The All-Time 53 Man St. Louis Ram Roster

20 Years of the St. Louis Rams: The All-Time 53 Man Roster

http://www.insidestl.com/insideSTLcom/STLSports/STLRams/tabid/137/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/18346/20-Years-of-the-St-Louis-Rams-The-All-Time-53-Man-Roster.aspx

Shane Gray

20 Years of the St. Louis Rams: The All-Time 53 Man Roster

As the St. Louis Rams approach their twenty-first season based in the Show-Me State, it is time to reminisce and recognize the individuals who excelled in St. Louis over the last two decades (1995-2014). To do so, I have selected 53 current or former Rams deserving of a spot on the twentieth anniversary roster.

Although the Rams run in St. Louis has generated a mixed-bag of on field results, the all-time St. Louis edition of the Rams boasts a strong collection of talent and production that features four Hall of Famers, five former Rams with legitimate chances to qualify for Canton and at least three current players with real opportunities to one day make their own Hall of Fame induction speeches.

Of interest to some, the roster also features eight Rams who played at least one season in Los Angeles.

With all that said, the following is a brief look at the all-time 53 St. Louis Rams roster with capsules on each of the players chosen to start on the offensive and defensive side of the ball.

Starting Offense

Quarterback: Kurt Warner

The future NFL Hall of Famer made three Pro Bowls, earned All-Pro accolades twice and won two league MVP awards while leading St. Louis to two Super Bowls over the course of three years. When Warner was at his best from 1999-2001 in St. Louis, he was as good as any NFL quarterback… ever.

Halfback: Marshall Faulk

As good of a multipurpose run and catch halfback as the NFL has seen, No. 28 earned first team All-Pro honors three times and took home an MVP award in St. Louis. Faulk was named a first ballot Hall of Famer in 2011 and was arguably the most critical single component of the greatest offense in NFL history.

Fullback: Jerome Bettis

‘The Bus’ was a six-time Pro Bowl and two time All-Pro running back, but gets slid to fullback on St. Louis’ 20 year anniverary team. With his large, compact and powerful frame, his transition to fullback would likely be a seamless one. Considering his skillset, Bettis would assuredly receive a few carries per game as well, both at fullback and as a bruising, change-of-pace halfback.

Wide Receiver 1: Isaac Bruce

‘The Reverend’ is our top wide receiver. As the franchise’s all-time reception and receiving yardage leader, he should be. Bruuuucceee dazzled the dome crowd for over a decade and caught the winning touchdown in the franchise’s only Super Bowl victory. How good was Bruce? Opponents routinely rolled their coverages towards No. 80 rather than to Torry Holt when both prospective Hall of Famers were in their prime. That speaks volumes in and of itself.

Wide Receiver 2: Torry Holt

The aforementioned Holt — appropriately nicknamed ‘Big Game’ — posted countless big-time outings and many huge seasons in the Gateway City. His resume boasts seven Pro Bowls — all in the first decade of the 2000s — as he was arguably the game’s elite receiver during that span of time.

Tight End: Ernie Conwell

Conwell fills the bill as a solid and steady dual-purpose tight end for the twentieth anniversary squad. Always a stout and reliable blocker, Conwell also posted 30 or more receptions three times in St. Louis. When considering the passing game firepower at running back and receiver, blocking was a higher priority here than receiving which gave Conwell the nod here.

Left Tackle: Orlando Pace

‘Big O’ was a seven-time Pro Bowler and earned first team All-Pro honors three times. The future Hall of Fame left tackle — who was as smooth and effective as any pass protector of his era — was a consistently dominant force in the run game as well.

Left Guard: Greg Robinson

Robinson, the No. 2 pick of the 2014 NFL Draft, is placed here due to his almost limitless potential and because of the fact that the Rams in St. Louis have lacked a dominant player at this position. While Robinson currently plays left tackle for the Rams after being moved there from left guard, he would fit perfectly next to Pace along this theoretic offensive line.

Center: Andy McCollum

Similar to the situation at left guard, the Rams lacked a dominant player at this position over the past 20 years. That said, McCollum was a very consistent, solid performer for the Rams and the clear choice as the club’s all-time St. Louis center. McCollum started every game for the club for six consecutive seasons (2000-2005).

Right Guard: Adam Timmerman

Timmerman was terrific while playing for the Rams after agreeing to leave Green Bay to sign with St. Louis in 1999. He garnered a Pro Bowl berth in 2001 and is the best guard that the St. Louis version of the franchise has yet to field. No. 62 was an eight year starter for the Rams.

Right Tackle: Jackie Slater

Although the 2001 Hall of Fame selectee only suited up for one season in St. Louis, one would be remiss if failing to add the seven time Pro Bowler to this unit. Yes, Slater did most of his work during 19 Los Angeles based seasons, but his inclusion on this team gives this line bookend Hall of Fame tackles and a more dominant feel overall.

All 20-Year Offensive Backups

Quarterback: Marc Bulger, Tony Banks

Halfback: Steven Jackson, (Jerome Bettis)

Fullback: James Hodgins

Wide Receiver: Az-Zahir Hakim, Kevin Curtis, Ricky Proehl, Brandon Lloyd

Tight End: Jared Cook

Offensive Line: Rodger Saffold, Kyle Turley, Richie Incognito, Scott Wells

Starting Defense

Defensive End: Robert Quinn

If Quinn’s career continues to play out over the next decade or so it has to date, you will be seeing his bust in Canton, Ohio down the road. At just 25, Quinn has already amassed 45 sacks, 14 forced fumbles and a touchdown. In four seasons, Quinn has garnered two Pro Bowls berths and an All-Pro selection.

