[rams1974]

I never paid much attention to Miller on MNF. The times I did he seemed to be trying just a little too hard, but it never bothered me. I just want announcers to be unbiased and fair in the calls and he seemed to be OK at that.

As someone who would watch Big Bird and Barney the Dinosaur call a game if I had to, I am probably not who they were thinking of with signing him.

You can't really talk about the GSOT teams without also remarking how lucky that team was to fall into such a moment. History has proven (IMO) that they had never stopped being run like a second- or third-rate team. I think this drives guys like Mike Florio absolutely insane - he hates on the Rams because he feels their success is completely undeserved.

[PARAM]

I never paid much attention to Miller on MNF.

Miller was a tool. Of course that was his schtick. Arrogant, smartest guy in the room which is fine for standup. Sports not so much.

[snackdaddy]

Before Warner got hurt that 2000 offense was just unbelievable...

I'm not sure if it was during that 6-0 stretch. It was a game against the Falcons. FG kicker Wilkins goes down with an injury. They have no place kicker the rest of the game. It actually allowed them to score more points.

Late in the first half they have 4th down near the redzone. They would usually kick a field goal before the half. But they had no choice. Ended up throwing a TD on the play.

With no kicker they had to go for two each time they scored. Ended up converting them. Scored something like 46 points that game. But that was also the year the defense gave up almost 30 point per game.

[Elvis]

I'm not sure if it was during that 6-0 stretch. It was a game against the Falcons. FG kicker Wilkins goes down with an injury. They have no place kicker the rest of the game. It actually allowed them to score more points.

Late in the first half they have 4th down near the redzone. They would usually kick a field goal before the half. But they had no choice. Ended up throwing a TD on the play.

With no kicker they had to go for two each time they scored. Ended up converting them. Scored something like 46 points that game. But that was also the year the defense gave up almost 30 point per game.

That year was so insane. There was a game (maybe the same one) where the opponent returned the opening kick for a TD and then the Rams followed suit, first two plays of the game: kick returns for TDs...

[rams74]

But that was also the year the defense gave up almost 30 point per game.

Two words: Larry Marmie.

That was the year that Mike Martz learned an age-old lesson: Don't hire your friends.

(For Sean McVay, however, the lesson is: Have smarter friends. It's ok to hire those.)

[TomSlick]

As someone who loves defense, I just absolutely hated that 2000 defense.

[Elvis]

Two words: Larry Marmie.

That was the year that Mike Martz learned an age-old lesson: Don't hire your friends.

(For Sean McVay, however, the lesson is: Have smarter friends. It's ok to hire those.)

Marmie didn't come along until 2004. His defenses were bad but they weren't as bad as the 2000 defense. 2000 was leftovers from Vermeil's staff. Bunting and Giunta were co defensive coordinators in '99. Bunting left after '99 while Giunta remained and that may or may not have been the problem.

In 2000 Martz hired his friend Lovie Smith and that actually went really well.

As Rams fans we've witnessed some remarkable turnarounds.

The offense from 98 to 99, the defense from 2000 to 2001 and when McVay came in.

In each case a new coach came in with a new system, lots of new starters, taking over an atrocious unit and instantly turned it into something really good. In the case of the GSOT, possibly the best offense in the history of the NFL.

Experience tells me these kinds of turnarounds are absolutely possible. OTOH, you have to be pretty terrible for it to be an option. And they can happen the other way too. The '99 defense was very good and then was suddenly abysmal in 2000...

[RAMMAN76]

"including the Az Hakim fumble that haunts us to this day."

He's the reason I always yell at the Rams returners to HOLD ON TO THE BALL!

[rams1974]

I have long been of the belief that the GSOT teams made a lot of enemies among other teams because they completely upended the message that those teams had been feeding fans .. i.e. look you have to be patient, we are bad now, but we are building - stick with us and in 3-4 years we will be a playoff team.

The Rams sort of showed that things can turn quickly. I think a lot of teams suddenly found themselves being questioned why they couldn't do what the Rams did.

The 2021 Rams have kind of done the same thing with the F Them Picks philosophy - teams are being challenged by their fans in the same way - quit telling us you are building through the draft, go get us Russell Wilson or Tom Brady now!