Multitalented Faulk one-of-a-kind in St. Louis
March 23rd, 2007 | by Kevin Morris |
Marshall Faulk is the greatest professional football player St. Louis has ever
employed.
This claim is not meant to disparage the football Cardinals, a proud franchise
that sent one tremendous player after another to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Larry Wilson, Jackie Smith, Dan Dierdorf and Roger Wehrli stand among the
greatest to ever play their sport.
It’s a shame they never had a owner who measured up.
I don’t want to overlook contemporary Rams stars like Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt,
Orlando Pace and Kurt Warner -– four other stalwarts from “The Greatest Show on
Turf.” At least a couple of those Super Bowl heroes also will be enshrined in
Canton, Ohio, some day.
But Faulk was the Next Level of competition. He was one of the elite talents in
NHL history, but that is just the start of his story. We’ve seen a lot of
highly gifted football players come and go without making much of an impact.
Faulk offered so much more.
TOUGHNESS: He took a beating. He played hurt. He willed himself forward despite
needing one operation after another to repair his battered knees.
Faulk’s career highlight might have come at the end of the difficult 2000
season. With the Rams facing a must-win situation at New Orleans, his hometown,
he led the Rams into the playoffs with a remarkable 220-yard, three-TD
performance.
Plowing into the teeth of the physical Saints defense, Faulk refused to let the
Rams lose. He single-handedly kept his team alive.
Faulk and his teammates couldn’t repeat that performance against the Saints in
the playoffs, but his stand that afternoon was memorable.
SMARTS: Faulk knew the “Air Martz” offense as well as Warner did. He knew all
the plays. He understood the intent of the plays. He got the philosophy behind
them. He studied defenses, too, so he could read them on the field and made
adjustments accordingly.
His command of this revolutionary scheme allowed him to attack defenses every
way possible. He lined up all over the field. He often went in motion. His
receiving skills matched his running ability. He blocked blitzing linebackers
when needed, too.
In their heyday, the Rams dared opponents to blitz -– trusting their ability to
counter-attack, typically by getting the ball to Faulk.
LEADERSHIP: On the field, Faulk barked out commands and policed his teammates.
If a player didn’t get the concept of the “hurry up” offense, Faulk would pick
him up off the turf and direct him to his spot in the formation. On the field,
he was a second quarterback.
Off the field, he had maintained his teammates’ respect. If Faulk could take
game tapes home for additional review, shouldn’t lesser players do the same?
When a team’s best player is also its hardest-working player, great things can
happen. Just ask the baseball Cardinals.
We saw a final example of Faulk’s leadership at the end of his playing career.
When the knee injuries took their toll and finally knocked him into a back-up
role, Faulk took great pride in helping Steven Jackson flourish as his
successor.
He was a class act until the end.
ACCOMPLISHMENT: On Faulk’s watch, the Rams won two NFC Championships and one
Super Bowl. He helped bring football titles to a city that had none.
This is Marshall’s ultimate resume’ point. Some of his individual records have
already been eclipsed, but nobody can ever take away the titles the Rams earned
with him as their offensive focal point.
It’s a shame his career couldn’t last longer. It’s too bad he couldn’t stage
one more comeback and help the Rams -– or another team -– make one more playoff
run.
But he is a smart man, as we said, and reason finally prevailed over emotion.
In his heart, he still wants to compete. In his mind, he knows this is no
longer possible.
His retirement doesn’t come as a surprise, but it does stir some wistful
reflection about what once was.
We may never see another team like the 1999-2001 Rams and we may never see
another pro football player like Marshall Faulk.
By
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
