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Well, Divisional Champions can be a pretty weak measure you know. Especially when the NFC West contained the hapless Saints (The Aint's) and the Niners that used to go 2-14 and 3-13 for most of the '70s. The toughest contender for the NFC West champion were the Atlanta Falcons, who were lucky if they won as often as they lost.

The fact that the Rams were divisional champs just because every other team in that division sucked much worse isn't a huge accolade.

This is the *Rams* we're talking about. Not some legendary football team that often reached the pinnacle of greatness. When they finally got sold to St. Louis in exchange for used soccer equipment, most of Los Angeles was happy to see them go.

The fact that the Rams were divisional champs just because every other team in that division sucked much worse isn't a huge accolade.

At various times a lot of teams have been in weak divisions (the Cowboys of the same era, for instance, had the Giants and Eagles, who had LONGER losing streaks than any other teams in football at the time). The over the hill gand Redskins would be too tired to put on a posteaseason show if the made the wildcard spot. The Vikings central division was re-nicknamed the Pink and Blue division because the Bears and Packers were .500 teams at best, and the Buccaneers were threatening to go 0-14 or 16 before their breakthrough season in '79. The Lions were the Lions.

So, how do you judge the Rams, who can't help who's in the division? You judge them by their performances against top teams in both conferences. The Rams beat the Cowboys in the playoffs in '76, I think, and tied or beat both the Vikings and Redskins during the regular season. Against Ptsies like the Falcons and Seahawks, the Rams pasted the Falcs with a 59-0 shellacking, and held the Seahawks to -8 total yards in the 24-0 win when Haden got injured and Ferragamo took over.

The Rams are the only team to win championships in three different cities, and the 1951 Rams boasted two Hall of Fames QBs and a '50s receiver putting up modern receiver numbers ("Crazy Legs" Hirsch). The Rams had a proud, championship winning tradition before mere expansion teams like the Cowboys and Vikings were even invented. Guys like Deacon Jones played so effectively, that rules had to be changed to control him.

Judging a team by how much they might fetch from the billionaires club or how many shorts or do rags they sell is bad criteria. I'm just glad we are not stuck with Michael Sam any more.