On Thursday’s PFT Live, former Rams head coach Dick Vermeil recalled how the pivotal 1999 trade for future Hall of Fame tailback Marshall Faulk came together.
As Vermeil told it, supply, demand and a good rapport with then-Colts coach Jim Mora were the catalysts for the deal, which netted Indianapolis second- and fifth-round picks and St. Louis one of the most versatile backs of all time.
“They wanted our draft choice, and we wanted Marshall Faulk, and Jim Mora was the head coach there,” Vermeil said Thursday. “Jim and I worked together at Stanford as young assistants. Jim was my linebacker coach at UCLA, so we had a relationship.
“There was no BS in talking and negotiation and game-playing between Jim and I. Our presidents and general managers did a lot of talking and discussing and working out details, but the final decision came down between Jim and I, and we got it done, that’s all.
“And it worked great for us. It worked great for Marshall Faulk. They got the running back they wanted out of Miami who had a great career for them, Edgerrin James, had great success. They already had a great quarterback who was really starting to come on in Peyton [Manning].
“So they got what they wanted. We got we wanted.”
Added Vermeil: “The same trade today would cost a lot more.”
Vermeil’s final thought is especially interesting. In hindsight, the Rams didn’t pay a high price at all for a tailback tailor-made for their offense.
On the other hand, the tailback position perhaps isn’t valued as it was in 1999. Were a similar trade made now, it would likely draw no shortage of dissenters suggesting giving up a second-round pick — a player under club control for four seasons — would be a mistake for a running back entering his sixth NFL season, as Faulk was 16 years ago.
Nevertheless, it’s a fun topic to ponder. Clearly, the Rams made the right call. The question is, when will another club take a big swing in the trade market for a tailback — especially after the Colts’ deal for Trent Richardson didn’t work out?
