'Legends of the Dome' event is coming

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July 13, 2016 at 9:09 am #48618

zn
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Martz in game-planning mode for ‘Legends of the Dome’ event

By Jim Thomas St. Louis Post-Dispatch
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/rams-report/martz-in-game-planning-mode-for-legends-of-the-dome/article_54c1c55c-0f72-5961-8467-adc68950fbc4.html

Even when exasperated, Rams head coach Mike Martz never wavered in proclaiming “Marc Bulger is our quarterback.” (AP Photo/James A. Finley)

In what should come as no surprise, coach Mike Martz already is putting together his “game plan” for the Legends of the Dome game July 23 at the building formerly known as the Edward Jones Dome.

In preparation for the game, which will feature more than three dozen former St. Louis Rams, Martz has asked event organizers if there are any limits on the kinds of formations he can run.

Hey, he wasn’t called “Mad Mike” for nothing.

There is considerably less at stake than say a division battle with San Francisco on July 23, but there are a few ground rules.

The format will be 9-on-9 flag football, with each player wearing a belt consisting of two flags. There will be four 20-minute quarters, with a running clock. Each team is allowed three timeouts per half, and there will be a 20 minute halftime — at which time St. Louis’ latest inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, left tackle Orlando Pace, will be honored.

The ball will be placed on the 20 to start each half, and a first down will be awarded for gaining 20 yards. A three-man rush is allowed with no blitzing, so quarterbacks Kurt Warner and Marc Bulger should have plenty of time to throw.

With the running clock, the game itself should take about 2 hours, or an hour less than a typical NFL game.

Plenty of tickets remain available at Ticketmaster.com. In addition, the dome ticket office will be open Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of next week from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., as well as on game day. Tickets are available for $15 and $20 for the 2 p.m. kickoff.

Martz and Dick Vermeil will be the head coaches, and coaching veterans Jim Hanifan and Al Saunders will help.

The game is the brainchild of former Rams wide receiver Isaac Bruce as a way of saying thanks to Rams fans in St. Louis for supporting the team during its 21 seasons here. Proceeds will benefit the Isaac Bruce Foundation

In addition, there are all kinds of items available in a silent auction with bidding currently underway at dome.gesture.com. Among the items are a dinner with the Legends of the Dome players on Friday July 22, a spot on the chain gang at the Legends game and all kinds of Cardinals baseball and sports memorabilia.

July 21, 2016 at 3:06 pm #49083

zn
Moderator

Last dance at the Dome with Rams ‘Legends’ game

Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/last-dance-at-the-dome-with-rams-legends-game/article_aca4f74e-378a-592b-b10b-d37fe9b48582.html

Mike Martz said there was a certain scent, a smell to the stadium. Nothing bad, mind you, but Martz always knew when he walked into the dome.

He remembers the buzz of anticipation when the fans started filing in and the Rams went through warmups.

“And the place was always full,” Martz said. “I think the biggest thing, the fans just wanted the team to be competitive. … For a time there it was the loudest stadium in the league, wasn’t it?”

It was. What’s now called the Dome at America’s Center won’t even be close to full Saturday. As of Wednesday afternoon, about 8,000 tickets had been sold for the Legends of the Dome game, and its 2 p.m. kickoff. A sizeable walk-up crowd is expected, and organizers for the charity flag football game are hoping for 15,000.

That’s a far cry from the 65,000, 66,000 who used to pack the place back in the day. But those who do attend Saturday will have a chance to say thank you, to say goodbye, and to mingle with more than three dozen former Rams players and coaches.

Owner Stan Kroenke and the Rams’ front office never said thank you, much less goodbye, on their way to greener pastures in Los Angeles. So Saturday’s event, the brainchild of wide receiver Isaac Bruce, will serve as one last curtain call.

“It’ll give us a chance to properly close down the dome, where we had so many great memories,” left tackle Orlando Pace said. “And say goodbye to some fans that really supported us. Isaac did a great job of planning, he and his foundation. I’m just excited to be a part of it and to see the guys and share in this last moment.”

Proceeds of the event will benefit the Isaac Bruce Foundation, which remains active in the St. Louis area. The foundation focuses on health, wellness, nutrition, fitness and education of youth. It awards college scholarships, provides transportation to college for those in need, and in partnership with Ready Readers provides books for pre-schoolers.

It’s not cheap to open the dome for business, and Bruce put himself and the financial viability of the foundation out there to host the event, with expenses well over six figures.

For most of the coaches and players, it’s probably their last time in the dome. For some, it might be their last time in St. Louis, period.

