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In a surprising turn of events, greyghost decided to return to Paydirt to take on the challenge of rebuilding the Rams franchise. “There was no great plan for a return, after dealing with personal issues, the time just seemed right for coming back. MFN is a great game and Paydirt is one of the best leagues, remaining in both are the primary goals going forward. “

The up and down Rams are in the need for stability in the up and coming NFC West. There have been many moves made and new ownership has committed themselves to the vastly improved 4th round draft quarterback out of USC Theodore Mullens. He has seen increased playing time and continues to wow the critics with an impressive 150.0 QB rating. He has made such an impact that 1st round pick quarterback Kendrick Henderson is rumored to be heading out of Los Angeles. “We had more building blocks with Denver when we took over, but we have more depth here. It will take 3 seasons to get the franchise going in the right direction, but Mullens quick improvement has helped.”

The routine of building with greyghost follows a pattern and it hasn’t changed. The front office made two trades sending their 79-3rd round pick to Tennessee for a 78-4th round pick and 2nd year WR Neal Pennypacker. “We feel Neal is going to be an outstanding receiver and he fills a need we had.” Said greyghost. In a trade of draft picks they also sent their 79-5th round pick to Arizona for a 78-6th round and 7th round pick. The front office have exchanged a dozen players in free agency and more trades are expected in the near future.

On the surface, the Rams vs. Steelers in the next matchup appears to be two teams in transition, rebuilders, basement dwellers, and teams looking towards the future. This may not be the case for one of them, as the Steelers have won 2 out of their last 3 and the Rams have won two in a row.

There have been several QB rivalries over the past Namath/Unitas, Staubach/Bradshaw, and Brady/Manning to name a few. The stage could be set for the next chapter in the QB rivalry saga. It was just two games ago in Los Angeles that there was a rookie QB battle. The winner was Theodore Mullens, the loser Kendrick Hamilton. The competition opened the door for Hamilton to be traded, you guessed it, to the Steelers. The script has been written and the next chapter will begin as both QB’s are coming off hard fought victories. Although the QB’s will take center stage, the difference could be LB Pat Henry who was acquired by Los Angeles in the trade. Henry agreed to move to MLB and totaled 8 tackles in his first game, a shutout against the Eagles and his presence appears to have stabilized the defense.

The game itself may be minor to some, don’t tell the cities of Pittsburgh or Los Angeles that. They know fully well that the victory by either of their respective franchises can keep them in the playoff hunt for a wildcard or turn their attention to 1978.

“To say the Rams are in a position we planned for would not be accurate. Our goal was to win 5 games this season”, said owner greyghost. The ownership’s idea was to build from the disastrous season in 1976 and the Rams have done that by achieving their 5th win in week 9. In another realm of the universe this would end as a successful season by not winning another game.

In Los Angeles today, playoffs are being discussed by fans around the water coolers, in classrooms, at pool tables, and have become part of everyday conversation. There is no talk of the Lakers, Clippers, or Kings, as the Rams have ascended as darlings of L.A.

The emergence has been a stout defense who has allowed an average of 8 points a game during their recent 4 game winning streak led by the trio of newly acquired LB’s Tony Sawyer, Pat Henry, and Karl Johnson. “These guys can flat out play”, said Defensive Coordinator Jason Troutman. "The group has shown the talent and leadership and will take us into the future." Troutman added. They also bring depth as Rookie Brett Stotler, Eric Perez, and Michael Mcdowell are their backups. The future of the Rams could be determined by how well this group does.

The road traveled has been difficult and doesn’t get any easier. The Rams have played against some of the top defenses in Paydirt consisting of Dallas, Philadelphia, and Chicago, along with the up and coming Steelers. The schedule doesn’t get any easier as 5 or their last 7 games are against potential playoff teams with 3 of the teams having top ten defenses (Arizona-2 games, Cleveland, Cincinnati). “We didn’t expect to be in the position of being a bubble playoff team but are definitely happy about it. What is a shock to the organization is for us the playoffs begin today. We will ride this horse as far as it takes us.” said ghost. It depends on which universe that one is talking, but today 5 wins is not successful in the one that resides in Los Angeles.

Vey nice job with the Rams, ghost.

The halls are quiet in the Rams stadium this week as the team is on the road, leaving Arizona, they will now travel on to Cincinnati to play the powerhouse Bengals. The Rams are looking to keep the winning mojo going as they upended division rival Arizona 17-10 behind 2 td passes from rookie QB Theodore Mullens, while former Titan WR Neal Pennypacker was unstoppable with 7 catches for 187 yards and a score. “We needed this win; the Cleveland loss was huge, and it put us in a hole having to win out this season to have a chance at the playoffs” Said head coach Phillip Miller.

