The 2000 season was the St. Louis Rams' 63rd in the National Football League (NFL) and their sixth in St. Louis. For the first time in franchise history, the Rams entered the season as the defending Super Bowl champions. The Rams finished the regular-season with a record of 10–6 but would go on to lose to the New Orleans Saints 31–28 in the wild-card round of the playoffs. They led the NFL in scoring for a second straight year with 540 points. The Rams became the first team in NFL history to score more than 500 points on offense, while allowing more than 450 points on defense.[1]
2000 St. Louis Rams season | |
---|---|
Owner | Georgia Frontiere |
General manager | Mike Martz and Charley Armey |
Head coach | Mike Martz |
Offensive coordinator | Bobby Jackson |
Defensive coordinator | Peter Giunta |
Home field | Trans World Dome |
Results | |
Record | 10–6 |
Division place | 2nd NFC West |
Playoff finish | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (at Saints) 28–31 |
Pro Bowlers | QB Kurt Warner RB Marshall Faulk WR Isaac Bruce WR Torry Holt OT Orlando Pace |
AP All-Pros | RB Marshall Faulk (1st team) OT Orlando Pace (2nd team) PR Az-Zahir Hakim (1st team) |
Running back Marshall Faulk was named the MVP of the regular season. It was the second straight time a Rams player was named MVP.
After the resignation of Dick Vermeil, who had been the Rams' head coach through St. Louis' 1999 championship season, Mike Martz took over as head coach, and attempted to defend the Rams' Super Bowl XXXIV title. The Rams' "Greatest Show on Turf" continued its offensive dominance, scoring 33.7 points per game.
Statistically, Football Outsiders calculates that the 2000 Rams had the most efficient rushing attack of any single-season NFL team from 1993 to 2010.[2] The 2000 Rams are one of only three teams in NFL history to score 35 points or more nine times in a single season.[3][note 1] The Denver Broncos did it 10 times in 2013. The Rams' offense offset the team's defensive struggles: St. Louis' 471 points allowed in 2000 is the most ever surrendered by an NFL team with a winning record.[4] The Rams had the best offense in the league, but had the worst defense in the league.
The season saw the Rams change their logo and add a new color scheme of navy and gold, replacing blue and yellow, donning new uniforms in the process. The Rams' new logo consisted of a charging blue ram outlined in gold with a matching gold outline. It would be their logo for 16 years.
Offseason
editAdditions | Subtractions |
---|---|
C Steve Everitt (Eagles) | C Mike Gruttadauria (Cardinals) |
QB Paul Justin (Cowboys) | |
T Fred Miller (Titans) | |
LB Charlie Clemons (Saints) | |
DE Jay Williams (Panthers) | |
S Billy Jenkins (Broncos) | |
T Matt Willig (49ers) |
NFL Draft
edit2000 St. Louis Rams draft | |||||
Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 31 | Trung Canidate | Running back | Arizona | |
5 | 139 | Brian Young | Defensive tackle | UTEP | |
Made roster |
Undrafted Free Agents
editPlayer | Position | College |
---|---|---|
Mark Chicarelli | Running back | Northern Colorado |
Derek Fox | Safety | Penn State |
Alex Hass | Tight end | Minnesota |
Bill Marsaut | Tackle | Iowa State |
Corte McGuffey | Quarterback | Northern Colorado |
Staff
edit
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
Roster
editPreseason
editWeek | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | August 5 | Oakland Raiders | W 31–17 | 1–0 | Trans World Dome | Recap |
2 | August 14 | at Tennessee Titans | L 3–30 | 1–1 | Adelphia Coliseum | Recap |
3 | August 19 | Buffalo Bills | L 27–31 | 1–2 | Trans World Dome | Recap |
4 | August 24 | at Dallas Cowboys | W 24–17 | 2–2 | Texas Stadium | Recap |
Regular season
editSchedule
editWeek | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 4 | Denver Broncos | W 41–36 | 1–0 | Trans World Dome | Recap | ||
2 | September 10 | at Seattle Seahawks | W 37–34 | 2–0 | Husky Stadium | Recap | ||
3 | September 17 | San Francisco 49ers | W 41–24 | 3–0 | Trans World Dome | Recap | ||