Defensive End: Kevin Carter

Carter — a two-time Pro Bowl selectee who led the NFL in sacks with St. Louis in 1999 (17) — racked up 104.5 career sacks and two Pro Bowl appearances during a 14 year career. In six seasons with St. Louis, the 6’5″ end averaged over 10 sacks when notching 62.5 of them from 1995 through 2000.

Defensive Tackle: Aaron Donald

No Ram in recent memory has burst onto the scene quicker than Donald did last year. With Donald, quick is certainly the operative word, as his lethal first step and electric hands helped him earn Pro Bowl and Defensive Rookie of the Year honors for his stellar year-one-work in the STL last fall.

Defensive Tackle: D’Marco Farr

Most franchises would be hard-pressed to pair a defensive tackle tandem with more quickness and production than the Rams of the last two decades can with Donald and Farr. Farr — who was undersized like Donald at 6’1″ and something shy of 300 points — was able to consistently beat opponents with quicks and explosive power. The current analyst for the franchise’s radio network, Farr posted 11.5 sacks in 1995, seven in 1998 and 8.5 in 1999.

Outside Linebacker: Leonard Little

Considering this roster’s immense offensive prowess and the likelihood that this team would be ahead quite often, getting as many pass rushers on the field as possible makes a lot of sense. With that, Little gets moved back to his original position of outside linebacker and is allowed to rush the quarterback with fury and frequency. No. 91 made the Pro Bowl and All Pro teams in 2003 and collected 10 or more sacks in four different seasons. Little averaged nearly a dozen sacks per year over a six season stretch from 2001 through 2006. Perhaps his most impressive campaign came in 2001 when he accumulated 14.5 sacks in just 13 games… while NOT starting a single contest.

Middle Linebacker: London Fletcher

If the Rams D could chance one free agency decision during the St. Louis tenure it would surely be to lock up London and keep Fletcher in the fold. No. 59 was just 26 and entering his prime when the organization chose to retain wide receiver Hakim rather than Fletcher. Looking back, it was a ill-advised decision. After leaving St. Louis, the aspiring Hall of Fame candidate went on to punch four trips to the Pro Bowl in putting together a decade-plus long string of superb seasons.

Outside Linebacker: Roman Phifer

Phifer was a very solid outside linebacker for the Rams who took the field for the L..A. version of the club before later playing his home games in Missouri. He twice secured over 100 tackles with the Rams. During his career, Phifer compiled 897 tackles and 29 sacks. Phifer provides a strong presence against the run for the twentieth anniversary St. Louis Rams.

Cornerback 1: Aeneas Williams

Hall of Fame cornerback/safety Williams was an eight-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro. He earned two of his Pro Bowl berths and an All-Pro selection while playing his final four seasons in the Gateway City. Williams tallied 55 interceptions and nine touchdowns during his stellar 14 year career.

Cornerback 2: Todd Lyght

Lyght’s best season came at a most opportune time, as he arguably played as good as any corner in football during the St. Louis Super Bowl run of 1999. That year, Lyght had six picks, 2.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a touchdown. Lyght was a full-time starter for the Rams for nine consecutive campaigns.

Free Safety: O.J. Atogwe

Atogwe gets the nod here due largely to his extraordinary ability to force fumbles and create turnovers. In six St. Louis seasons, Atogwe forced 16 fumbles and hauled in 22 interceptions. Atogwe was also a good tackler who was an asset in run support. He averaging 66 tackles in five seasons as a St. Louis starter.

Strong Safety: Toby Wright

Unfortunately for the Rams and Wright, Toby’s shelf life as an NFL player was very short. When healthy, however, he laid the wood in a way that no other St. Louis strong safety — including T.J. McDonald or Adam Archuleta — ever have. Wright was a physically-imposing force and a lethal hitter. In 1995, Wright smacked around and imposed his will on opponents as he collected 98 tackles, a forced fumble, a sack and a touchdown.

All 20-Year Defensive Backups

Defensive End: Chris Long, Grant Wistrom

Defensive Tackle: Ryan Pickett, Michael Brockers

Outside Linebacker: Mike Jones, Will Witherspoon, Alec Ogletree

Middle Linebacker: James Laurinaitis

Cornerback: Ron Bartell, Dre Bly, Janoris Jenkins

Safety: Keith Lyle, T.J. McDonald, Adam Archuleta

Special Teams

Kick Returner: Tony Horne

At his best, he was as good as any kick returner in the game. Unfortunately, off the field issues led to his career being limited to just three seasons. In those three years, however, Horne had four kick returns for touchdowns. In 2000, Horne averaged 29.7 yards per return.

Punt Returner: Az-Zahir Hakim

Hakim was an explosive punt returner for St. Louis during the Greatest Show era. In 2000, he averaged a whopping 15.3 yards per return. Hakim ran three punts back for touchdowns during his career.

Kicker: Jeff Wilkins

‘Money’ made a multitude of clutch kicks in pressure situations during his career. In 2000, Wilkins went 17 for 17 on field goal tries and in 2003 he converted on 93 percent of his attempts.

Punter: Johnny Hekker

Hekker made the Pro Bowl and All-Pro team in his 2013 sophomore season and followed up with another strong campaign a year ago. Hekker obviously has a big leg, but his arm is nothing to scoff at either. In three seasons, Hekker is five for six on passing attempts.

Long Snapper: Chris Massey

Massey held down long snapper duties for nine St. Louis seasons and was always a reliable performer for the Rams.