The Rams have one home game remaining, after the Bengals they return home to play the two-time super bowl champion Seahawks. “When we took over the franchise, our feeling was this division belongs to the Seahawks until someone can beat them. They have a proud franchise and are not to be taken lightly. They along with the rising Cardinals, make this division very competitive and a team can’t take anything for granted” said owner greyghost.

The Rams are surprised by their position of still being on the bubble as a playoff team and realize the necessity of winning all the remaining contests to get them in. There isn’t a doubt in the minds of ownership, management or the players that the team has turned a corner. There is no better representation of that as the emergence of the defense which was ranked 27th in 1976 and is now ranked 11th. In addition, there are two players currently league leaders with RB Mike Richardson currently leading the league in rushing with 910 and CB Jeffrey Thomas at the top of the interception board with 7.

There are a few scenarios, but a win in Cincinnati and suddenly there will be new flickering light as the Seattle game may be the game that pushes either team into the playoffs.

Rookie Roundup
In most cases rookies are a team’s lifeblood. The 1977 season in Los Angeles it was proven not just to be the lifeblood, but the driving force between a 4-12 finish the 1976 season and the current 8-9 win season.

QB- Theodore Mullins (4th round)
The 4th round pick has improved, but with every rookie QB, there are up and down times. He is currently sitting at 2,354 passing yards and 12 td’s, starting just 11 games. He won a fierce QB battle over another star rookie QB Kendrick Hamilton who was traded to Pittsburgh.

RB- Michael McCormick (3rd round)
Starting the season, he was going to be the potential heir to established starter RB Mike Richardson. He didn’t progress enough for that reality but was a instrumental component in the revolution of the backfield while catching 56 passes and adding 263 yards on the ground.

WR- Christopher Hansen (signed as free agent, originally 7th round pick Jacksonville)
Hansen didn’t add anything to the Rams offense in 1977, but the coaches think he has improved enough to join the WR rotation in 1978.

RT- Christopher Elsberry (7th round)
Playing 15 games at tackle Elsberry allowed 2 sacks and had 3 penalties in 77. This tackle on the surface is not an all-pro, but got the job done.

LDE- Carlo Goll (2nd round)
Goll’s 9 sacks and 5 hurries were not mind-blowing, but seemed every sack was at a crucial moment in the game. He has emerged as a great leader on the defense and he should be a steady contributor in the future.

LDE- Donald Simmons (5th round)
Simmons is not a starter, but Simmons would be a great sixth man on an NBA team. He will be sitting behind bookends Goll and Sawyer for the next few years. He is improving while being in this role. What more could a team want from #2 DE. He will be a contributor to the future of the franchise.


RDE- Tony Sawyer (trade from Kansas City, originally 1st overall pick Carolina)
It is amazing that in less than one season, this talented rookie joined his 3rd team when being acquired by the Rams. During the 77 campaign after being slotted at SLB he appeared to be making tackles in a hulk like fashion in some contests. Although he has been a good SLB, he has moved to RDE with the improvement of……. read below.

SLB- Brett Stotler(6th round pick)
This player even had the fans asking who? Stotler who has played backup in 1977 season due to the strong LB corp. has pushed the coaching staff to make the decision to move Sawyer to DE. Stotler has improved dramatically and continues to show the willingness to improve, big things are expected in 1978 for the former Kansas State standout.

Remember this, 224 seconds, we will get back to this in a minute. In any given season there are 16 hours, 960 minutes, and 57, 600 seconds of game time. When the new owner of the Rams, greyghost took over, it was understood that it would be a 3 season building process. The Rams were coming off a 4-12 season in 1976 and were sitting at 1-3 in the 77 season. What happened next was unexpected. The Rams hit the free agent market and made a few deals. The reward for their effort was and 8-4 finish, with the loss’s coming to playoff bound Arizona, Dallas, Cleveland, and Cincinnati. The Rams had become a bubble playoff team. The bubble burst in week 15 with an Arizona victory against Cleveland. The end of a great season came to a close. The real story though isn’t that it ended, but the truth within that ending. The season was determined in week 10 against Arizona. The Cardinals trailing 13-10 in the 4th quarter received the ball with 4:56 on the clock. Remember those 224 seconds, in that time the Cardinals drove 81 yards for a touchdown, ball game, season. If the Rams win the game, they are making plans for the wildcard game instead of making plans for the 1978 season…..224 seconds.

Yeah, you got pretty lucky. ;-)

Yeah, that kind of luck seems to follow me wherever I go.