THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: A new era is beginning for Rams football with new faces in many places around Rams Park — from the front office to the field. What better time to look back at the Rams time here in St. Louis. With that in mind, who has been your favorite player to watch in a Rams uniform since the team arrived here?

BERNIE MIKLASZ
Favorite Ram? That’s easy: Lawrence Phillips. Just kidding.

This is a tough one to answer. The best Rams player I’ve covered is Marshall Faulk. The best personal story I’ve covered is Kurt Warner. My favorite guy to deal with was probably D’Marco Farr, who had the tremendous underdog spirit that defined the 1999 Rams. But my favorite player was Isaac Bruce. He was great when the team was bad. He was great when the team was great. In the 1999 season, he made the big plays to beat San Francisco in that huge regular-season game at The Ed. He scored the first TD to help beat Minnesota in the first NFL playoff game in St. Louis. He caught the winning 73-yard TD pass for the go-ahead TD in the Rams’ Super Bowl victory. He had immense pride and set high standards and remained consistent in performance and personality whether the team was up or down. Just a great professional, who never wavered as a competitor, or in his personal beliefs.

BRYAN BURWELL
Marshall faulk in a runaway . . . the most breathlessly gifted athlete to wear a st. Louis rams jersey, he was also the smartest. At his best, faulk was one of those rare stars who would make a move or two every game that you know no normal man could do.

JEFF GORDON
The best player has been Marshall Faulk, hands down. He was the total package — clutch performer, smart player and an on-field leader. But Kurt Warner is my favorite. Watching him in training camp before his ascension, I believed he was a stiff. I’ll never forget those ducks he lobbed during a scrimmage in Champaign, Ill. And then, magically, he led the “Greatest Show on Turf” on an amazing Super Bowl run. He is the best story I’ve ever covered and arguably the nicest athlete as well.

DAN O’NEILL
Without question, Kurt Warner has been my favorite Rams player and, more than that, my favorite player of any team or any sport.

How do you top someone who is a record-setting quarterback, leads a dismal franchise to a championship and on top of that, is a wonderful human being? Warner doesn’t just honor God and his faith by pointing to the sky after he does something on the field, he honors them by treating other people with kindness, respect and generosity.

JEREMY RUTHERFORD
My favorite was London Fletcher. The undrafted linebacker was 5-foot-10 and 245 pounds, and if there was a tackle to be made, he made it. He was the Rams’ rookie of the year in 1998 and he was a big reason they won the Super Bowl in 2000. I had a chance to cover those Rams’ teams and Fletcher was one of the more affable, entertaining guys in the locker room, and he always wore a big smile. The defense hasn’t had a good middle linebacker since Fletcher signed with Buffalo as a free agent in 2002. The Rams didn’t think he was worth the big bucks, but somehow Fletcher is still making tackles in Washington.