Since retiring from football, former St. Louis Rams running back Marshall Faulk has made a cottage industry of criticizing the team from behind a desk at the NFL Network. The last Faulk piped up to say something about the Rams, he was bemoaning Spagnuolo's redecorating efforts, particularly the decision to move Faulk's pictures to another part of the building. Faulk took the opportunity to trash the incoming regime at Rams Park, while usurping the media spotlight along with his other NFL Network colleagues at the Super Bowl media day.
Faulk was asked about the coaching changes in St. Louis, specifically the addition of Brian Schottenheimer. Mike Sando, ESPN's NFC West blogger, reported Faulk's less-than enthusiastic endorsement of Schottenheimer.
I don't think there was a huge difference between how the Jets' offense looked and how the Rams' offense looked.
You don't get it any better than Shonn Greene, L.T. [LaDainian Tomlinson], Plaxico [Burress] and Santonio [Holmes] and [Dustin] Keller. And now he is going to a team that doesn't have a No. 1 receiver.
Actually, it does get better than those players ... much better. Greene and LT ranked 48th and 51st, respectively, on Pro Football Focus' positional rankings this season, with 1.9 and 1.1 scores. Steven Jackson ranked 24th with an 8.5 overall score.
Holmes' issues have been chronicled, and even LT said that poisoned the Jets' locker room and performance on the the field. Burress caught just 50 percent of the passes thrown his way.
Faulk's assessment that "you don't get it any better" than that collection of players could be an indication of failing memory, considering the impressive array of talent he played with during his Rams days. And, of course, there's the game he's ostensibly in Indianapolis to cover. Both of those teams have a far more impressive assortment of offensive talent than the Jets which Faulk speaks so highly of.
I'm not going to pretend that the Rams are one offseason away from 34 points per game. And I'll be waiting to see what Schottenheimer does with a fresh start in St. Louis. Personally, I think he extracted some positive returns from a quarterback whose ceiling is best described as above average, averaging being something more along the lines of Kellen Clemens.
For what it's worth, Faulk predicted that the Rams would score big points last season, including a break out against the Eagles in Week 1 ... so much for predictions.
I suspect Faulk would have sounded a different tone if the Rams were paying him to coach or play some other front office role.