Building The Perfect All-Time Rams Team: Position By Position

Despite winning just one Super Bowl, the Rams have been fortunate enough to have employed a plethora of Hall of Fame players over their long history. Building a team position by position out of their greatest players of all time is no easy task but here it goes nothing.

Building The Perfect All-Time Rams Team: Position By Position

Quarterback: Kurt Warner

The Rams have a long history of very good quarterbacks, but the lone Super Bowl MVP has a story fit for a Disney movie. He bagged groceries and played in the Arena League then stepped in for an injured Trent Green and led the Greatest Show on Turf to an improbable Super Bowl.

He won an MVP two years later and the Rams let him go two seasons after that (because they thought Marc Bulger was a cheaper Warner). He’d revive his career in Arizona of all places coming within a miraculous Santonio Holmes catch of winning a second title. Buiding an all-time team without Warner is impossible. Shout out to Vince Ferragamo.

Running Back: Marshall Faulk

Picking just one back for the Rams is brutal because they’ve had an illustrious history of taking quality backs. Faulk not only won a Super Bowl, but he was a transformative player who changed the game. The Greatest Show on Turf doesn’t function without him because of his abilities both as a runner and a receiver. He’s not as iconic as Eric Dickerson nor does he have a cult status like Steven Jackson, but Faulk is one of the most dynamic players in Rams’ history.

Wide Receiver 1: Torry Holt

Torry “Big Game” Holt not only deserves to be in the Hall of Fame but he deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Terrell Owens and Randy Moss in terms of skill. Holt wasn’t as flashy as those two and injuries kept him from having their longevity but at his peak, Holt was every bit in their class.

Wide Receiver 2: Issac Bruce

Bruuuuuuuuuce finally got his due by being voted into the Hall of Fame (now do Holt). Bruce had a long and productive career ranking 5th all-time in receiving yards, 13th all-time in catches, and 12th all-time in touchdowns.

Offensive Tackle: Orlando Pace

Orlando Pace and UCLA alum Jonathan Ogden changed the position of the offensive tackle. They were giant men but were also incredibly athletic. Pace doesn’t get mentioned as often because Ogden came first but he was the stalwart tackle the Rams have been trying to replace for over a decade now.

Guard: Tom Mack

See they’re not all from the Greatest Show! Mack was an 11-time Pro Bowler playing in 184 consecutive games for the Rams between 1966 and 1978.

Guard: Dennis Harrah

Harrah was part of the offensive line that made Eric Dickerson a beloved LA icon. He made six Pro Bowls and was first-team All-Pro in 1986.

Center: Doug Smith

Smith was a six-time Pro Bowler who played 13 seasons with the Rams.

Tackle: Jackie Slater

Another member of the vaunted 80s Rams. Slater played 19 years with the Rams (20 overall) and made seven Pro Bowls before being inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2001.

Tight End: Tyler Higbee

Recency bias? Sure. But the Rams don’t really have a lot of great tight ends. Statistically, it’s Jared Cook but real fans know he’s not the answer.

Defensive End: Jack Youngblood

Talk about an old school man’s man, the “John Wayne” of football is the team leader in playoff sacks and second in career sacks. He also once played with a fractured leg. Building an all-time Rams’ defense without Youngblood is insanity.

Wanna hear just how cool this dude is? We interviewed him on Bleav In LA Football. Check it out. Iconic!

Defensive Tackle: Aaron Donald

What’s there to say about Aaron Donald that hasn’t been said about Godzilla? Donald is already a two-time defensive player of the year and is on his way to being the greatest defensive tackle of his generation.

Defensive Tackle: Merlin Olsen

Ron Burgandy’s occasional houseguest was part of the fearsome foursome playing 15 years making five All-Pro teams, five Second-Teams, and the All-Decade team for both the 60s and 70s. Olsen was one of the greatest to ever play defensive tackle, period.

Defensive End: Deacon Jones

An absolute LA icon. Jones was the star of the fearsome foursome, and along with Olson, one of the greatest defenders of all time. He was a two-time defensive player of the year and made the all 100 NFL team. He was a transformative player at his position and actually coined the term “sacking the quarterback”.

Linebacker: London Fletcher

Fletcher had a very long NFL career with both the Rams and Washington. He was one of the best pure tacklers of all-time recording 2,031 and also never missed a game in his entire career starting over 250 consecutive games.

Linebacker: Jim Youngblood

Youngblood was a stalwart linebacker and finished his career with 14 interceptions. Strangely enough, he is not related to his former teammate, Jack Youngblood.

Fun Fact: Since both players had the same last name and the same first initial (J) the Rams printed their full first name above their last name on their jersey.

Linebacker: Jack Reynolds

“Hacksaw” Reynolds played 10 years with the Rams, making two Pro Bowls. He’d later win two rings with the 49ers but we’re not going to hold that against him.

Cornerback: Dre Bly

Bly was a solid corner playing in both Greatest Show Super Bowls before bolting for the Lions where he’d lead the league in fumble return yards.

Cornerback: Todd Lyght

Like Bly, he was also a member of the Greatest Show where he blocked a field goal in the Super Bowl. He won rookie of the year in 1991 and was a second-team All-Pro in 1999.

Safety: Aeneas Williams

He was one of the most respected defensive backs of the 1990s making the All-90s team. He made four Pro Bowls and four All-Pro teams.

Safety: Nolan Cromwell

An NFL lifer, Cromwell played for the Rams for 11 years making the All-80s team. He made three All-Pro teams, one Second-Team, and he’d later become a coach for the Rams on two separate occasions.

Kicker: Jeff Wilkins

Wilkins was the first Ram to score 1,000 points and the last barefoot kicker in the NFL. He made an All-Pro team in 2003 and set a franchise record by kicking six field goals in one game.

Punter: Norm Van Brocklin

Yes, Johnny Hekker is one of the best punters today but Van Brocklin was a punter and a quarterback. And what’s a Rams list without Van Brocklin.

Returner: LeRoy Irvin

Irvin played corner for the Rams but also holds the record for most punt return yards in a game with 207.

What do you think? Any players you’d rather see switched out for the Rams All-Time Team?