Cory's Coner: Rams franchise needs some Packer love

The Rams are a pretty solid football team. They’ve beaten Seattle and Arizona and have arguably the best front four in all of football.

Just don’t tell that to the good folks of St. Louis.

You see the Rams are a team without a country in a way. They have an owner in Stan Kroenke that wants to move the team back to southern California with a potential stadium in Inglewood.

And now the baseball team in town, the St. Louis Cardinals, are about to play the Cubs in a National League Division Series. Even when the Rams were consistently winning from 1999-2001 as the “Greatest Show on Turf” the Cardinals were still the top draw in town.

Juxtapose that with the Packers’ fan base and you see several differences. First, the fan base isn’t fragmented. Granted, the Packers are the only show in town, but even if there was another pro team in Green Bay, I highly doubt that it would make any waves.

Next, the Packers aren’t considering moving. In fact, all they’ve done to Lambeau Field is make it better. They’ve added more suites and upgraded facilitates by not changing the famous bowl, built nearly 7,000 seats and renovated the atrium. And the Packers recently announced plans to make a “Titletown District” which will comprise 34 acres west of Lambeau Field.

All of that is rolled up into the undeniable appetite of fans that wait nearly 30 years until their name gets picked on a season-ticket waiting list that is epitome of patiently waiting.

The Rams are last in stadium attendance. But can you blame them? Who wants to go watch a potential lame-duck team? They are only averaging 52,112 fans a game — but surprisingly the TV ratings remain strong.

St. Louis has a lot to be proud of. Aaron Donald, Robert Quinn and Chris Long have a combined 8½ sacks this season. It just so happens that Michael Brockers, the other starting defensive lineman, has zero sacks.

Which means that a lot of this game is going to come down to Quinn vs. struggling right tackle Don Barclay or Bryan Bulaga, who will be making his debut after injuring his knee in practice nearly three weeks ago.

And even rookie running back sensation Todd Gurley cannot galvanize a fan base. He was projected as a top 10 pick before injuring his knee last year. In two games, he’s rushed for 155 yards. He runs hard and is the perfect piece to pair with Nick Foles who cannot survive as a passer in this league without the crutch of a major running game.

So where does that put the Rams? Steelers owner Art Rooney II, who chairs the NFL Committee on Los Angeles Opportunities, opined that St. Louis will be one of three teams along with Oakland and San Diego that will plan on relocating to California.

The Rams can still fight for their team. They can remember when Marshall Faulk was dodging and darting and when Kurt Warner was throwing bombs in every direction.

But that won’t help them stay. The Rams want more money to fulfill more public trust that an NFL winner can be brought back to St. Louis.

However, even if National Car Rental gives $158 million for naming rights for a $1 billion stadium that is on wishlists of the state and city, the Rams could still leave town.  

Yet, even if the Rams stay this time, fans in Missouri have to be on pins and needles. How do they know that the same thing isn’t going to happen in 15-20 years? Another owner will just hold the city and team hostage in order to gain leverage.

There’s no need for leverage in Green Bay and there never will be.

Isn’t that refreshing? 

 

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Cory Jennerjohn is a graduate from UW-Oshkosh and has been in sports media for over 15 years. He was a co-host on "Clubhouse Live" and has also done various radio and TV work as well. He has written for newspapers, magazines and websites. He currently is a columnist for CHTV and also does various podcasts. He recently earned his Masters degree from the University of Iowa. He can be found on Twitter: @Coryjennerjohn

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Comments (11)

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Ibleedgreenmore's picture

October 10, 2015 at 06:21 am

I will give them lots of love when the Pack wins tomorrow. Yeah I love how the Rams lost feel the love.

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4thand1's picture

October 10, 2015 at 08:36 am

GB bay is the most unique sports franchise there is. Other fans laugh when they say you don't own shit, but really they're envious. If the Packers ever left town the population would drop dramatically from mass suicide. I travel 200+ miles (5 hours) once or twice a year to see a game at Lambeau. A lot of people in big cities sit in traffic for 5 hours just to go a short distance to work. I go west on Lombardi, take a right on 41 north and soon I,m in farm country and forrests. My biggest worry is hitting a deer. Its like taking a trip to a family reunion, you don't know everyone and everyone gets along great.

