Wilkins retires

Jeff Wilkins announced his retirement earlier today. Jeff showed some signs of decline in 2007 but even that slightly-off season does not detract from his standing as the best kicker to play for a St. Louis team. He ends his career tied for the NFL record for most consecutive PATs, and is the Rams' all-time scoring leader. (At least the franchise's scoring leader got to retire as a Ram, an opportunity not offered to the franchise's receiving leader.) Wilkins quickly became one of my favorite Rams because he made the kicker position one St. Louis fans could trust again after 30-some-odd years of ridiculous kicking failures and hijinks.

My favorite Wilkins play wasn't a FG, though, or a PAT, it was his recovery of his own onside kick in the 2003 divisional playoff against Carolina. And how many touchdowns did he save for the Rams' pathetic special teams by making a clutch tackle? He's probably been the special teams' best tackler the last five years! Jeff was always a classic case of a "real" football player in a kicker's body.

But you thought special teams were bad before now. 3-13 is going to look good the way this team is going into the shithole right now, opening the offseason by losing their kicker and idiotically dumping their #2 WR.

We were hoping the Rams' offseason player moves would get off on the right foot - not quite, unless that means stepping on a landmine, blowing off your right foot and then falling backwards on top of a bamboo spike.

The Rams are rumored to be going after Seattle PK Josh Brown to replace Wilkins. Brown's a talented kicker. The Rams can certainly testify that he's a clutch kicker. His acquisition would weaken a division rival, and he probably wouldn't cost that much more than Wilkins.

Then again, they could save a million and let Justin Medlock compete with the kid from the U of Cincinnati from last year's training camp, add that to the million they should save on Gus Frerotte's replacement, then take that two million AND PAY ISAAC BRUCE LIKE THEY SHOULD HAVE IN THE FIRST PLACE. Of course, they won't, because they're god damned idiots.

In any event, best of luck to Jeff Wilkins in his post-football pursuits, and thanks for your steadiness, reliability, professionalism and toughness.

And even better luck to his successor. He'll need it.