Column:

From Super Bowl to failure, St. Louis Rams disappoint fans

By Spencer Engel

Published Sept. 26, 2008

I've been a rabid season ticket-holding St. Louis Rams fan since the franchise moved from L.A. in 1995. Rams Nation has witnessed a lot of good, bad and ugly football since they moved in 14 years ago, but never has it witnessed the utterly embarrassing show this year's 0-3 Rams have defecated on the Gateway to the West.

The St. Louis Rams have had an eventful ride. They've only had four winning records in 13 full seasons, but those four seasons ('99-'01, '03) were incredible. The Rams won the Super Bowl in 1999, made another Super Bowl appearance in 2001 and boasted three straight NFL MVPs from '99-'01. I've tried to avoid complaining during the past four years about the mediocrity I've witnessed. At least I'm not a Cleveland Browns or Detroit Lions fan.

So when the Rams started off 0-6 last year and looked positively embarrassing, I didn't cry after losses like I did when I was 9 years old. I simply reminded myself that I had the good fortune of closely following one of the best eras of NFL football in history. On my blog I wrote a piece entitled "Murphy's Law," where I stated that I actually embraced the '07 Rams because it meant I had come full circle as a football fan (in just 13 years).

Throughout the piece I pointed out parallels between the Rams' history in St. Louis and an average person's life. Here's a paraphrased excerpt:

"You struggle to fit in and find your place in the world for the first few years, but you're a kid so who cares (1995-97 Rams)? Then, you hit middle school and high school only to have more responsibility, more homework, more bullying, and more parental scolding (1998 Rams). Then all of a sudden life takes a turn for the better. Your parents buy you a car and send you off to college. Maybe you start successfully dating. Life doesn't get much better (1999-2001 Rams). However, you have to graduate some time and that's when you go through the shock of living in the real world (2002 Rams). Things improve when you get used to your job. Maybe you get married, go on your honeymoon and have a nice period of peace and harmony (2003 Rams).

"But then you have kids. You fall into the doldrums of being married with children. You barely ever go out anymore with your friends and your job is starting to suck (2004-2006 Rams). Things get even worse because you're getting old now too. Your kids are teenagers and they're experimenting with alcohol, drugs, you name it. You suspect your spouse of cheating on you and your spouse constantly starts conversations with 'We need to talk.' You live by Murphy's Law, where everything goes wrong (2007 Rams)."

Everyone has to cope with their lives on a daily basis and few people have time to listen to complaints because they have their own problems, so I decided that it would be futile to complain about the 2007 Rams. But the 2008 Rams have become such an embarrassment to the NFL that I've decided enough is enough.  Think of me as the person described above finally snapping and pulling a gun on the cheating spouse or as the person who decides to impulsively quit his job and travel the country.

The Rams have been outscored 116-29 in their first three games this season. They could be the worst team in NFL history. I don't think things are going to work out between us anymore. St. Louis Rams, we need to talk.