“Yeah, I would believe that,” Dick Vermeil said. “It could be the last time. You know what? I know they’ll share a great experience, and they’ll have a lot of great memories.

“I think the real, true Rams fans — NFL football fans — will enjoy meeting the guys at the one-on-one sessions on Saturday and that kind of thing. And at the same time, I think we’ll raise money for Isaac’s foundation which does so much good. It’s nice of Isaac to put it together.”

Those who purchased $100 premium tickets will have an opportunity to mingle with the players on the field from 11 a.m. till noon. Only 1,000 of those tickets were available, and they went quickly — within two hours of availability.

Gates open at 12:30 p.m. for those purchasing $15 and $20 general admission tickets, but those spectators will also have a chance to meet and mingle with players on the stadium concourse from 12:30 to 1:30.

Pace will be honored at halftime for his pending Hall of Fame induction.

The game will feature four quarters with a 20-minute running clock. The format is nine-on-nine, with no blitzing and only a three-man rush allowed. The players will wear reversible jerseys, so look for some “trades” throughout the game.

Martz, for one, would like to see Bruce, Holt, Ricky Proehl, and Az-Zahir Hakim — the wide receiver mainstays of the Greatest Show on Turf — all line up at least one more time together for old time’s sake.

Ever the offensive strategist, Martz asked tournament organizers if there were any limitations on the kind of formations he could use. That got Holt, Bruce and Dane Looker wondering if they should get back in their playbooks.

“It’s so ingrained in my head,” said quarterback Marc Bulger, who estimated he still knows 70 percent of the book.

As much as he would like to call plays Saturday, Martz said, “My understanding is I don’t really do anything. But I don’t know. If they ask me, absolutely. When in doubt, go deep.”

Martz’s daughter Emily and son David still live in St. Louis. Even so, he’s leaving a family reunion of sorts this weekend in Idaho — he splits time between there and San Diego — to make the Legends game.

Vermeil has a distant relative from France staying at his ranch outside Philadelphia but is breaking away for Saturday’s event. Holt had to finesse his way around a European trip.

But not everyone will make it. Various commitments prevented running back Marshall Faulk and linebacker London Fletcher from making the game. Running back Steven Jackson, defensive end Chris Long and linebacker James Laurinaitis were invited but couldn’t attend.

But there will be plenty of past mainstays on hand, including Hall of Famer Aeneas Williams, and the “Donut Bros.” — offensive linemen Adam Timmerman and Andy McCollum.

“They’ll probably be five boxes of Krispy Kremes in the locker room just for the two of them,” Martz chuckled.

Which would be fitting.

Some players will arrive in town early enough to take part in a charity golf tournament put on Friday by Mike “The Tackle” Jones at Union Hills Golf Course in Pevely.

There’s also a dinner for Legends players scheduled Friday night downtown.

And don’t be surprised if at some point over the weekend, Vermeil addresses the troops. As only he can.

“I hope so,” he said. “I hope I get the opportunity. You know I never can shut up. I enjoy ’em, I respect ’em, and admire ’em. I know what they went through to do what they did.”

LEGENDS ROSTER

Coaches • Dick Vermeil, Mike Martz, Jim Hanifan, Al Saunders

Quarterbacks • Kurt Warner, Marc Bulger, Dave Barr

Running back • Arlen Harris

Wide receivers • Isaac Bruce, Mike Furrey, Az-Zahir Hakim, Torry Holt, Tony Horne, Dane Looker, Shaun McDonald, Ricky Proehl, Derek Stanley

Tight ends • Ernie Conwell, Brandon Manumaleuna, Roland Williams

Offensive line • Wayne Gandy, Andy McCollum, Fred Miller, Orlando Pace, Adam Timmerman, Grant Williams

Defensive line • Ray Agnew, D’Marco Farr, Jeff Zgonina

Linebackers • Chris Draft, Mike Jones, Pisa Tinoisamoa

Secondary • Dre’ Bly, Jerametrius Butler, Rich Coady, Clifton Crosby, Billy Jenkins, Keith Lyle, Dexter McCleon, Aeneas Williams

Specialists • Sean Landeta, Chris Massey, Jeff Wilkins

July 21, 2016 at 6:38 pm #49099

Hram
Participant

I am glad they included Massey. 🙂

July 21, 2016 at 8:07 pm #49103

bnw
Blocked

What? No Jason Sehorn?

The upside to being a Rams fan is heartbreak.

Sprinkles are for winners.

