Well, its official. One of the all time greatest running backs of all time, Marshall Faulk, has been inducted into the Hall of Fame. I became a fan of the Rams before Marshall's time, but was never the same after. It began when the team first came to St. Louis. It was a lot of fun having a team, and although my age was not even in the double digits when they first got here, I was instantly hooked. There were some great players to come and go, such as Chris Miller, Jerome Bettis, and Kevin Greene to name a few. I also loved the guys who were here from the beginning and stayed through the glory days, such as D Farr, Reverend Ike, and Todd Lyght. However, none of these guys captivated me like the new Marshall who arrived in town.
Marshall Faulk was acquired by the Rams in the off season between the '98 and '99 seasons. Warner emerged at this time, and guard Adam Timmerman arrived as well. These guys were all pieces of the puzzle. Marshall would probably not have enjoyed the level of success he did without the entire Greatest Show on Turf, although I do feel he was truly a once in a life time talent that would have changed this game either way. I knew about Marshall's ridiculous rookie season in Indy, and also of the team he and Peyton were getting off of the ground. Unfortunately, I also heard about some of the ugly sides of his last years in Indy, but the NFL is a business. These details are unnecessary to the story of how I became the biggest Marshall Fan I know, but they will help the uniformed fan get a feel for what I was feeling at the time. My feelings were that I was unsure about who this guy was, but I knew he was an amazing talent. I did not realize at the time how much of an understatement this was.
As the preseason took off, our offense looked great. They came out blaring, and my Dad, uncle and I all actually went to the preseason game against the Chargers. When Rodney Harrison took out Trent Green from a crouched position and went straight into his knee, the stadium emptied quickly. Its funny looking back, because I was excited about many of the offensive stars, but I was wearing a Lawrence Phillips jersey. He was supposed to be our stud running back after we took him in the first round of a previous draft, but unfortunately turned out to be a bust. Of all the great players I could have had, he was the one on my back. It was also funny, because at the game, and people were chanting "Bye bye season" in our section and Trent went donw. The rest is history, as the former stock boy took over and ran one of the most prolific offenses in history to a Superbowl victory. He took much of the credit, but his team did not lose sight of the other amazing individual feats being accomplished by someone else.
The NFL voted Kurt its MVP, but the team voted Marshall theirs. He not only lined up plays early in the season, put many of the offensive players in their positions all year, was an amazing receiver, rusher, but was also our most dangerous weapon. He was then and would continue to be until he left the game. In fact, in both of our Superbowl appearances our opponents' main objective was to slow down Marshall. Bill Belichik, one of the greatest coaches of all time, said in interviews later the entire defensive game plan began and ended with having enough defenders in the backfield to force Marshall to block. That's right, not to put pressure on Kurt, but to stop Marshall. When the Greatest Show on Turf was up and running, Marshall partook in the fun, setting such records as the single season touchdown record, most receiving yards by a running back in a season in history, most yards from scrimmage in a season, and many others.
When Kurt had his pinkie issues and the Bulger era was beginning, Marshall remained constant. He led the team, put them on his back, and kept us in playoff hunts. The more the team struggled, the more he got the ball. Nothing tailed off either.
The funny thing was, coming out of college, and through much of his career, Marshall was not regarded as the fastest, strongest, or even most agile running back. He wasn't terrible at these things, but his strength was without a doubt his mind. He would know what everyone on his team was doing, the other team was doing, and where he could exploit match ups. He could line up out wide as a receiver if there weren't enough db's to cover him, stay in and stop defenders, who usually had a minimum of 30 lbs on him, with a strong block, and he could easily get through any team's the front 7 defenders as well. He could be running full speed and stop on a dime. He could go into an entire play designed to go to one side of the field and go to the other.
Marshall played the game with a grace rarely seen and an intelligence never matched. Furthermore, he played the game without any character issues on the field. He only participated in celebrations the whole team could participate in, namely the infamous Bob 'N' Weave. When team celebrations were banned by the league, he simply handed the ball to the refs after big plays. I saw one interview where Marshall said he simply let his performance speak for itself and didn't feel any words or other actions were necessary. He could be called a silent assassin, as he kept prima donna actions out of the game, yet could take over and dominate any game at any time.
The highlight reels are endless, the stats speak for themselves, and the Hall of Fame induction puts everything into perspective. Marshall owned the game when he played it, and I truly believe I will always say that he is the greatest player I will have ever seen on the field. It is a milestone in my life to have attended the ceremony where the Rams raised the number 28 to the rafters, never to be worn again. Afterwards, watching Marshall's speech, thanking the fans for it, was just as moving. Congrats on getting into the Hall Marshall, I will be there on August 6 watching you get inducted and giving your speech there. You deserve it, and now the history books will show this as well. Thanks for not only taking over every game you played, but the city of St. Louis, the sport itself, the name of my firstborn son, and any chance of me seeing a better player.
No comments:
Post a Comment