By Joe Torosian
Do you judge a GM by their draft hits, or do you evaluate a GM by their Super Bowls?
If that’s the case, it comes down to Les Snead and Dick Vermeil for the Rams.
Vermeil did well, but Snead, obviously, has done better. And, of course, it’s not just about first-round hits and whiffs…but what they did in the later rounds.
In the list below, the only non-first round selection is Cooper Kupp.
| Name | Seasons | Biggest Draft Hit | Biggest Draft Whiff | Notes: |
| Les Snead | 2012-Present | Aaron Donald,
Cooper Kupp |
Greg Robinson | Tavon Austin pretty bad pick. |
| Billy Devaney | 2009-2011 | Robert Quinn | Jason Smith | |
| Jay Zygmunt | 2006-2008 | Chris Long | Adam Carriker,
Tye Hill |
|
| Charley Armey | 2000-2005 | Steven Jackson | Jimmy Kennedy
Robert Thomas |
Whiffs Cont.
Damione Lewis Trung Canidate |
| Dick Vermeil | 1997-1999 | Orlando Pace
Torry Holt |
Grant Wistrom
(Not total bust) |
|
| Steve Ortmayer | 1995-1996 | Kevin Carter | Lawrence Phillips | |
| John Shaw | 1985-1994 | Jerome Bettis | Mike Schad
Aaron Cox |
Whiffs Cont.
Bill Hawkins |
| Ray Nagel | 1983-1984 | Eric Dickerson | ||
| Don Klosterman | 1972-1982 | Dennis Harrah
Doug France |
Kevin McClain | 1981 & 1982 GM in name only. |
In Review: After examining the above chart, I believe it’s important that Billy Devaney, Jay Zygmunt, Charley Armey, and John Shaw are never allowed anywhere near SoFi. They shouldn’t be invited to any reunions.
It also indicates that when The Greatest Show On Turf era ended, it wasn’t all Mike Martz, Scott Linehan, and Steve Spagnuolo’s fault.
Better Late Than Never:
Yesterday was the 40th anniversary of the Rams’ deal with the Baltimore Colts to obtain Bert Jones.
Because the Colts franchise then was not what it is now, Jones had great success playing for poorly run teams while suffering a lot of physical damage.
Taken second overall in the 1973 draft, he quarterbacked the Colts through the 1981 season and led them to three consecutive AFC East titles—but never out of the first round of the playoffs.
In 1976 he was the NFL MVP, and in an NFL balanced on both sides of the ball by the rules, Jones was elite.
“If Bert Jones had played under different circumstances, he probably would have been the greatest player ever.”—Ernie Accorsi, legendary NFL Scout.
“Jones is the toughest competitor I ever saw.”—John Riggins, legendary running back and member of the All 80s Decade team.
Bill Belichick described Jones as the best pure passer he had ever seen.
On April 27, 1982, the Rams dealt first and second-round picks (4th—Art Schlichter & 34th—Rohn Stark) to the Colts for Jones.
And in a strange irony, Jones only started four games for the Rams before a neck injury ended his career.
Joe Namath only started four games for the Rams in 1977 and never played again.
(Someday, we’ll talk about Chuck Knox’s failure in The Mud Bowl and ignoring Namath.)
Both were from the SEC:
Jones—LSU
Namath—Alabama
Tangent Dreams: A High School Football Novel (Available thru Amazon–click on pic)
Both played in the AFC East:
Jones—Colts
Namath—Jets
(Note: Namath beat Colts, 16-7, in Super Bowl 3)
Both were known for having rocket arms.
Namath and Jones headline a list of former standout quarterbacks who either closed out their careers with the Rams or played with them towards the end. Dan Pastorini, Steve Bartkowski, Mark Rypien…and now Matthew Stafford.
Stafford, known for his arm, is an SEC quarterback—who played at Georgia.
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