The NFL Network has just announced the 15 modern day semi-finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2012.  Three players with Rams history are in the mix: RB Jerome Bettis, LB Kevin Greene, and my personal favorite, S Aeneas Williams.

Mr. Williams started in 207 of his 211 games played in his 14- year NFL career.  He is an eight time Pro Bowler, four time first team all-Pro and made one Super Bowl appearance with the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI.  He recorded 55 INT’s, 9 of them for TD’s, 23 fumble recoveries and 677 tackles.

Mr. Williams and his family reside in St. Louis and he leads The Spirit Church as their Pastor.  You can also find him on Twitter: @aeneas35.

» Continue reading “Rams Safety Aeneas Williams Among HOF Semi-Finalists”

Marshall Faulk (Personal Photo)

August 6, 2011 marks the biggest day in the life of former Colts and Rams running back, Marshall Faulk.  Today in Canton, after an illustrious 12-year career in the NFL, he will be officially be induction into the Professional Football Hall of Fame – the highest honor in all of professional football.

During his Hall of Fame career he picked up a few distinctions along the way:

• Second pick overall in the 1998 NFL draft.  Taken by the Indianapolis Colts.
• Rated #70 NFL Player of all-time by NFL.com
• 7× Pro Bowl selection(1994, 1995, 1998, 1999,2000, 2001, 2002)
• 3× First-team All-Pro selection (1999, 2000,2001
• 3× Second-team All-Pro selection (1994, 1995,1998)
• Super Bowl champion (XXXIV)
• AP NFL MVP (2000)
• 2× PFWA NFL MVP (2000, 2001)
• 3× NFL Offensive Player of the Year (1999, 2000, 2001)
• 3× Daniel F. Reeves Memorial Award winner (1999, 2000, 2001)
• Bert Bell Award (2001)
• NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year (1994)
• UPI AFL-AFC Rookie of the Year (1994)
• Pro Bowl MVP (1994)
• Rams MVP (1999-2001)
• St. Louis Rams #28 retired
• 3× First-team All-American (1991, 1992, 1993)
• 2011 NFL Hall of Fame inductee
• Tenth-leading rusher of All-Time

Marshall Faulk also joins Marcus Allen and Tiki Barber as the only running backs to each at least 10,000 rushing yards and 5,000 receiving yards.  And he stands alone from the pack being the only player to have over 12,000 rushing yards and over 6,000 receiving yards.

But all his great accomplishments aside what made Marshall Faulk a great running back and football player came from within.  He beat his opponents with what was inside the helmet and whatt was in his heart.

Ask anyone who knows Marshall Faulk and they will tell you what a brainiac he is.  He has a seemingly photographic memory and an incredible knack for absorbing football knowledge was incomparable – something he readily used to annoy opposing defenses.

That talent is something his young quarterback, Peyton Manning deeply appreciated.

Marshall’s ability to read defenses was as good as any quarterback.  He was a tremendous presence for me, and I always will be grateful to him for helping me that year. I loved watching him play, and it is only right that he is taking his place in Canton among the greatest players who have played the game. There will never be another like him.

Faulk would come out after a play and tell his coaches exactly who did what and how the next play should be executed.  Nothing like having an instant replay and offensive coach out on the field in real time.

He was such a smart football player.  We really looked at him as a coach on the field. He knows the game so well, it’s incredible.

said Jim Irsay, Indianapolis Colts owner, about his 1998 first round draft pick.

Doing a test run with the Golden jacket. (Personal Photo)

Kurt Warner, the other important quarterback in his life, was also impressed with his leadership skills.  You knew Faulk was a vocal on the sidelines and in formation but Warner tells us of Faulk’s great example off the field.

But then you go and you watch him practice. He was a pro, every snap, every play. He wanted to be great. You watch him in the meeting room, and he is coaching guys up. He’s teaching guys. He is watching film, and you are going, ‘Man, this is what it means to be a pro.’ I was kind of in awe of him even when I was playing, and I was the quarterback. But I was like, ‘this is Marshall. He is kind of the leader of the team.’

He possessed something within him that was like no other.  He was driven not just to be the best running back or the best receiver to be the best football player he could be.  All those accomplishments and accolades were a product of that drive to be the best.

Sometimes, it’s not about what you can get out of something.  Sometimes, it’s all about what you give back.  Marshall Faulk leaves behind one of the best all-around careers the game of football has ever seen.

I made sure I respected the game.  I had fun playing it. I took care of my family. I walked away from the game the same way I walked in — healthy, happy, with an understanding it went on before me and it will go on after me.

Here is a link to a full video of Marshall Faulk’s enshrinement speech from NFL.com: All 35 minutes and 19 seconds of it.

What better way to get revved up for tomorrow’s HOF induction ceremony than to take a look back on the amazing career of Rams RB Marshall Faulk.  Here’s a nice compilation of articles to get the festivities started a day earlly.  Enjoy your stroll down memory lane.

The St. Louis Rams believed in his potential - Marshall Faulk was the final piece to the Greatest Show on Turf puzzle.  April 1999 was an important month in Rams history.

Marshall Faulk proved his doubters wrong – Many thought he was too small and not durable enough to be an every-down back.  His career shows they had no idea what they were talking about.

Marshall Faulk’s Top 10 games according to Bill Coats of STLToday.com – Refresh your memory by reading his top 10 games.

Marshall Faulk: Land and air double threat - Opposing defenses had to pick their poison.  He was able to burn you on the field and in the air.

