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May 18, 2003 Much noise has been made during the past several years over the attempt to create parity in the NFL. Why is parity such a big deal? The league in general and the owners in specific seem to think that if each team has a chance at winning the Super Bowl then more fans will attend the games. The problem with parity is that it may bring about the opposite effect – not as many people will be interested in the various football games. Without any standout dynasties sweeping through the playoffs, the word that comes to mind is “boring.” One aspect of a dynasty is that of excellence. A team that has achieved the dynasty status is an excellent team, and very enjoyable to watch. It is fun to see a professional football team perform at a top level week after week. And the opposite is also true – when all teams are roughly equal, there is a certain lack of excellence and rising above the crowd. Unfortunately, dynasties are becoming more of a thing of the past. There does not seem to be many teams continuing a level of excellence from year to year. The dynasties of the past stand in stark contrast to the teams of today. Past dynasties include the legendary Green Bay Packers of the Lombardi era, the Pittsburg Steelers, the Dallas Cowboys in two separate eras, the San Francisco 49er’s, and a few other teams. In the current NFL culture a repeat Super Bowl winner is a true rarity, last achieved by the Denver Broncos in the late 90’s. Probably the best candidate for a recent dynasty has been the St. Louis Rams. They have had some of the qualities of a dynasty – the requisite trips to the Super Bowl, superstar players, a handful of all-time records (3 times exceeding the 500 point per season mark) and a certain image. Many people don’t realize how close the Rams were in 2001 to a perfect season – that’s right, they were just a few points short of going 19-0. Proof of the fact that the Ram’s image is still strong is the fact that odds makers have them as the top choice to go to the Super Bowl in the NFC, even after a bad year. What will the 2003 Rams look like? The Rams have two of the top quarterbacks in the league to guide the show among Kurt Warner (NFL’s all- time highest rated quarterback) and the talented Marc Bulger. With the addition of Kyle Turley, and the return of Grant Williams, the Rams have a strongly upgraded front line. The running back is multi-purpose all-star Marshall Faulk, who is reportedly chomping at the bit to get going. Watch for a return to the circus act passing game with the addition of several speedy receivers. Last year the loss of Az-Zahir Hakim hurt the Rams in that they were not able to stretch the field wide open as they have in the past. The speed of several of the new receivers will give the Rams that ability again, as will the emergence of Troy Edwards. The most potent weapon, of course, is coach Mike Martz and his incredible approach to offensive football. Martz has lit up the league with his wild play-calling – watch for it to happen again in 2003. On defense the word is youth. The Rams will bring 3 young first-round draft picks at defensive tackle into rotation, the newest and biggest being Jimmy Kennedy of Penn State. The Rams have two of the top defensive ends in Grant Wistrom and Leonard Little, a sack specialist. It will be possible for the Rams to line up 4 first round linemen in some situations (Lewis, Kennedy, Puckett and Wistrom). The Rams will also be going with youth on the next line, with 3 young and aggressive linebackers. Aeneas Williams will return to give some seasoned insight to a host of young cornerbacks that the Rams have acquired recently. The Rams defense has a chance to be even quicker than it was during the magical 2001 season, and stronger across the front line. If there is any team that has a chance at the dynasty tag in the current era, it is the St. Louis Rams. This year is a pivotal year for the Rams. A Super Bowl run will etch the Rams into the history book as a unique team that did something quite rare – achieving excellence in a time of parity and high free-agent turnover. ------------ About the author: Dwayne Hines currently has 12 books selling in major bookstores and writes for major magazines such as Physical and FitnessRX. Email Dwayne Hines: dhines@3dinet.com Comment on this column in the forum. ------------ |
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