• Latest
  • Trending
  • All
  • NFL
  • NHL
  • MLB
  • NBA
  • Pro Wrestling
  • MMA
From Belfast To St. Louis

From Belfast To St. Louis

December 2, 2017
Giants Free-Agency Targets: EDGE Shaquil Barrett

Giants Free-Agency Targets: EDGE Shaquil Barrett

January 22, 2021
Hank Aaron’s Consistency Was His Greatest Asset

Hank Aaron’s Consistency Was His Greatest Asset

January 22, 2021
ADVERTISEMENT

AFC Championship Preview: Three Keys To Victory

January 22, 2021
Bruins Dig Deep To Win First Home Alone Game

Bruins Dig Deep To Win First Home Alone Game

January 22, 2021

2021 Chiefs Draft Prospect: Samuel Cosmi

January 22, 2021
Las Vegas Raiders WR Henry Ruggs

Agholor and Ruggs’ Similar Raiders Roles

January 22, 2021
Will Young Upstart QBs Overcome Their Veteran Rivals This NFL Season?

NFL Championship Games: Don’t Want No Rematch? Well, We Got Two

January 21, 2021
ESPN’s McFarland: A loss in Green Bay will make Bucs’ season “a failure”

ESPN’s McFarland: A loss in Green Bay will make Bucs’ season “a failure”

January 21, 2021
"Stan"- Fans gone foolish.

Opinion: Fans Need Common Sense Approach

January 21, 2021
Tyreek Hill vs Casey Hayward: Chiefs Matchup

AFC Championship Game: Three Key Matchups

January 21, 2021
Understanding What the Deshaun Watson Rumors Mean for Houston, Miami, the NFL

Understanding What the Deshaun Watson Rumors Mean for Houston, Miami, the NFL

January 21, 2021
NFC Championship Game: The Greatest Career vs. the Greatest Year?

NFC Championship Game: The Greatest Career vs. the Greatest Year?

January 21, 2021
  • Apply to Write
  • Contact Us
  • FullPressRadio.com
  • SHOP FPC
  • FullPressHockey.com
  • FullPressWrestling.com


Saturday, January 23, 2021
Full Press Coverage
  • Latest
    • Full Press Radio Network
    • Apply to Write
    • Feedback
    • Privacy Policy
  • NFL
    • AFC
      • Baltimore Ravens
      • Buffalo Bills
      • Cincinnati Bengals
      • Cleveland Browns
      • Denver Broncos
      • Houston Texans
      • Indianapolis Colts
      • Jacksonville Jaguars
      • Kansas City Chiefs
      • Las Vegas Raiders
      • Los Angeles Chargers
      • Miami Dolphins
      • New England Patriots
      • New York Jets
      • Pittsburgh Steelers
      • Tennessee Titans
    • NFC
      • Arizona Cardinals
      • Atlanta Falcons
      • Carolina Panthers
      • Chicago Bears
      • Dallas Cowboys
      • Detroit Lions
      • Green Bay Packers
      • Los Angeles Rams
      • Minnesota Vikings
      • New Orleans Saints
      • New York Giants
      • Philadelphia Eagles
      • San Francisco 49ers
      • Seattle Seahawks
      • Tampa Bay Buccaneers
      • Washington Football Club
  • NBA
  • MLB
  • NHL
  • Fantasy Sports
  • Pro Wrestling
  • Other Sports
    • College Sports
    • MMA
    • XFL
    • Futbol
    • AAF
  • Podcasts
    • FPC Radio LIVE
    • Dylan and Ross Save Sports
    • The Eye Test for Two
    • Big Bad Bruins Podcast
    • Black Tuesday
    • Get Off My Lawn
    • The Sap and Kat Show
    • Talkamania
    • Crossbody of Work
    • The Salvaggio and Cratty Sports Podcast
    • All Shows
No Result
View All Result
Full Press Coverage
No Result
View All Result
Home NFL NFC NFC West Los Angeles Rams

From Belfast To St. Louis

Martin Smith by Martin Smith
December 2, 2017
in Los Angeles Rams, National Stories, NFC, NFC West
Reading Time: 3min read
0
From Belfast To St. Louis

St. Louis Rams quarterback Kurt Warner sets to pass as Chicago Bears Frankie Smith (29) and Ray Austin (36) try to get to him in the second half Sunday, Dec. 26, 1999 at the Trans World Dome in St. Louis. Warner threw for 334 yards and three touchdowns as the Rams beat the Bears 34-12.(AP Photo/Tom Gannam) ORG XMIT: STR105

1.5k
SHARES
3.2k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Belfast to St. Louis is 3,891 miles as the crow flies, so how was it that I came to support the then St. Louis Rams? It all began about 11:00 pm on January 30th, 2000. I’m sure everyone knows what happened that day!

