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That's the way I felt and I was 7 years of age in September of 73 and was extremely disappointed when they brought in the balding dumpy looking John Hadl for the Greek God Like Roman Gabriel. However, the Rams wanted to add a quality QB because of the injuries the Gabe had in 72, but it was Gabriel that requested a trade once the Rams acquired Hadl. Thus they traded Gabriel to the Eagles for WR Harold Jackson & RB Tony Baker.
Brooks was vastly underrated as to Steve Preece, I won't forgive him in the playoff game against Dallas with the Rams climb back into that game to make it 17-16 and Preece had an easy interception against Drew Person, but collided with another DB (think it was Eddie McMillian) thus enabling Person to catch the ball and take it the distance for a 24-16 lead late in the game.
I love how you love this year as it was my first year as a fan. (Didn't know that at the time.)
For me it was Merlin Olsen just special in so many ways. At first I was anti Hadl as I posted Roman Gabriel looked the part whereas John Hadl looked like a guy that on weekends spent it up at his trailer camp with a fishing hat, but I ended up really liking Hadl in 73.
Their game at Miami in the preseason was nationally televised and they wore the new white jerseys. Such a cool look and basically the same uniform they wore in Super Bowl XXXIV.
I have no memory of a nationally televised 1973 pre-season game featuring the Rams but you’re the second poster to mention one, so I must have forgotten.
David Ray did miss three FG's in that playoff loss, sad part, in 1973 Ray had a great year. Rams struggled finding a kicker during the Knox years. Ray was replaced by Tom Dempsey (God Bless his Sole) in 75, but Dempsey struggled to get trajectory on the football because of the half foot and that led to many blocked FG's a couple in the playoffs that were catastrophic.
Yes, and Septien kicked for Dallas for about a decade.
You're right about that also in 1975 NFC Championship Game the trailing 7-0 the Rams drove down and had to settle for 3, but again, FG blocked Dallas returned it into Ram territory and scored another TD. Dempsey was very frustrating that way IMO and what took the Rams so long to go with a soccer style kicker.
Yeah, but he went to my mother's high school in the town where I was conceived. And he made one career pass reception (from GABE) in the NFL that helped the LA RAMS avoid an upset at the hands of Atlanta in 1970 at the Coliseum (10-10 tie).
