urbanSTL

Gary Kreie wrote:CBS NFL Today is reporting this morning that a group from London wants to buy the St. Louis Rams and move them to London.

Now that just sounds ridiculous.

Gary Kreie wrote:CBS NFL Today is reporting this morning that a group from London wants to buy the St. Louis Rams and move them to London.

I hope they keep them in the NFC West...great new rivalries. Arizona-London in the Battle for London Bridge. Seattle - London in the Rain Game & SF-London in the Fog Bowl. Mighty early start times for fans when London has home games, though...

I can't see this working logistically...



Maybe the team could reinstate one of the now retired concords.

If the Rams move to London they could hold the games in London at like 2 in the morning so they show at a decent time here.

dweebe wrote:Can they just leave Richie Incognito in Seattle? What a turd.

Really. I think his IQ must be about the same as a pickle.

dweebe wrote:Can they just leave Richie Incognito in Seattle? What a turd.

He has got to go.

Sounds like Coach Spags is holding him up as an example of the kind of high-energy, emotionally-charged player he wants on the team (minus the mindless penalties, of course).

Framer wrote:Sounds like Coach Spags is holding him up as an example of the kind of high-energy, emotionally-charged player he wants on the team (minus the mindless penalties, of course).

Great. Just great. You know, I like Spagnuolo so far, but I hate to see the pattern of coaches breathlessly defending inept players repeat itself. He said Incognito is "passionately" working on not drawing penalties, but I'm not convinced that bonehead is capable of doing so.

^I think Incognito should go on medication to control his temper. He is a good O lineman, he just doesn't have a brain.



One word to sum up the Rams opener: AWFUL!

I have to say that I am very disappointed, but not the least bit surprised. Devaney and Spagnuolo were left with very little talent, a huge mess to clean up. It is going to take time. Remember when Dave Checketts took over? Look at the Blues now. I just hope that the Rams can turn this around before it is too late. If they do not show something early in the season, the dome is going to return to an empty dungeon much earlier than I anticipated.



The fan base is dwindling and the Rams are almost an afterthought in this town. That is the start of what could mean disaster for this team staying in St. Louis. I hope that talks continue behind the scenes, regarding the sale of the team to a group led by Dave Checketts. The whole Rams to London rumor surfaced Sunday. I think that is a joke and will not happen, but it just goes to show you that the Rams will be the 'Phoenix Coyotes' of the NFL. All of the vultures are flying around our team, looking to blow Chip away with an offer he cannot refuse. The local groups have got to step up. Chip is not going to lose money to keep the team in St. Louis. The more time that goes by, the more worried I get.

^



All sports teams go through ups and downs. By no means should we be pushing the panic button. There are several teams that have been worse than the Rams for longer (Bills, Lions, Texans)... The one thing we have going for us is that there is far more parity in the NFL than in any other pro sport. So a turn around can be made in 1-3 years. It might take us 3 because of our recents draft blunders.



Positives from game one...

The defense

^I agree, no need to panic. I admit, I wrote this season off as a rebuilding season. Anything positive to me is a bonus. There is a process that has to be followed, in order for this team to get back to the top. I think the current regime can get us there. I like their draft picks so far. We almost took Dorsey over Long, James Laurinaitis over Ray Maualuga (remains to be seen) etc... I think that as long as we seen positive progress each year, fans will be happy. I just hope enough of them attend the games. I hate blackouts. What a stupid NFL rule!! 3000 short of capacity and the game is blacked out. Stupid!!!!

^I do envy Packers/Bears/Chiefs fans because they are much more passionate than Rams fans. I just wish we could build a winning tradition here. Then there would be that foundation and loyalty built between the fans and team. I do remember how great it was during the 'Greatest Show' days. They have to do what Gary Pinkel is doing, building a program or a system, versus a team year to year.

DOGTOWNB&R wrote:^I do envy Packers/Bears/Chiefs fans because they are much more passionate than Rams fans. I just wish we could build a winning tradition here. Then there would be that foundation and loyalty built between the fans and team. I do remember how great it was during the 'Greatest Show' days. They have to do what Gary Pinkel is doing, building a program or a system, versus a team year to year.

Chiefs fans are nothing special. Lots of empty seats at Arrowhead back in the 80s, and fan support seems to be dwindling now.

^ I was just going on the times they have taken over the dome. Their fans travel well and are very into the game. I don't care for the fans that I interacted with because they were taunting Rams fans in a mean-spirited way. I enjoy friendly ribbing, but that was over the line. It has been that way every time the Chiefs have come to town. I just figured they had a pretty strong fan base, considering they don't really have any other pro sports. The Royals are a minor league team and the only other team is the Wizards. I think they will get a team with the Sprint Center, eventually.