I grew up in a small town in Ireland during the 1980s and 1990s. The only exposure I got to the NFL was the Super Bowl. From the mid-1980s one of our terrestrial television channels, Channel 4, televised the Super Bowl each year. I always enjoyed the build-up and the razzmatazz associated with the Super Bowl but had no idea of the rules of the game and did not know what was going on.

More FromFPC

Giants Free-Agency Targets: EDGE Shaquil Barrett

Giants Free-Agency Targets: EDGE Shaquil Barrett

January 22, 2021

Hank Aaron’s Consistency Was His Greatest Asset

January 22, 2021

NFL Championship Games: Don’t Want No Rematch? Well, We Got Two

January 21, 2021

ESPN’s McFarland: A loss in Green Bay will make Bucs’ season “a failure”

January 21, 2021

The coverage in Belfast started about 10 pm and the game finished in the early hours of the morning. I got to watch the first half and sometimes the half-time show before I went to bed. My father would record what I missed and we sat down to watch it on a Monday evening, making sure we avoided the score. I’m reasonably sure he always knew who had won as he could predict scores in the second half much better than he could in the first half.

At some point in the mid-1990s, Channel 4 lost the television rights to show the Super Bowl on TV. A subscription-based satellite TV company called Sky Sports secured the rights to show all NFL games. As I was a teenager at the time, I soon forgot all about the NFL. It wasn’t until late 1999 that a satellite dish arrived at our house, and instead of having six channels to watch, we now had hundreds. As a sports fan, this was fantastic, and so when the Super Bowl came along on January 30th, I knew I had to stay up and watch it all.

The Greatest Show On Turf

I had never before picked an NFL team to support so I knew very little of either the St. Louis Rams or the Tennessee Titans. When the game started I hadn’t given any consideration at all to who I wanted to win. It was only when the commentators started talking about how Kurt Warner had been working in a grocery store a few years earlier that I decided I wanted the Rams to win that game.

When Warner connected with Torry Holt to give the Rams a 16-0 lead in the third quarter, I thought that was it and it should be over. I was wrong. Steve McNair brought the Titans back into it and soon it was 16-16. I was getting nervous, a strange feeling given that a few hours prior to this, I neither knew who Kurt Warner was, let alone cared about him or his team. Sports are funny that way.

When Issac Bruce scored a touchdown with just over two minutes to play, I leaped up and down in excitement. The next few minutes was heart-in-the-mouth stuff, pure drama with the Titans ending a yard short as time expired. Back at home for me, it was just after 4:00 am, and although I was incredibly tired, I stayed up to watch the presentation and the celebrations.

Hooked on the Rams

Over the next few years, I started watching the NFL more and the Rams became my team. There was heartbreak against the New England Patriots a couple of years later, but I assumed the Rams would continue to get to and win more Super Bowls.

That didn’t happen, but neither did it diminish my support for the team. The more I read about and watched the Rams, the more I started to love, not just the Rams, but the game of American Football and everything that goes with it.

During the lean years, Sky Sports showed fewer Rams games live on TV, so I signed up for NFL Network.

The night games during the regular season are still difficult to watch live as they have a 3:00 or 4:00 am finish for me. Due to the wonders of modern technology I can still watch the games on replay “as live”. That involves an internet free day at work, so on the positive, productivity improves on those days.

One final point is that I know the International Series doesn’t have universal appeal but traveling to London is much more manageable than traveling to St. Louis or Los Angeles. The series has given me the opportunity to see the Rams live three times, most recently the first win I have seen with the 33-0 win over the Arizona Cardinals a few weeks ago.

– Martin Smith is a Staff Writer for Full Press Coverage Rams. He covers the Los Angeles Ram. Like and follow on Follow @TyroneBHoy Follow @FPC_Rams and Facebook.