4 | September 24 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 41–20 | 4–0 | Georgia Dome | Recap | ||
5 | October 1 | San Diego Chargers | W 57–31 | 5–0 | Trans World Dome | Recap | ||
6 | Bye | |||||||
7 | October 15 | Atlanta Falcons | W 45–29 | 6–0 | Trans World Dome | Recap | ||
8 | October 22 | at Kansas City Chiefs | L 34–54 | 6–1 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap | ||
9 | October 29 | at San Francisco 49ers | W 34–24 | 7–1 | 3Com Park | Recap | ||
10 | November 5 | Carolina Panthers | L 24–27 | 7–2 | Trans World Dome | Recap | ||
11 | November 12 | at New York Giants | W 38–24 | 8–2 | Giants Stadium | Recap | ||
12 | November 20 | Washington Redskins | L 20–33 | 8–3 | Trans World Dome | Recap | ||
13 | November 26 | New Orleans Saints | L 24–31 | 8–4 | Trans World Dome | Recap | ||
14 | December 3 | at Carolina Panthers | L 3–16 | 8–5 | Ericsson Stadium | Recap | ||
15 | December 10 | Minnesota Vikings | W 40–29 | 9–5 | Trans World Dome | Recap | ||
16 | December 18 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 35–38 | 9–6 | Raymond James Stadium | Recap | ||
17 | December 24 | at New Orleans Saints | W 26–21 | 10–6 | Louisiana Superdome | Recap | ||
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. |
Game summaries
editWeek 1: vs. Denver Broncos
editQuarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Broncos | 7 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 36 |
Rams | 7 | 14 | 14 | 6 | 41 |
at Trans World Dome, St. Louis, Missouri
- Date: September 4
- Game time: 8:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: indoors (dome)
- Game attendance: 65,956
- Referee: Gerry Austin
- TV announcers (ABC): Al Michaels, Dan Fouts, Dennis Miller, Melissa Stark and Eric Dickerson
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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|
Week 2: at Seattle Seahawks
editQuarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rams | 3 | 10 | 7 | 17 | 37 |
Seahawks | 3 | 7 | 10 | 14 | 34 |
at Husky Stadium, Seattle, Washington
- Date: September 10
- Game time: 3:15 p.m. CDT/1:15 p.m. PDT
- Game weather: Overcast, 62 °F (16.7 °C)
- Game attendance: 64,869
- Referee: Larry Nemmers
- TV announcers (Fox): Pat Summerall, John Madden and D. J. Johnson
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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|
Week 3: vs. San Francisco 49ers
editQuarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
49ers | 7 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
Rams | 3 | 14 | 7 | 17 | 41 |
at Trans World Dome, St. Louis, Missouri
- Date: September 17
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: indoors (dome)
- Game attendance: 65,945
- Referee: Bernie Kukar
- TV announcers (Fox): Dick Stockton, Matt Millen and Pam Oliver
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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|
Week 4: at Atlanta Falcons
editQuarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rams | 3 | 14 | 10 | 14 | 41 |
Falcons | 7 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 20 |
at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia
- Date: September 24
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: indoors (dome)
- Game attendance: 58,761
- Referee: Bill Carollo
- TV announcers (Fox): Pat Summerall, John Madden and D. J. Johnson
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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|
Week 5: vs. San Diego Chargers
editQuarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chargers | 3 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 31 |
Rams | 17 | 13 | 17 | 10 | 57 |
at Trans World Dome, St. Louis, Missouri
- Date: October 1
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: indoors (dome)
- Game attendance: 66,010
- Referee: Bob McElwee
- TV announcers (CBS): Dick Enberg, Dan Dierdorf and Bonnie Bernstein
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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|
The Rams opened their offense with Kurt Warner throwing 14 consecutive passes.