Marshall Faulk has no equal – A very nice piece from local journalist Bernie Miklasz how they broke the mold when they made Marshall Faulk.

Greatest Show on Turf’s MVP - Torry Holt and Kurt Warner were spectacular but it was Marshall Faulk who was the most valuable piece.

As they say, it’s mind over body – What Marshall Faulk lacked in size, his mind more than made up for.  Read how he was one of the smartest men on the field.

A quick look at his HOF career numbers from NFL.com.

The CLASS OF 2011 ENSHRINEMENT will take place on Saturday, August 6, 7:00 p.m., Fawcett Stadium in Canton, Ohio.

Happy National Slurpee Day!  (For all of you 7-Eleven fans – especially @PB_333)  Today, and very fittingly for STL, you can go into a 7-Eleven and get a free 7.11 oz Slurpee.  Apparently, the temperature is going to be near or just above 100′F with a heat index between 105′-115′F!  Thank goodness I don’t have a run scheduled this morning.  So, I’ve already got my flavor picked out – summer watermelon.  What about you?

Not only do I wake up to news of a free Slurpee but ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen are reporting some much needed good news.

1) They are hearing both sides may be close to a hand shake deal and COULD have that deal ratified by July 21 at the league meeting in Atlanta.

Here’s the proposed timeline of how things might go down: Adjusted dates are in parentheses for once the CBA is ratified on July 21)

• July 1 (July 21): Educate the clubs on the news league rules and allow voluntary training for teams and agents.

• July 5 (July 25): Sign undrafted rookies, as well as give free agents a chance to re-sign with their teams.

• July 8 (July 28) — League year starts and free agency begins.

• July 13 (Aug. 2) — Rosters must be set at 90 players.

• July 14 (Aug. 3) — Deadline for restricted free agents to sign offer sheets.

• July 18 (Aug. 7 ) — A four-day match period for teams to match restricted free-agent offer sheets.

• July 23 (Aug 12) — Deadline for rookies to sign contracts (not yet agreed upon).

• July 27 (Aug. 16) — Signing period for restricted free agents ends, as does the signing period for franchise and transition tenders.

• Aug. 9 (Aug. 29) — Deadline for players to report to earned credit for an accrued season toward free agency.

I learned a new word over the weekend, kinahora, via @TheEisenPodcast.  I just hope announcement of this good labor news doesn’t give us a kinahora.   Hope this doesn’t jinx the CBA.

kinahora

2) Here’s the latest from NFL.com about the rookie wage scale.  This seems to be the bigger sticking point as of late.  I think a compromise can and must be reached here.  The owners should give the players the shorter term contract in exchange for the smaller salary scale.  But that’s just me.

3) The only possibly casualty from this proposed timeline is, of course, the HOF game which the Rams will be hosting the Bears.  The league hasn’t announced how they would handle this time crunch and when exactly team training camps would be open for business.  But it looks like the rest of the pre-season games would still be intact.

Also, it was announced over the weekend the Rams will conducting training camp in Earth City as in years past.  They will consider the away options again for next year.  But for now, they will stay and train in the Russell Athletic Center this summer.

I have a great post in the works for all you Marshall Faulk fans out there!!!  Working on it this morning.  Stay tuned!

Coffee Roasting Grades

Will today be the day the NFL lockout ends?  After all, it’s twice as much good energy if you believe that 7′s are lucky.  Realistically, it won’t all fall together today but it will be yet another make-it-or-break it day in “the most dramatic day of CBA negotiations – ever.”  Since when did the lockout start sounding like an intro to The Bachelor?  Pathetic.

On that bright note let’s take a quick look around the headlines from the most dramatic professional sport this morning, shall we?  I think it’s going to be a strong coffee type of day.

1) Time is ticking away and Bears safety Chris Harris thinks if the lockout doesn’t end soon, they should cancel the HOF game against the Rams.

I think we’ve definitely reached a point in the off season where quality vs. quantity of the games are in questions.  Sure they can rush to get a semblance of an NFL caliber team together but without all the work that goes into the OTA’s and mini-camp the final product, and especially for the first game of the year (the HOF game), will be a joke.  Why degrade the game like that?  Just for the sake of putting something out there?  No, thank you.

Today’s task will be to ask as many Rams players what they think.  I hope to get some good responses back for you guys tomorrow.  How do you all feel about this issue?

2) Here’s the latest from Albert Breer who sets up today’s talks.

What more can be said.  Just get it done, men.  Just get it done.

3) One of my goals this year/season is NOT to say, write, type his name.  Yesterday, I came pretty darn close to breaking that promise.  Curse you, Gil Brandt for bringing up the F**** word.  And a special thanks to Jason LaCanfora for keeping the sanity.

Here’s to a positive and productive day of talks.  Ebb and flow, hope floats, and all that jazz.  Have a good day, everyone.

Even though we don’t know WHEN the 2011 season will actually commence the NFL has gone ahead and released its preseason schedule this afternoon.  Gives me hope and something to look forward to!

Other than the HOF game against the Chicago Bears, the Rams will be playing all AFC teams during the preseason.

The Rams get an extra game against the Chicago Bears at Canton, Ohio in the Hall of Fame Game, Sun., Aug. 7, 2011.

Other games are:

Week 1: Aug. 13:  Indianapolis Colts

Week 2:  Aug. 20: Tennessee Titans

Week 3: Aug. 27: @ Kansas City Chiefs

Week 4:  Sept. 1:@ Jacksonville Jaguars