Tags: featuredGreatest Show on TurfIrelandKurt WarnerNFCNFC West
Share596Tweet373
Previous Post

Tough To Swallow: Redskins Get Throttled, 38-14

Next Post

Game Preview: Bears vs. 49ers

Martin Smith

Martin Smith

Next Post
Game Preview: Bears vs. 49ers

Game Preview: Bears vs. 49ers

New chicago Bears pass rusher Robert Quinn

Revenge Game: Cardinals and Rams Preview

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Chicago Bears vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Chicago Bears: Predictions For Week 6 Matchup against Carolina Panthers

October 14, 2020
Love

Cavs-Warriors Discussed Kevin Love Trade

November 14, 2020
Chicago Bears vs Los Angeles Rams

Chicago Bears: Predictions For Week 7 Matchup Vs. Los Angeles Rams

October 21, 2020
Nov 17, 2018; Athens, GA, USA; Massachusetts Minutemen wide receiver Andy Isabella (5) runs past Georgia Bulldogs defensive back Christopher Smith (29) to score a touchdown after catching a pass during the second half at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Vikings Mock Draft 3.0: Post-Combine Edition

8
Chicago White Sox: MLB’s Most Overrated Team Going Into 2020

Chicago White Sox: MLB’s Most Overrated Team Going Into 2020

7
LeBron

LeBron, not Michael, is the Greatest of All Time

5
Giants Free-Agency Targets: EDGE Shaquil Barrett

Giants Free-Agency Targets: EDGE Shaquil Barrett

January 22, 2021
Hank Aaron’s Consistency Was His Greatest Asset

Hank Aaron’s Consistency Was His Greatest Asset

January 22, 2021

AFC Championship Preview: Three Keys To Victory

January 22, 2021

A Twitter List by iglen31

FPC Podcasts

  • Ep 47: AJ Lee
    by Full Press Coverage on January 23, 2021 at 3:00 pm

    Your browser does not support the audio element. But you can check this for the original link: https://pdst.fm/e/chtbl.com/track/G481GD/traffic.megaphone.fm/ADV9258885629.mp3
  • Ep 60: R.I.P. Ted Thompson
    by Full Press Coverage on January 22, 2021 at 10:56 pm

    Your browser does not support the audio element. But you can check this for the original link: https://pdst.fm/e/chtbl.com/track/G481GD/traffic.megaphone.fm/ADV8176794666.mp3
  • Ep #86: Chiefs vs Bills AFC Championship Preview
    by Full Press Coverage on January 22, 2021 at 4:22 pm

    Your browser does not support the audio element. But you can check this for the original link: https://pdst.fm/e/chtbl.com/track/G481GD/traffic.megaphone.fm/ADV9619884388.mp3
  • Ep. 185 - Just Chatting
    by Talkamania on January 22, 2021 at 12:25 pm

    Your browser does not support the audio element. But you can check this for the original link: https://pdcn.co/e/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/43062341/talkamania_episode_185.mp3
  • Ep.60: Horsemen Business
    by Full Press Coverage on January 22, 2021 at 12:00 pm

    Your browser does not support the audio element. But you can check this for the original link: https://pdst.fm/e/chtbl.com/track/G481GD/traffic.megaphone.fm/ADV2752739688.mp3
  • Episode 30: NFL Playoffs, Bears DC Search, Good Vibes on Deshaun Watson? (with Richie Chicago of Shoot Your Shot Sports)
    by Full Press Coverage on January 22, 2021 at 4:53 am

    Your browser does not support the audio element. But you can check this for the original link: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/ADV9697694193.mp3
  • Ep 52: Bruins Early Season Struggles
    by Full Press Coverage on January 21, 2021 at 9:38 pm

    Your browser does not support the audio element. But you can check this for the original link: https://pdst.fm/e/chtbl.com/track/G481GD/traffic.megaphone.fm/ADV4775422577.mp3
  • Ep.173: End of An Error/Start of An Era
    by Full Press Coverage on January 21, 2021 at 8:04 pm

    Your browser does not support the audio element. But you can check this for the original link: https://pdst.fm/e/chtbl.com/track/G481GD/traffic.megaphone.fm/ADV6539295850.mp3
  • Ep 18: Conference Championship Weekend w/ Booger McFarland
    by Full Press Coverage on January 21, 2021 at 7:00 pm