Back to the Rams. I want the support to get back to the level they had in the early part of the decade. This slump has been brutal for football fans.

What do you expect? Those teams have rich franchise histories similar the the St. Louis Cardinals. If the Football Cardinals were still here I would imagine the passion would be much greater. I know many people in my parents generation who still follow the football Cardinals and still don't relate much to the 'new' rams.

So, I suggest we build the new outdoor Rams stadium in the quarry at I-270 and I-70 next to Riverport. Work out the funding with the new owner and St. Louis County / St. Charles County (on the border of both).



Alternatively,

One side or the other of the I-364 bridge.

One side or the other of the I-370 bridge.

Collinsville, Illinois, instead of the MLS stadium using STAR funds.

^^I don't think that the Big Red would ever have the following that a team such as the Bears or Packers have. I don't expect any St. Louis football team to have that tradition at this point, even if the Big Red were still here. The Football Cardinals didn't have much success, outside of the Don C. era. The Rams had the chance to build that tradition based upon the winning years of the early 2000's. However, poor management decisions drove this team into the ground, slowing down that opportunity to build a real tradition here. I think the Ed Jones Dungeon hurts that too. I think the Rams should have changed their name as well. Many relate the Rams to LA and not St. Louis. There is a definite identity crisis. At least we are not the St. Louis Stallions. I hated that name.



^Regarding the stadium, I vote for one either north or south of Downtown. Make it a duel football/futbol stadium!

Gary Kreie wrote:So, I suggest we build the new outdoor Rams stadium in the quarry at I-270 and I-70 next to Riverport. Work out the funding with the new owner and St. Louis County / St. Charles County (on the border of both).



Alternatively,

One side or the other of the I-364 bridge.

One side or the other of the I-370 bridge.

Collinsville, Illinois, instead of the MLS stadium using STAR funds.

I read in the RFT a few years ago that there someone tried building a dome for the Football Cardinals a while back on that quarry(Champ).

I always liked the name St. Louis Stallions but for a potential NBA team. I like the rams. You make some good points about lack of an identity also sitting on pins and needles wondering if they'll stay here doesn't help. I wouldn't want them to change their name though.



Its only been 15 years so they haven't been here a generation just yet. As far as a winning tradition, the blues haven't won a Cup yet they have a respectable fanbase. They've also been here 42 years. It can be done. Even before their recent troubles the Dome was sold-out from 95-05. Ten straight years.



The Rams will be fine. If anything the Raiders or Jaguars will move to LA before we do. What The Rams need is to switch into the Bears division get some new rivalries that'll help their identity. We're moving in the right direction on all other fronts.

^I agree with you that the Blues have a great fanbase, but let's not forget how empty the Scottrade Center was early in the Checketts era. I have one HUGE issue with St. Louis sports fans. Many bail on the teams when they hit the skids. You would not see that happen to the Cardinals. The Blues and Rams always have that hardcore fan base, but a large number of casual fans bail when the 'other' two teams falter. I don't want to hear that excuse because this is a great sports town and some say one of the best in the country. I know fair weather fans are common in other cities, but the bigger cities can still sell out games because they have the population to do so. In the Blues case, they have been here long enough to deserve support through thick and thin. I remember a front page photo a few years ago, that showed maybe 7000 people at the Scottrade for a game. I was there that night. I caught the 'Towel Man's' towel because I was just about the only person in my entire section. Regarding the Rams, there are only 8 home games. No excuse not to sell out every one. Only 32 cities have teams. We need to realize that it is a privilege to have a franchise and we could lose it. Sundays would not be the same. The Rams have been bad for a few years, but they have been to 2 Super Bowls. This city should be able to support their team through thick and thin.



Rant over!

DOGTOWNB&R wrote:^I agree with you that the Blues have a great fanbase, but let's not forget how empty the Scottrade Center was early in the Checketts era.

Rant over!

I went to many of those game and the product was really not worth seeing. Laurie blew up the team and traded away our stars. That's not an example of the fans not being loyal, that's an example of what happens when ownership does a salary dump in order to tread water until the team is sold.

Even the Cardinals aren't immune - back in the early 90s, when the team stunk due to A-B's penny-pinching, there were lots of empty seats down at Busch, and that was back when tickets/beer/etc. were a lot cheaper than they are now.