KURT WARNER

OK. . .Kurt Warner no longer plays for the Rams. And he was never a Los Angeles Ram. But if you've remained a Rams fan all these years, you've got to like this guy. Number one, he came out of nowhere and won a Super Bowl for the Rams in St. Louis. After injuring his hand and going through a couple of trades, he ends up in Arizona in what would most likely be a backup role and mentor to Matt Leinart. But he hangs in there and guides the Cards to the playoffs and upsets Atlanta and Carolina in the first two rounds, leading his team into the NFC title game next week at home against the Eagles. I'd love to see Warner and the Cards come through as the underdogs and win it all.

2/1/09 Postscript. Well they reached the Super Bowl, Warner came through in the clutch and the Cards took a late lead, but their defense couldn't finish the job. Congratulations Steelers.

DICKERSON RAN WILD

I know that many people in Southern California couldn't care less about not having a pro football team in Los Angeles. There's always the argument that there are so many other things to do here that we don't need the NFL. While that may be true, for those of us who grew up rooting for the L.A. Rams, there's definitely a void. Especially for parents who are missing out on taking our own kids to a pro football game. At this time of year, the playoffs get underway and it's just not easy to show much interest in Eagles vs. Vikings. But I do have memories of playoff games here. It was on this date in 1986 that Eric Dickerson ran wild for 248 yards as the Rams defeated the Dallas Cowboys in Anaheim, 20-0. Dickerson out-gained the entire Cowboy offense that day in what turned out to be legendary Dallas Coach Tom Landry's final playoff game. Dickerson was one of the greatest runners I've ever seen. He had a gliding straight-up running style that combined speed and power, propelling him to a single-season NFL rushing record of 2,105 yards in 1984. After contract disputes and a falling-out with Coach John Robinson (Dickerson reportedly said, "You run 47-gap" to his coach), he was traded to the Colts in 1987. He played there for 4 years, then got bounced around a bit before retiring in 1993. He was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1999 and is currently #6 on the list of all-time NFL rushing leaders.