    Your browser does not support the audio element. But you can check this for the original link: https://api.spreaker.com/download/episode/43049333/eyetest_18.mp3
  • Ep.59: 2021 Selma City Vikings Preview
    by Full Press Coverage on January 21, 2021 at 7:00 pm

    Your browser does not support the audio element. But you can check this for the original link: https://pdst.fm/e/chtbl.com/track/G481GD/traffic.megaphone.fm/ADV3657536205.mp3

  • Crossbody of Work Episode 47: AJ Lee
    by Evan Gomes on January 23, 2021 at 3:05 pm

    Welcome to Crossbody of Work, a show where we break down a wrestler’s career through five of […]

  • WWE NXT Results, Grades & Opinion: January 20, 2021
    by Evan Gomes on January 21, 2021 at 5:21 am

    WWE NXT Results: January 20, 2021 A.K.A. Fight Pit 2: Electric Boogaloo Results: Leon Ruff & […]

  • AEW Dynamite Results, Grades & Opinion: January 20, 2021
    by Evan Gomes on January 21, 2021 at 3:53 am

    AEW Dynamite Results: January 20, 2021 A.K.A. The One With -1’s Birthday Results: “Hangman” […]

  • Royal Rumble 2021: Making the Case For Big E
    by Evan Gomes on January 19, 2021 at 2:00 pm

    It is time for Big E to get his own Wrestlemania moment. After striking out on his own brand away […]

  • WWE Raw Results, Grades & Opinion: January 18, 2021
    by Evan Gomes on January 19, 2021 at 4:50 am

    WWE Raw Results, Grades & Analysis: January 18, 2021 A.K.A. The One Where Alexa Goes Full Fiend […]

More Wrestling News

  • Blue Jackets Ship Dubois to Jets For Laine and Roslovic in NHL Blockbuster
    by Lyle Richardson on January 23, 2021 at 5:46 pm

    The Pierre-Luc Dubois and Patrik Laine sagas are over as the Blue Jackets and Jets swap disgruntled […]

  • McDavid, MacKinnon Top Early NHL Art Ross Trophy Odds
    by Chris Wassel on January 23, 2021 at 5:33 pm

    Nathan MacKinnon and Connor McDavid lead the most recent odds for the Art Ross Trophy. The post […]

  • Matthews the Odds-On Favourite to Capture NHL’s Maurice Richard Award
    by Chris Wassel on January 23, 2021 at 4:40 pm

    The Leafs' Auston Matthews tops the list of likely winners of the award for the 2021 season. The […]

  • Ottawa Senators’ Nick Paul and Nikita Zaitsev Making Strides
    by Murray Pam on January 23, 2021 at 4:05 pm

    To say that Nikita Zaitsev has been a pleasant surprise for the Ottawa Senators is an […]

  • Bruins Dig Deep To Win First Home Alone Game
    by Matt Kalman on January 22, 2021 at 1:22 pm

    It took the Bruins until 57 seconds into the third period of their fourth game to score a 5-on-5 […]

More Hockey News

  • Ep 52: Bruins Early Season Struggles
    by Full Press Coverage on January 21, 2021 at 10:51 pm

    Ian and Chris react to the first few games of the season and wonder what […]

    Your browser does not support the audio element. But you can check this for the original link: https://anchor.fm/s/cc094d0/podcast/play/25536904/sponsor/amsj67/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2021-01-21%2F3056b20d5e95c23e9c23b40f379c9029.m4a
  • Ep 51: Bergeron Dons The "C", Picking Up the Chara/Krug Slack; Season Expectations
    by Full Press Coverage on January 13, 2021 at 10:20 pm

    Mike Cratty of the Sal and Cratty Show and BlackNGoldHockey.com joins Ian […]

    Your browser does not support the audio element. But you can check this for the original link: https://anchor.fm/s/cc094d0/podcast/play/25157918/sponsor/amsj67/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2021-01-13%2F4542c465ec7a3234f146bea647ede57e.m4a
  • Ep 50: Mr. Chara Goes to Washinton
    by Full Press Coverage on December 31, 2020 at 9:14 pm

