For the majority of Ronnie Lott’s career with the San Francisco 49ers, the team had a storied rivalry with the then (and future) Los Angeles Rams. That rivalry took a nosedive in 1990 and pretty much stayed there, with the 49ers starting a 19-game winning streak, much of it when Lott was off the team and with the Oakland Raiders or sitting on a panel as a TV analyst for Fox.
It was during that streak that Lott, then with Fox, made public the phrase the 49ers had when the Rams “thought” they had turned a corner and could stop that streak. There, on TV in front of God and everybody, Lott let loose the phrase the 49ers players had been using in preparation for the game all week. Their opponents were the “Same Old Sorry Ass Rams.”
One day we will shake #SOSAR. I’m thinking 2017. #Rams
— Darth Gator (@GoneGator66) September 20, 2015
Yeah. It hurt. The truth often does and fans in St. Louis adopted the phrase as a critique of their own team, shortening it to “SOSARs.” It showed up a lot in print and on message boards from 1994-1998. Of course Kurt Warner and the Greatest Show on Turf would wipe that slate clean, but only for a few years. The city and the team ran Warner out of town and SOSAR returned, even if no one said it out loud anymore.
Unfortunately, we've all seen this before.from the Fisher Rams. Big win followed by loss against a very beatable team the next week.
— Jim Thomas (@jthom1) September 20, 2015
Well it needs to be said again, because the SOSARs were on display Sunday and if Jeff Fisher wants to keep his job another season, he’ll need to make sure that’s their last appearance. Under Fisher the team has made a habit of getting up for big games against the Seahawks, 49ers, Colts, Broncos and any number of playoff teams, but against teams that the Rams should walk over, they’ve either struggled or, like Sunday against the Redskins, been soundly defeated.
Last week's win means nothing when you follow it up with an uninspired effort against a bad football team #Rams #SOSAR
— Steven Spaid (@stevenspaid) September 20, 2015
The loss to the Redskins hurts not only because they barely have an NFL roster, but because the Rams have a legitimate opponent this week in the Pittsburgh Steelers. In fact, they’ve got three straight playoff teams coming up (the Steelers, Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers) so this loss not only stings because the Redskins are pathetic, but because St. Louis really needed to come into this stretch 2-0. With these teams coming up on the schedule, the Rams could take three legitimate losses before their bye.
The good news for Fisher’s particular brand of SOSAR, is that these are big games, so the Rams should be significantly better, win or lose. And they might shock all three, but I wouldn’t bet on it. What is coming after that is a stretch of current adult diaper fires (the Cleveland Browns, 49ers, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Baltimore Ravens) and that’s where the Rams can really set up their postseason run or the SOSARs can kill it before Thanksgiving.
My question has been answered. #SOSAR #Rams
— Rob in Kansas City (@laramsfan1966) September 13, 2015
The Rams need to be 7-3 or better by the time they play the Cincinnati Bengals on Nov. 29 because that is when the real tests begin.
We’ve all been through this before so it’s hard to feel confident even though this is the best Rams roster since 2003 and will only get better when first-round pick Todd Gurley is ready to take the field, Tre Mason is back to full strength and wideout Brian Quick suits up again.
Fisher decided to go with two rookies on the offensive line (guard Jamon Brown and tackle Rob Havenstein) and they held their own against the Seahawks the opening week. Why was Washington such a problem? They don’t have a defensive player that could make the Seahawks starting unit, yet you’d think they were the defending NFC Champions after Sunday. It was a bad scene, man.
Watch head coach Jeff Fisher's Monday press conference from Rams Park.
Live: http://t.co/KRHF2QflZI pic.twitter.com/BcWif4R9g2
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) September 21, 2015
The Steelers won’t make it any easier and neither will the Cardinals, who decided not to role up in their AARP snugglies and just die. And the Packers? I’ll believe the Rams can line up with them when I see it.
But even if the Rams come out of this three-game stretch 0-3 (and they won’t), they can’t afford any more letdowns like they had Sunday. Frankly they shouldn’t stand for it. It’s time for the SOSARs to be retired for good.
