The Greatest Show on Turf

"The Greatest Show on Turf" was a nickname for the high-flying offense of the

That year, Berman and his highlight show NFL Primetime frequently alluded to the circus when covering the Rams. For the Chargers-Rams highlights that introduced the term "The Greatest Show on Turf," the William Tell Overture was played over the highlights rather than a standard NFL Primetime theme. The music was then muted when the Chargers were shown scoring a touchdown on the highlights package, and muted again when a flashback to Trent Green's injury was shown (Because the Rams were leading by so much in this game, Green came into the game in the second half making this his first regular season game since the injury, hence the flashback. The music resumed with Green leading the Rams to yet another touchdown). When the Rams finally lost in Week 8 to the Chiefs, a special introductory screen for the Rams as "The Greatest Show on Turf" was shown as a parody of "The Greatest Show on Earth" logo before the highlights of the upset were shown. Near the end of the 2000 Week 15 episode of NFL Primetime, Berman was briefly revealing the last two games that would be shown before cutting to a commercial break, as was standard for the show. The last game shown that week was the Vikings-Rams matchup. Since the Vikings also had a high-flying offensive attack (and, like the Rams, a poor defense), Berman announced, "The Greatest Show on Turf meet the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey!" Berman's nickname for the Vikings didn't stick.

The Greatest Show on Turf was anchored by running back Marshall Faulk, NFL Offensive Player of the Year for three consecutive years from 1999 through 2001, quarterback Kurt Warner, 2-time NFL MVP, the receiving duo of Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt, as well as Az-Zahir Hakim and veteran Ricky Proehl. Together they formed the nucleus of the first team in NFL history to score 500+ points in three consecutive seasons. Quarterback Kurt Warner and running back Marshall Faulk finished first and second in MVP voting each of the three years, also an achievement unmatched by any offense in NFL history.

The Rams went 13–3, 10–6, and 14–2 in those three seasons, respectively, and reached the playoffs every year. In 1999, the team reached Super Bowl XXXIV and defeated the Tennessee Titans to claim the first franchise championship in almost half a century.^[3] The Rams lost in the first round of the 2000 playoffs to the New Orleans Saints, but returned the next year to reach Super Bowl XXXVI, where they ultimately fell to the New England Patriots.

Though much less heralded, the St. Louis defense during those years modeled a praiseworthy unit and often outperformed opposing offenses that was essential to overall team performance. In 2000, when the Rams barely managed to reach the playoffs, the defense was ranked among the NFL's worst, giving up a league-worst 471 points that year. In 1999 and 2001, when the Rams reached the Super Bowl, their defense statistically ranked among the NFL's best – and fittingly, it was a last-second defensive stop known as "

Quarterback Kurt Warner was cut in training camp by

The second overall pick in the 1994 draft, Marshall Faulk was traded from the Indianapolis Colts to St. Louis in 1999. Faulk had been an elite player in Indianapolis, but in St. Louis he put up some of the best all-purpose numbers in the history of the NFL. Indianapolis finished 13–3 but were knocked off in the first round, while the Rams went on to win Super Bowl XXXIV.

It was a storybook season. Faulk's patience and diligence in learning the Rams offense paid off when he totaled 2,429 yards from scrimmage, eclipsing Barry Sanders’ 2,358 yards set in 1997. With 1,381 yards rushing (a superb 5.5 yards-per-carry average) and 1,048 receiving yards, Faulk joined Roger Craig as the only men to total 1,000+ yards in each category in a season (they were joined in 2019 by Christian McCaffrey). For all this effort and success, he was named Offensive Player of the Year and starter for the NFC squad in the 2000 Pro Bowl.

Faulk was the MVP in 2000, and again the Offensive Player of the Year. In just 14 games (he missed two), he had 1,359 yards rushing and scored 26 touchdowns, the latter a record (that would soon be broken by Priest Holmes, then by Shaun Alexander, and later LaDainian Tomlinson in 2006). Faulk had 18 scores on the ground, setting a new franchise record, and eight through the air. He also averaged more than five yards per carry again, this time with 5.4.

From 1999 to 2001, Marshall Faulk may have had the best consecutive seasons in league history. In that span, he scored 59 touchdowns, rang up 6,765 yards of offense (4,122 rushing and 2,643 receiving), and won the Most Valuable Player award and three Offensive Player of the Year awards. He was also named All-NFC, ALL-NFL, and selected for the Pro Bowl in each of those years. In 2011, Faulk was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.

Isaac Bruce

Wide receiver, Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams (1994 to 2007), San Francisco 49ers (2008 and 2009)

Bruce was selected in the 2nd round (33rd overall pick) of the

One of the Rams most enduring players, Isaac Bruce was originally drafted as a Los Angeles Ram and played with the franchise from their years of futility in the middle 1990s through the years of the “Greatest Show on Turf”.