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GVPacker's picture

October 10, 2015 at 08:48 am

The Packers will be 5 games into the season and it's time for a good old fashioned Lambeau Field Blow Out! A rod needs to clean his Pipe's Out with a 400+ yard 5 passing TD performance. The Rams gave up a lot of points to the SeaChickens at home so there is no reason why Arod and Co. can't light these guys up,please I insist!

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D.D.Driver's picture

October 10, 2015 at 08:51 am

"St. Louis will be one of three teams along with Oakland and San Diego that will plan on relocating to California."

We know what you mean...but still a little funny.

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marpag1's picture

October 10, 2015 at 09:56 am

The whole thing is sloppy. It's an article that has no idea what it really wants to say.

And now, people will remind me that it's free.

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4thand1's picture

October 10, 2015 at 10:07 am

Maybe it's because the owners and the NFL don't really know either. They'll be a shiny , brand new stadium with ticket prices right through the glass roof.

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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

October 11, 2015 at 03:01 am

I won't remind you that the site is free, Marpag1. I just disagree. The article is clear, knows what it wants to say, and supplies some evidence. To wit: The owner of the Rams wants to move the franchise, apparently to make more money; it is harder for fans to be passionate about a team that might leave any second; St. Louis fans have not been overly supportive despite success of the team, perhaps because St. Louis is a baseball town, has decent weather, or the franchise is threatening to leave; the packers have none of these problems. To be sure, an English teacher might have a good deal to say about the paragraph structure, but it seems clear enough to me.

The only thing I disagree with is the notion that there is anything unusual about the owners of a sports franchise holding up the public for a handout every so often, either to build a new stadium or to renovate an old one. The Brewers did it. The Packers did it. The Bucks are doing it right now. The other teams would do it if they had the clout. I suspect that the Marquette fans backed the Bucks stadium so they could piggyback on the Bucks' coattails.

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J0hn Denver's Gavel's picture

October 10, 2015 at 10:13 am

I thought California was all on fire and there's no water there. Suppose it's can't be as bad as East St Louis. GPG

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Dan Stodola's picture

October 10, 2015 at 01:08 pm

Rams are a good team w/o a city. They'll never have the full support of the StL fan base because StL is now one of the few remaining baseball cities in America. It always has been and IMO always will be a baseball city first and foremost.

Problem is that as much as some owners want a team in LA, its not really a good NFL market either. The almost always great weather and abundant attractions and activities, means an NFL team will only do well there if they win, and win ALOT.

USC is the primary football attraction in LA. I don't think an NFL team will ever be a major attraction.

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egbertsouse's picture

October 10, 2015 at 01:21 pm

I used to live in St. Louis. Nobody will miss the Rams if they move, it's a total baseball town (with a bit of hockey love).

I went to see the Cardinals (yes, I am that old) play the Packers. These were the Air Coryell, playoff bound, Cardinals and there were still 20,000 empty seats. I bought the tickets from a guy out front for less than face value.

Earlier in the summer I went to see the Cards play the Phillies in a Tuesday afternoon game you guessed it.... full house. (To be fair, I seem to remember that Lou Brock was going for the stolen base record or something so it wasn't a normal game, but still...)

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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

October 11, 2015 at 03:52 am

This fits the headline, though it is off-topic. What the St. Louis franchise really needs isn't love but a better GM. Since 2011, the Rams have had 7 first round picks, with 6 of them being the 14th pick or better. I grant that they hit on Donald, Quinn, and to a lesser extent Brockers and Ogletree. But they have had 20 picks in the first 3 rounds (compare GB with 15 high during that span). Just think what GB might look like if it had possessed the 10th, 2nd, 13th, 8th, 30th, 14th and 14th picks plus 5 more picks in the first three rounds. The NFL is trying to compel parity, and St. Louis is being dragged reluctantly towards mediocrity.

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