for marshall faulk, we dont win it all.
Faulk is the only player in the history of the organization, with the possible exception of a very young bob waterfield, who at any given time was the best all around football player in the nfl. Not just the best at his position (ie gabriel and warner won mvps and we certainly have had other hall of famers), but the overall #1 guy in the league.
ramming speed to all and ram on marshall,
general counsel
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I dont have it in me yet to post all of my feelings on marshall faulks retirement. I have written more about faulk on this board over the last three years than any other poster. I believe that he is a dramatically underated player, even by many in st louis and even by many on this board.
For now, i put forth two thoughts and would love to see anyone debate me on them.
1) Faulk is the greatest player in the history of the franchise because he is the only player ever to play for the rams who was the greatest player in the entire nfl, regardless of position, and i believe that was true for a full three year stretch (99-01). The only other possibilities were bob waterfield in 1945 and possibly johnny drake or parker hall in the late 30's. I dont believe that kurt warner ever reached that level. Warner was the mvp of the league, but not of his team. The bias in favor of white qb's over black running backs is long evident in mvp voting, but lets put it this way. On a crappy team without an offensive line and all of those weapons, warner may still have been effective, but no where near his level during the gsot, whereas faulk was a superstar for some very average/lousy colts teams.
2) If Trent Green doesnt get hurt, the GSOT might not have lost a beat. I am taking nothing away from warner who was the best qb in the nfl for a period of time, but green was poised for a monster season when he got hurt. He had the arm, the accuracy and the leadership. I think you could make the case that green might have won superbowl 34 anyway. I am not saying that he would have, only that it was a distinct possibility. At the minimum, the rams offense would have been very very prolific with green at the helm. However, if the rams dont trade a 2 and a 5 for marshall faulk, there is no way in the world that the rams win one superbowl and come within a play or two of winning another one. Just no way in the world.
ramming speed to all
general counsel-03-27-2007, 09:39 AM -
Hello all, i just wanted to take a moment to recognize Marshall, Marshall, Marshall, who i believe to be the greatest ram ever to wear the horns.
Can anyone else name a rams player who was widely considered at any given time to be the very best football player in the league, regardless of his position?
While i acknowledge that injuries and age have slown marshall down and he is no longer at the supreme peak of his game, his talent is still remarkable. I am amazed at the number of fans that consider him finished as a major force in the nfl. I wish those people would watch a tape of the carolina playoff game before they draw any gloom and doom conclusions about faulk's current abilities.
One of the critical areas in which bulger needs to improve this year is checking off to faulk when his downfield options are not available. If you look at the rams losses since 1999, i think you will find one common element in almost every case- failure to get the ball into faulks hands enough. The loss of hodgins has clearly hurt faulk on the running side, as well as the deterioration in the blocking at the tight end spot. Both are areas that we hope to improve on this year.
While i am sad over the departure this week of captain kurt, i will repeat my mantra regarding the championship season. Taking nothing away from warner who i will always love, if trent green doesnt get hurt in preseason, we might have won it all anyway. We will never know. But if the front office doesnt make one of the most one sided trades in the history of the nfl by trading a #2 and a #5 for faulk, we never win that title.
Kudos to Marshall Faulk, the most talented and skilled player in the history of the organization. Not necessarily the most loveable (although he is my personal favorite), but simply the best. Lets hope that the presence of stephen jackson will prolong faulks career as a ram and allow him, health permitting, to give us another three good years, with appropriately adjusted cap numbers to reflect his changing role. Faulk HAS to go into the Hall as a ram, and his number has to go into the Ring of Fame.
ramming speed to all,
general counsel-05-30-2004, 01:00 PM -
Hi guys, i just watched the midwest sports report interview with Faulk. This was part 3 of 5 and marshall spoke about his future and what he has been doing this off season.
As for his future, he feels he can still play at a high level and said he expects to do so for a while. he says that if he feels he is hurting the team, he wont play, but that even with the injuries over the last two seasons, he has "had games where he felt like his old self." Marshall acknowledged that its difficult for any athelete to actually know when the time has come to admit that his skills have deteriorated, but that he feels stronger going into this season since he believes that his knee issues have finally been properly addressed.
As to the offseason, in addition to the knee surgery, faulk says he has "gone down a size." He clearly looks like he has dropped some weight. He says he has not been lifting and has been resting his legs more than he has in the past.
He concluded by saying that if he feels like he cant play to the level he expects he will sit down with the rams and figure out what to do next season, but he doesnt expect it to happen.
There was no discussion regarding how the drafting of stephen jackson might affect his future.
ramming speed to all, and all hail Marshall, Marshall, Marshall
general counsel-06-02-2004, 07:56 PM -
Does anyone think that there is a chance that Martz will use Marshall Faulk as a slot receiver, when Steven Jackson is in the backfield? It seems logical to find another way to use Faulk other than just as a backup to Jackson.-05-31-2005, 03:01 PM
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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
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