    Ian and Chris react to the Capitals signing of Bruins longtime captain, […]

    Your browser does not support the audio element. But you can check this for the original link: https://anchor.fm/s/cc094d0/podcast/play/24623669/sponsor/amsj67/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2020-12-31%2F26d5b85c06ec2255c2f6cfc78b24cf94.m4a
  • Ep 49: Bruins New Division; Chara's Future in Boston
    by Full Press Coverage on December 23, 2020 at 7:21 pm

    Ian and Chris return to discuss the NHL's 56-game season, the Bruins new […]

    Your browser does not support the audio element. But you can check this for the original link: https://anchor.fm/s/cc094d0/podcast/play/24356084/sponsor/amsj67/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2020-12-23%2F5755949a0115f50df8582cc32916323a.m4a
  • Ep 48: Jake DeBrusk Signs; Reverse Retro Jerseys; Thanksgiving Food Draft
    by Full Press Coverage on November 26, 2020 at 5:54 pm

    On this Thanksgiving episode of the Big Bad Bruins Podcast, Ian and Chris […]

    Your browser does not support the audio element. But you can check this for the original link: https://anchor.fm/s/cc094d0/podcast/play/23142833/sponsor/amsj67/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2020-11-26%2F52d6fc857b1cd37d19b4fe24752398f6.m4a
  • Ep 47: Recapping the Bruins Offseason to this Point
    by Full Press Coverage on October 21, 2020 at 6:34 pm

    Ian and Chris the free agent moves the Bruins have and haven't made as […]

    Your browser does not support the audio element. But you can check this for the original link: https://anchor.fm/s/cc094d0/podcast/play/21440275/sponsor/amsj67/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2020-11-26%2F5e55ff65a935458b843f84f596268c6e.m4a
  • Ep 46: NHL Free Agency Wishlist; Krug and Chara's Future; Rask to Stay
    by Full Press Coverage on October 9, 2020 at 8:21 pm

    Ian and Chris recap the Bruins draft and take a look ahead to the start of […]

    Your browser does not support the audio element. But you can check this for the original link: https://anchor.fm/s/cc094d0/podcast/play/20863092/sponsor/amsj67/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2020-11-26%2F02c7a7b0f8c9979d30155fe48c48dfba.m4a
Full Press Coverage

© 2020 Full Press Coverage

Navigate Site

  • Staff Portal
  • Apply to Write
  • Contact Us
  • Have a news tip?
  • Privacy Policy
  • FPC Radio Network
  • NFL
  • NBA
  • MLB
  • FullPressHockey.com

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Latest
    • Full Press Radio Network
    • Apply to Write
    • Feedback
    • Privacy Policy
  • NFL
    • AFC
      • Baltimore Ravens
      • Buffalo Bills
      • Cincinnati Bengals
      • Cleveland Browns
      • Denver Broncos
      • Houston Texans
      • Indianapolis Colts
      • Jacksonville Jaguars
      • Kansas City Chiefs
      • Las Vegas Raiders
      • Los Angeles Chargers
      • Miami Dolphins
      • New England Patriots
      • New York Jets
      • Pittsburgh Steelers
      • Tennessee Titans
    • NFC
      • Arizona Cardinals
      • Atlanta Falcons
      • Carolina Panthers
      • Chicago Bears
      • Dallas Cowboys
      • Detroit Lions
      • Green Bay Packers
      • Los Angeles Rams
      • Minnesota Vikings
      • New Orleans Saints
      • New York Giants
      • Philadelphia Eagles
      • San Francisco 49ers
      • Seattle Seahawks
      • Tampa Bay Buccaneers
      • Washington Football Club
  • NBA
  • MLB
  • NHL
  • Fantasy Sports
  • Pro Wrestling
  • Other Sports
    • College Sports
    • MMA
    • XFL
    • Futbol
    • AAF
  • Podcasts
    • FPC Radio LIVE
    • Dylan and Ross Save Sports
    • The Eye Test for Two
    • Big Bad Bruins Podcast
    • Black Tuesday
    • Get Off My Lawn
    • The Sap and Kat Show
    • Talkamania
    • Crossbody of Work
    • The Salvaggio and Cratty Sports Podcast
    • All Shows

© 2020 Full Press Coverage