Week 7: vs. Atlanta Falcons
editQuarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Falcons | 14 | 7 | 0 | 8 | 29 |
Rams | 7 | 22 | 8 | 8 | 45 |
at Trans World Dome, St. Louis, Missouri
- Date: October 15
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: indoors (dome)
- Game attendance: 66,019
- Referee: Jeff Triplette
- TV announcers (Fox): Sam Rosen, Bill Maas and Pete Peterson
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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|
Week 8: at Kansas City Chiefs
editQuarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rams | 0 | 14 | 14 | 6 | 34 |
Chiefs | 20 | 7 | 13 | 14 | 54 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
- Date: October 22
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: Overcast, 64 °F (18 °C)
- Game attendance: 79,142
- Referee: Mike Carey
- TV announcers (Fox): Dick Stockton, Matt Millen and Pam Oliver
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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|
Week 9: at San Francisco 49ers
editQuarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rams | 7 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 34 |
49ers | 7 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
at 3Com Park, San Francisco, California
- Date: October 29
- Game time: 3:00 p.m. CST/1:00 p.m. PST
- Game weather: Mostly cloudy, 60 °F (15.6 °C)
- Game attendance: 68,109
- Referee: Ed Hochuli
- TV announcers (Fox): Dick Stockton, Matt Millen and Pam Oliver
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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|
Week 10: vs. Carolina Panthers
editQuarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Panthers | 6 | 7 | 3 | 11 | 27 |
Rams | 7 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 24 |
at Trans World Dome, St. Louis, Missouri
- Date: November 5
- Game time: 7:30 p.m. CST
- Game weather: indoors (dome)
- Game attendance: 66,048
- Referee: Bob McElwee
- TV announcers (KDNL/ESPN): Mike Patrick, Joe Theismann, Paul Maguire and Solomon Wilcots
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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|
Week 11: at New York Giants
editQuarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rams | 14 | 14 | 10 | 0 | 38 |
Giants | 0 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 24 |
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 12: vs. Washington Redskins
editQuarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Redskins | 3 | 10 | 12 | 8 | 33 |
Rams | 10 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 20 |
at Trans World Dome, St. Louis, Missouri
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 13: vs. New Orleans Saints
editQuarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saints | 7 | 14 | 3 | 7 | 31 |
Rams | 7 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
at Trans World Dome, St. Louis, Missouri
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 14: at Carolina Panthers
editQuarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rams | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Panthers | 0 | 0 | 7 | 9 | 16 |
at Ericsson Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
- Date: December 3
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
- Game weather: Cloudy skies, 34 °F (1.1 °C)
- Game attendance: 73,358
- Referee: Tony Corrente
- TV announcers (Fox): Dick Stockton, Matt Millen and Pam Oliver
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 15: vs. Minnesota Vikings
editQuarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vikings | 0 | 7 | 14 | 8 | 29 |
Rams | 14 | 6 | 13 | 7 | 40 |
at Trans World Dome, St. Louis, Missouri
- Date: December 10
- Game time: 3:15 p.m. CST
- Game weather: indoors (dome)
- Game attendance: 66,273
- Referee: Ron Winter
- TV announcers (Fox): Pat Summerall, John Madden and D. J. Johnson
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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|
Week 16: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
editQuarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rams | 7 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 35 |
Buccaneers | 10 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 38 |
at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
- Date: December 18
- Game time: 9:00 p.m. EST/8:00 p.m. CST
- Game weather: Cold, light breeze, clear 49 °F (9.4 °C)
- Game attendance: 65,653
- Referee: Johnny Grier
- TV announcers (ABC): Al Michaels, Dan Fouts, Dennis Miller, Melissa Stark and Eric Dickerson
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
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Week 17: at New Orleans Saints
editQuarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rams | 7 | 3 | 9 | 7 | 26 |
Saints | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 21 |
at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
- Date: December 24
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
- Game weather: indoors (dome)
- Game attendance: 64,900
- Referee: Phil Luckett
- TV announcers (Fox): Dick Stockton, Matt Millen and Pam Oliver
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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|
Standings
editNFC West | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |
(3) New Orleans Saints | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 354 | 305 | L1 |
(6) St. Louis Rams | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 540 | 471 | W1 |
Carolina Panthers | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 310 | 310 | L1 |
San Francisco 49ers | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 388 | 422 | L1 |
Atlanta Falcons | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 252 | 413 | W1 |
Postseason
editRound | Date | Opponent (seed) | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wild Card | December 30 | at New Orleans Saints (3) | L 28–31 | 0–1 | Louisiana Superdome | Recap |
Game summaries
editNFC Wild Card Game: at (3) New Orleans Saints
editQuarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rams | 7 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 28 |
Saints | 0 | 10 | 7 | 14 | 31 |
at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
- Date: December 30
- Game time: 3:00 p.m. CST
- Game weather: Played indoors, domed stadium
- Game attendance: 64,900
- Referee: Gerry Austin
- TV announcers (ABC): Al Michaels, Dan Fouts, Dennis Miller, Melissa Stark and Eric Dickerson
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
The Saints won their first playoff game in their 34-year history with quarterback Aaron Brooks' 266 passing yards and four touchdowns, by holding off the defending champion Rams, who scored three touchdowns in the final quarter. Overall, the Rams committed five turnovers while the Saints committed none. Rams quarterback Kurt Warner lost four turnovers (three interceptions and a fumble), while running back Marshall Faulk, who shredded the Saints with 220 rushing yards when they played against them in the regular season, was held to a season low of 24 yards on the ground.