Over his Rams career, he had 14,209 yards receiving, 942 receptions, 8 1,000+ Seasons, 40 100+ yardage games and 84 receiving touchdowns, all of which remain team records. He is arguably one of the best pure route runners to play wide receiver in the NFL.^{[citation needed]}

Bruce's most notable catch came in Super Bowl XXXIV. With under 2:00 minutes left in the game, he caught a 73-yard pass from quarterback Kurt Warner, which ultimately would clinch the Rams' first Super Bowl win.

In 1995, he had 1,781 receiving yards, second only to Jerry Rice (1,848) and was 5th ever for receptions (119). During the 1996 season, he led the league in yards (1,338). In 1999, Bruce totaled 1,165 yards receiving on only 77 receptions (15.2 yards per reception) and led the Rams with 12 touchdowns.

He was selected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020.

Torry Holt

Wide receiver, St. Louis Rams (1999 to 2008), Jacksonville Jaguars (2009)

A rookie during the Rams'

Hakim was another player instrumental to the success of “The Greatest Show on Turf”. He was with the Rams for four seasons (1998 to 2001) before being signed as a free agent to the Detroit Lions. During the 1999 season, he caught 36 passes for 677 yards, which would bring in 8 touchdowns for the Rams. For his four-season run with the Rams, he accumulated a total of 2,032 yards with 16 touchdown receptions. Additionally, Hakim served as the team's punt returner and was among the league leaders in 1999 and 2000.

Ricky Proehl

Wide receiver, Arizona Cardinals (1990 to 1994), Seattle Seahawks (1995 to 1996), Chicago Bears (1997), St. Louis Rams (1998 to 2002), Carolina Panthers (2003 to 2005), Indianapolis Colts (2006)

Proehl (WR) played in the NFL for 17 seasons and spent five of these with the St. Louis Rams between 1998 and 2002. During this period he was able to accumulate a total of 207 receptions and 2,590 receiving yards. At the 2000 NFC Championship, he caught the winning touchdown that allowed the Rams to beat Tampa Bay 11–6. Again, he caught a touchdown pass late in the game during Super Bowl XXXVI which at the time tied the game at 17–17, but the Patriots kicked a last-second field goal to win 20–17. He would go on to be a valuable cog in the Carolina Panthers’ offense during their Super Bowl year, and he also had a stint with the Colts.

Orlando Pace

Offensive tackle, St. Louis Rams (1997 to 2008), Chicago Bears (2009)

Pace was selected by the Rams with the number one overall draft selection in the

Drafted in the 4th round of the 1998 NFL draft, Roland Williams was the Rams' rookie of the year. As the starting tight end in 1999, he blocked for many of Faulk's runs, caught Kurt Warner’s first touchdown pass as starting quarterback, and caught five more during the regular season and Super Bowl.

Afterwards

Many Rams fans consider 1999, 2000, and 2001 as the "Greatest Show on Turf" years, though the nickname was used for several subsequent seasons. In 2002, the team went 7-9 and failed to make the playoffs for the first time in three seasons; many referred to this as a "Super Bowl Hangover" for the Rams because they lost a Super Bowl they were favored so heavily to win to the New England Patriots. In 2003, the Rams had a winning season, but failed to meet expectations. In 2004, the Rams went 8-8 and made the playoffs. They did not do so again until 2017, when they were back in their old home in Los Angeles. The Rams lost 2018's Super Bowl LIII to the Patriots and beat the Bengals in 2021's Super Bowl LVI three years later.

Kurt Warner struggled with the team after

On July 23, 2016, many of the star players from this era of the St. Louis Rams reunited for the "Legends of the Dome" game, a charity flag football game organized by Isaac Bruce. It gave fans the chance to see the Rams in St. Louis one last time, as the franchise had announced its return to Los Angeles a few months earlier.[7]

Pro Football Hall of Fame

Four players and one coach that were a part of "The Greatest Show on Turf" have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame:

• Marshall Faulk, RB (2011)
• Orlando Pace, OT (2016)
• Kurt Warner, QB (2017)
• Isaac Bruce, WR (2020)
• Dick Vermeil, Head Coach (2022)

See also

• 1999 St. Louis Rams season
• 2000 St. Louis Rams season
• 2001 St. Louis Rams season
• List of NFL nicknames
• Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus (origin of the nickname)

References

External links

• ESPN.com: Best Offense of All Time
• ESPN.com: Readers List of Best Offenses of All Time
• StLouisRams.com/GSOT