Putting 5-0 or 0-5 Into Perspective

Interesting stat (in a killing-time-flipping-through-”Total Football”-while-waiting-for-Dennis-Miller-to-say-something-funny kind of way):

The St. Louis Rams are the third team in 82 years of NFL history to win its first five games in three consecutive seasons.

The others: The Bud Grant Vikings of 1973-75 and the Curly Lambeau Packers of 1929-31.

Which is nice to know. But does it mean anything?

For the Rams, it has meant a lot of national appearances on Fox.

For Lambeau, it meant getting a stadium with his name on it.

And for Grant--right coach, right team, wrong era--it meant not a single thing at all.

1999-2001 ST. LOUIS RAMS

* 1999

Started: 6-0.

First loss: At 5-1 Tennessee, 24-21, in a game that would serve as a prequel to Super Bowl IV. Except no one had a clue at the time.

After that: Lost again the following week at Detroit, then went 7-0 until a regular-season ending loss at Philadelphia. Top-seeded at 13-3 in the NFC, advanced to a Super Bowl rematch with Tennessee and won a scintillating Carpetbaggers Classic, 23-16.

* 2000

Started: 6-0.

First loss: At 3-3 Kansas City, 54-34. First indication that, with that defense, The Greatest Show On Earth might not be enough.

After that: Lost four of their next six, then needed a last-gasp field goal by Chicago on the last Sunday of the regular season to eliminate Detroit and enable the Rams to eke out a 9-7 wild card. Kurt Warner passed for 365 yards and three touchdowns in a first-round playoff game at New Orleans. New Orleans, which had never won a playoff game but, then, had never seen a playoff team with a defense this bad, held on for a 31-28 victory.

* 2001

Started: 5-0 and counting.

First loss: Not projected for a while. But if Marshall Faulk sits out, the next two games--at the Jets, followed by the Saints at home--could be dicey.

After that: Unless Jamie Martin and Trung Canidate are required to start games in late December, should be favored to play in their second Super Bowl in three seasons.

1973-1975 MINNESOTA VIKINGS

* 1973

Started: 9-0.

First loss: At 6-3 Atlanta, 20-14, to the unrestrained delight of their former coach, Viking-turned-Falcon Norm Van Brocklin.

After that: Lost inexplicably two weeks later at Cincinnati, 27-0, then not again until the Super Bowl. There, defending champion Miami made it two in a row, 24-7, as the Vikings lost their second Super Bowl in as many tries. Unfortunately, for all concerned, there would be more.

* 1974

Started: 5-0.

First loss: A home defeat against the 1-4 Lions, 20-14. Winning game plan masterminded by Rick Forzano.

After that: Another loss to New England, then 5-2 the rest of the way to win the NFC Central title again at 10-4. On to another Super Bowl, on to another why-did-they-bother? First Time At The Dance Steelers 16, Old Hats At This Game Vikings 6.

* 1975

Started: 10-0.

First loss: By a point at 6-4 Washington, 31-30.

After that: Win third consecutive NFC Central title at 12-2. Rams win NFC West title at 12-2. Potential showdown in conference final is thwarted when Dallas’ Drew Pearson catches a last-second touchdown pass from Roger Staubach to knock the Vikings out in the first round, 17-14. A quarter-century later, Minnesota fans remain convinced it was offensive pass interference.

1929-1931 GREEN BAY PACKERS

* 1929

Started: 10-0, then played the Frankford Yellow Jackets to a scoreless tie.

First loss: Not until 1930.

After that: Closed out ’29 regular season with back-to-back 25-0 victories over the Providence Steam Roller and the Chicago Bears to finish 12-0-1, edging the 13-1-1 New York Giants for first place and the league championship on percentage points.

* 1930

Started: 8-0.

First loss: To the 4-5-2 Chicago Cardinals, 13-6.

After that: Another loss the next week to the Giants, before regrouping to finish 10-3-1 and edge the Giants for first place again on percentage points.

* 1931

Started: 9-0, including a 6-2 victory over the Bears.

First loss: To those pesky Chicago Cardinals again, 21-13.

After that: Finished 12-2 to give Lambeau his third consecutive NFL title. Two years later, the league would split into two conferences, creating an annual two-team postseason. Thirty-five years later, the NFL added a Super Bowl. The Packers won that one too.

ON THE OTHER HAND, VIKING FANS, THINGS COULD BE WORSE

It happens every 20 years in Washington: A first-year coach, a first victory that doesn’t arrive for more than a month. Bill McPeak in ‘61, Joe Gibbs in ‘81, Marty Schottenheimer in ‘01--they all started 0-5, or worse. Hope for Redskin fans: Gibbs and McPeak never went 0-16.

* 2001

Started: 0-5.

First victory: Maybe today? The Redskins are home, Carolina is the opponent, the Panthers haven’t won since Week 1, the Panthers can’t run the ball, the Panthers can’t hold onto ball. On the other hand, who would you rather have quarterbacking a must-win, or even a sure-would-be-nice-to-win game: Chris Weinke or Tony Banks? Good point. Right. OK, let’s see. How about Dec. 2, Dallas at home?

After that: Goodbye, Marty.

* 1981

Started: 0-5.

First victory: At Chicago, 24-7. One small step for the Redskins, one giant leap toward unemployment by Bear Coach Neill Armstrong.

After that: Won seven of their next 10 to finish 8-8. One year later, the Redskins won the Super Bowl, the first of three for Gibbs. Can it happen again? Let’s see. Gibbs had Joe Theismann, Schottenheimer has Banks. Gibbs had Art Monk, Schottenheimer has Michael Westbrook. Goodbye, Marty.

* 1961

Started: 0-9, then tied Dallas, then lost three more.

First victory: At 0-12-1, Washington’s last and only chance for a victory was the rematch with the Cowboys. Forty years later, not a thing has changed. Washington won this one, 34-24.

After that: No Daniel Snyder then, so first-year Coach McPeak was permitted to coach a second season. And a third, and a fourth, and a fifth, despite never finishing better than 6-8. Schottenheimer should be so lucky. Or, come to think, maybe he shouldn’t.