Mr. Bettis,
I used to be a huge fan of yours. I always thought you should win a Super Bowl with your home team. (You should know I spent my childhood years cheering for Detroit?) Generally, I believed you were an excellent player and a reliable running back. Also, I watch Rugby events on NBC occasionally. I enjoy the long matches with (especially) limited commercial breaks. You contributed more from the bench than Tiki Barber (which isn't saying much) as an expert.
So, imagine my surprise when Frank Costas brought up this transmission during the player's segment for the 'hard-hitting' analysis. The discussion revolved around the Philadelphia Eagles' victory over the St. Louis Rams in Week 2. When prompted to comment on the Rams, you said (and I'm quoting from memory, so it might not be exact), "The Rams have no idea what they're doing right now. Get real, can you believe it? This is the team that forced me out!" Women’s Brett Favre Field Flirt Jersey! Mr. Bettis, Women’s Brees Jersey, with all due respect, you are wrong. No one forced you out; you pouted and didn't try to negotiate a trade to the team you wanted to join, the Steelers.
Let’s take a trip down memory lane. It was the spring/summer of 1994, and the Rams had just announced they were moving to St. Louis from Los Angeles. The Rams had a standout player, and that player was Jerome Bettis. You were the Rookie of the Year, and fans went crazy, reaching several Pro Bowls in half a decade. Bettis number 35 jerseys were flying off the shelves; every Rams fan had one before the Rams even played a game.
Since the Rams didn’t seem to offer you the commitment you thought you deserved, you felt mistreated in St. Louis and acted accordingly on and off the field. First, Tennessee Titans Jerseys for Kids, you held out from Rams training camp for a few days and were fined for it. Not a big deal to me, but it does show how you were trying to pressure the Rams into giving you a new contract. You didn’t get the contract and let it affect your agility on the field.
You only had more than 20 carries in a game five times, which could be attributed to play-calling, but I’m looking at some larger sample patterns. In those Five games, you averaged around four yards per carry. I don’t remember you being injured during any of the 15 games, and the numbers back you up with about One yard for all the Rams’ 04 games. You didn’t have more than Nine rushes in the last Six games. At this point, Bettis didn’t favor Rich Brooks’ pass-friendly strategies or the commitment, and the Rams drafted Lawrence Phillips and traded Bettis to the Steelers. Brooks didn’t want to continue with the Rams and showed it again on the field, which led to his transfer without him.
You appropriately sought a better team that could afford the contract you believed you deserved. Mr. Bettis, you then made it to the Super Bowl within the next two years with the Steelers. Something seems to be missing in many of your Pro Bowl appearances: 1993, Early 90s, 1996, and Late 90s. It's as though there is a year where you didn't try as hard and didn't make the Pro Bowl.
This walk sets you on the same level as Randy Moss in Oakland, Terrell Owens in San Francisco and Philadelphia. That's okay, don't worry. It’s the player's choice to pout and not perform well intentionally to force a trade to a better team. Just don’t act like St. Louis forced you out.