Badass Rams

The Rams have quite a history. The present, however, is historically disappointing. The 2011 version of the Rams finished with just two wins. It was a fairly forgettable group, and not many are worthy of me spending money on a jersey.

A few exemptions do stand out, though, and both have famous fathers. Defensive end Chris Long (#91) racked up 13 sacks in 2011 and continues to draw comparisons to his dad, eight-time Pro Bowl selection Howie Long. Linebacker James Laurinatis (#55) had the eighth-most total tackles in the NFL last year (142) and the third-most solo tackles (105), which I find more badass than anything his dad did as The Animal in professional wrestling.

But the current crop pales in comparison to the greats that have represented the Rams organization. Tom Mack (#65) had a Hall of Fame career at left guard, Jackie Slater (#78) should be mentioned when discussing best left tackles of all-time, and while some might want to include Orlando Pace (#76) in that argument as well, I would leave him out. Marshall Faulk (#28) may be a running back, but my criteria for badass-ness is "What jersey would my dad be OK wearing?" Since Faulk went to San Diego State, and my dad is a former Aztec, Faulk be more than acceptable.

If you want to talk about badass Rams, you really need to go to the defensive line. You could pick anyone from the Fearsome Foursome: Deacon Jones (#75), Merle Olsen (#74), Rosie Grier (#76) and Lamar Lundy (#85).  And while Lundy is usually the forgotten member of the Foursome, the fact another defensive end wearing #85 is even more badass more be the bigger slight. Lundy was a tight end and defensive end for the Rams. That is pretty badass, but playing with a broken broken leg may be the most badass football story (until Ronnie Lott cuts off his finger). Jack Youngblood (#85) was so good as Deacon Jones' rookie backup, the Rams traded Jones the next season. Youngblood fractured his left leg in the divisional round of the 1979 playoffs. He played every defensive down in the Rams win against Tampa Bay as well as every defensive down in the loss to the Steelers in the Super Bowl. That is badass.

Next up...Minnesota Vikings