July 22, 2016 at 10:11 am #49118

zn
Moderator

Warner, back for one last game at Dome, deserves a statue

By Jose de Jesus Ortiz

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/jose-de-jesus-ortiz/ortiz-warner-back-for-one-last-game-at-dome-deserves/article_d0de788e-6aab-5d99-a214-7791adc7139e.html

Although it has been six months since the National Football League voted to move the Rams out of his beloved St. Louis, the legendary Kurt Warner still finds it difficult to consider them the Los Angeles Rams.

As a broadcaster these days, he’ll eventually have to adjust. But he views the Rams like most folks in this area.

“I don’t know if it’s going to settle in until you actually see them,” he said. “When I think of the Rams I still think of them as St. Louis, not as the Los Angeles Rams. Me calling games now, it’s going to be weird.”

More than most, Warner appreciates just how much the people of St. Louis love their Rams. He lived it, felt it, embraced it.

Now the kid from Burlington, Iowa, wants to say thank you for the love and memories. He’s eager to play in Isaac Bruce’s Legends of the Dome game Saturday afternoon at the Dome at America’s Center.

“We always look for an excuse to get back to St. Louis because we feel like that community is so special to us,” Warner said. “I think the biggest thing is I’m hoping that a lot of people come out. It’s a great opportunity for us as players to say thanks for the memories.”

Bruce, who threw a perfect strike during the ceremonial first pitch at the Cardinals’ game Thursday, invited Warner and several former St. Louis Rams greats for the Legends of the Dome flag football game.

Stan Kroenke, arguably the most despised sports figure in St. Louis history, moved the Rams without having the decency to truly say goodbye to their loyal fans here.

The Legends of the Dome game will provide a great opportunity for fans to find closure.

St. Louis has already lost the football Cardinals and the Rams, and one must wonder if the NFL will ever find its way back to the Gateway to the West.

Whether the NFL returns or not, we must find a way to honor Warner beyond the Legends of the Dome game. There needs to be a statue of Warner to go along with the statues of other sports legends downtown.

We must honor Warner in the same way Blues legends Brett Hull, Al MacInnis and Bernie Federko are honored with statues in front of Scottrade Center. Most baseball fans here can tell you about the statues of Stan Musial, Bob Gibson, Lou Brock and other Cardinals legends outside Busch Stadium.

We must not let Kroenke’s greed deny us of an opportunity to leave a monument for local fans to remember one of the St. Louis Rams’ all-time greats.

To be clear, this is not my idea. Esteemed Post-Dispatch NFL writer Jim Thomas, who covered every St. Louis Rams game, mentioned this idea earlier this week when he gave me a lesson on the team’s history.

When I told Warner about Thomas’ idea, Warner appeared humbled by the suggestion.

“It’s more about people in that community and how they rallied around me and my family both off and on the field for many years,” Warner said. “I don’t even know how you think of or consider (statues and) that stuff. It’s about the people and the organization.

“It’s a tremendous honor any time you’re a part of something like that. When you leave you want to believe you left it better than when you got there and left a lasting impact that doesn’t leave when you step off the field.”

Warner definitely left his mark in St. Louis. His rags to riches story inspired legions of fans throughout the Midwest. Who doesn’t love a story of a guy reaching the NFL after spending three years with the Iowa Barnstormers?

Most Americans and perhaps even most folks in St. Louis had no idea that the Iowa Barnstormers even existed until Warner joined the Rams 18 years ago. I surely had no clue there was such a thing as an indoor football league back then. Did you?

Moreover, Warner’s University of Northern Iowa isn’t exactly known for pumping out NFL quarterbacks.

By now, Warner’s story is the stuff of legend. From stocking the shelves on the night crew at a Hy-Vee in Iowa to the Super Bowl with the Rams. You wouldn’t believe that story if you saw it in the movies.

Despite not being drafted by the NFL, Warner refused to abandon his dream. He honed his skills with the Barnstormers and then cherished every moment with the Rams.

Warner was the architect of the Greatest Show on Turf. He reached the NFL in 1998 and appeared in one game that season. Then he took over the starting spot in 1999 and led the Rams to the Super Bowl title that season.

He led the Rams to the Super Bowl two years later, falling to the New England Patriots 20-17. He threw for 32,344 yards in a 12-year career that included stints with the Giants and Arizona Cardinals. He still has a son living in St. Louis.

He also has his foundation here, so he and his wife Brenda return at least three times a year. He’s excited to see his old Rams teammates and their loyal fans this weekend.

“First of all it’s great to just go back and play a game back in St. Louis and say, ‘Thank you’ to the fans for the great support they gave us when I played there. It’s going to be special. And it’s always awesome to find an excuse to get together with the guys and reminisce.”

Warner doesn’t need any excuses to return to St. Louis, but it would nice to ask him back one day to unveil a much deserved statue here.
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