The St. Louis Rams - Just When You Thought...

Oh foolish you! Ok, me too, but the hell of it is, it's tough being a St. Louis Rams fan. P.T. Barnum would have loved us. We have bought in to an unfounded what will be, and we do it every year. There should be a 12 step course for Rams fans. The whole "...accept the things I cannot change, and the wisdom..." Scratch that, the whole wisdom thing kind of leaves us out, eh?

Maybe a little Voltaire? His "It is hard to free fools from the chains they revere". Let's face it, we're lashed to the prow of a ship that will not sail. In fact, in its current state, I'm not all that sure The Good Ship Rams should even think about leaving dry dock. It has holes a-plenty in the hull, and the coach-player crew seems left over from the Exxon Valdez.

Yet I, and you I'm pretty sure, are still here. We stare into the ethereal Rams world to discern what could have possibly been missed, or even since undone. The year started off with a cloud over the season. The wealthiest union (per member) in human history decided to argue with a multi-billion dollar boys club about money. Thank God the rich boys love there toys, because they made a deal and the 2011 season was saved - sort-a-kinda. The players rushed to training camp, and learned as much as they could before the regular NFL season was upon them. The Rams did something Rams fans weren't ready for: They swept all their pre-season games.

I should have known something was up right then and there...

... It was like an opiate in our collective Rams fan drinking water. We wanted more... That the games won in the pre-season were a less than valid barometer of the St. Louis Rams quality of both players and potential, it didn't seem to register among we Rams fans. We hailed players both old and rookie. Our coaches were a combination of genius and General. The team management wise, and I'm talking Aristotle, Solon, Confucius wise. "They really know what their doing!" We all said with knowing nods and filled comment threads with our overall happiness... Ney! We were down right proud of how thoroughly well founded our team, the St. Louis Rams, was going into this season...

Then it began, the 2011 NFL regular season, and what a season it has turned out to be thus far. When I saw the Rams schedule for the first time, I felt a lump in my throat and I'm pretty sure my lower lip quivered. Yet being a TRUE Rams fan, I forced my schedule fears into the furthest recesses of my mind. I told myself that THIS Rams team had what it will take to shock the sporting world... Well, being a "Glass is half full" kind of guy, I guess I was right in a way... This St. Louis Rams team has shocked the sporting world, but not the good kind of shock. After being touted as the team to beat in the NFC West, everyone listened and began beating us like a dusty rug.

Then just like a drug dealer, when we as fans began to "Jones" for a win fix, they threw the New Orleans Saints our way... Hooked once again!

Next came the Arizona Cardinals, a team that on paper the Rams matched up well enough with to expect a win. Whoever wrote on that paper did it with invisible ink, because for the life of me I can't figure out why I truly expected the Rams to win this last game. The Cardinals have played some tough opponents - some of the same opponents the Rams lost too by a wide margin. The difference, is that Arizona nearly beat Baltimore, Pittsburgh and the New York Giants.

Rams fans fell to the Sirens song, those muses of the lower world and NFL standings. Both the team, and its fans are on the proverbial rocks waiting for a tide that just stays oh so few feet away. Somehow, this Good Ship Rams must float again. It doesn't even have to be a fast ship at this point. It would be nice if it had more than one oar in the water, as the St. Louis Rams currently do now...