Best performances
edit- Marshall Faulk, October 15, 208 rushing yards vs. Atlanta Falcons
- Marshall Faulk, December 24, 220 rushing yards vs. New Orleans Saints
- Trent Green, 431 passing yards vs. the Carolina Panthers, (achieved on November 5)[7]
- Kurt Warner, 441 passing yards vs. the Denver Broncos, (achieved on September 4)[7]
Statistics
edit- Led NFL, average yards per play (7.0)[8]
- NFL record, combined net yards gained (7,075)[8]
- NFL record, passing yards, (5,232)[citation needed]
- Led NFL, first downs, passing (247)[8]
- Led NFL, passes completed (380)[8]
- Led NFL, passing offense[8]
- Led NFL, passing touchdowns (37)[8]
- Led NFL, percentage of passes completed (64.7%) [8]
- Led NFL, rushing touchdowns (26)[8]
- Led NFL, third down efficiency (47.5%)[8]
- Led NFL, total offense[8]
- Led NFL, total touchdowns (67)[8]
- Led NFL, two-point conversions (4, tied)[8]
- Led NFL, yards gained per completed pass (14.5)[8]
Awards and records
edit- Marshall Faulk, NFL MVP
- Marshall Faulk, Associated Press MVP
- Marshall Faulk, Associated Press All-Pro
- Marshall Faulk, All-NFL Team (as selected by the Associated Press, Pro Football Weekly, and the Pro Football Writers of America) [9]
- Marshall Faulk, Associated Press Most Valuable Player [10]
- Marshall Faulk, Associated Press Offensive Player of the Year [10]
- Marshall Faulk, Daniel F. Reeves Memorial Award
- Marshall Faulk, Football Digest Player of the Year[10]
- Marshall Faulk, College and Pro Football Newsweekly Offensive Player of the Year [10]
- Marshall Faulk, Miller Lite Player of the Year [10]
- Marshall Faulk, NFC Offensive Player of the Week, week 3 [9]
- Marshall Faulk, NFC Offensive Player of the Week, week 7 [9]
- Marshall Faulk, NFC Offensive Player of the Week, week 17 [9]
- Marshall Faulk, NFC Offensive Player of the Month, October [9]
- Marshall Faulk, NFC Offensive Player of the Month, December [9]
- Marshall Faulk, Pro Football Writers of America Most Valuable Player [10]
- Marshall Faulk, Sporting News Player of the Year [10]
- Marshall Faulk, Sports Illustrated Player of the Year [10]
- London Fletcher, NFC Defensive Player of the Week, week 15 [9]
- Trent Green, NFC Offensive Player of the Week, week 11 [9]
- Trent Green, NFC Passer Rating Leader, (101.8 rating) [11]
- Az-Zahir Hakim, All-NFL Team (as selected by the Associated Press, Pro Football Weekly, and the Pro Football Writers of America) [9]
- Az-Zahir Hakim, NFC Special Teams Player of the Week, week 9 [9]
- Az-Zahir Hakim, PFW/PFWA All-Pro Team [12]
- Kurt Warner, NFC Offensive Player of the Week, week 5 [9]
- Kurt Warner, NFC Offensive Player of the Month, September [9]
Notes
edit- ^ The other two are the 1948 49ers and the 2011 Packers
References
edit- ^ Sports Illustrated
- ^ Final 2010 DVOA Ratings
- ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com: In a single season, from 1940 to 2011, in the regular season, requiring Points For >= 35, sorted by most games in season matching criteria.
- ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com: In a single season, from 1940 to 2012, in the Regular Season, team with winning record, sorted by descending Points Allowed.
- ^ "2000 St. Louis Rams draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
- ^ 2000 St. Louis Rams Statistics & Players – Pro-Football-Reference.com
- ^ a b NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 439
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 215
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 202
- ^ a b c d e f g h NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 201
- ^ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 450
- ^ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 203