Tens of 1000's of Rams followers are eagerly anticipating Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, Aaron Donald and the remainder of the Tremendous Bowl LVI champions for a curiously brief victory parade in Los Angeles on Wednesday.
Spectators are lining up for the parade route that was scheduled to begin at 11am native time and run a few mile via the town, culminating in a midday rally simply outdoors LA Memorial Coliseum, the membership's former dwelling.
To mark the event, the town altered one among its most recognizable landmarks: The famed 'Hollywood' signal at Mount Lee within the Santa Monica Mountains.
With the assistance of some giant tarps, the signal was altered to learn 'Rams Home,' which has by no means actually been a becoming description for a metropolis that has all the time appeared to favor the NBA 's Lakers and Main League Baseball's Dodgers.
Even the Raiders, who performed in LA from 1982 till 1994 and gained the town's solely different Tremendous Bowl title in 1983, have historically boasted extra followers in Southern California than the Rams.
LA was famously detached to the membership for a lot of the membership's first stint within the metropolis from 1946 till 1994. The Rams moved to St. Louis in 1995 and shocked the NFL by successful a Tremendous Bowl 4 seasons later, however returned again to LA in 2016 with the promise of a brand new stadium.
Since then, coach Sean McVay's membership has reached two Tremendous Bowls, together with Sunday's 23-20 win over the AFC-champion Cincinnati Bengals, and the town is non longer detached to the Rams.
'What a day in Los Angeles, the Rams are Tremendous Bowl Champions,' Mayor Eric Garcetti mentioned after asserting the alterations to the 'Hollywood' signal earlier within the week. 'This city has the very best groups and followers on the earth, and we will not wait to indicate off our LA satisfaction with a show that solely Hollywood may ship. Go Rams.'
The celebrating started Sunday following a 79-yard game-winning drive by Stafford that ended with a 1-yard TD toss to Kupp, the sport's MVP.
Donald, whose Tremendous Bowl efficiency included two sacks, was among the many Rams who stored the get together going at Disneyland on Monday.
Three LA sports activities groups have gained championships within the final two years, however the Lakers and Dodgers did not get victory parades due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lakers star LeBron James, who attended Sunday's Tremendous Bowl, steered a three-team victory parade, however the metropolis apparently didn't take him up on the concept.
'We, Dodgers and Rams ought to all do a joint parade collectively!!!!' James tweeted Monday. 'With a stay live performance afterwards to finish it!! Metropolis of Champions. Congrats (Rams emoji) as soon as once more!!!'
Head coach Sean McVay and his gamers have been basking within the glow of the membership's second NFL title - and its first in Los Angeles - since Sunday's win. Many, probably together with McVay himself, have managed just a few hours sleep because the win.
'It is an unimaginable honor to be right here,' McVay mentioned Monday, his sandpaper rasp accentuating his sarcasm. 'It is also torturous to have a crew win a championship after which make you come the subsequent morning to a press convention this early.'
With the Rams' 23-20 Tremendous Bowl LVI win, McVay has lastly reached the fruits of a journey he started in early 2017 because the youngest head coach in trendy NFL historical past. Simply over 5 years later, the 36-year-old can also be the youngest coach to win a Tremendous Bowl - and the journey left him exhausted, however thrilled.
McVay mentioned nothing Monday about the opportunity of strolling away from soccer, because the burnout-prone coach has steered when requested about it through the years. However he did not sound like he was completed along with his work on a crew he constructed right into a champion.
'I have been surrounded by nice individuals,' McVay mentioned. 'Whenever you get round nice gamers, nice coaches which might be all dedicated and dealing in the identical route, pulling that rope in the identical route, good issues can occur. When you've got the suitable foundational items ... due to these guys' success, different individuals get alternatives to develop.'
Aaron Donald additionally hit his profession's peak by making the decisive defensive play on Cincinnati's last snap, harassing Joe Burrow right into a fourth-down incompletion to complete a Tremendous Bowl efficiency that included two sacks. The three-time AP Defensive Participant of the Yr lastly has his first ring - and the 30-year-old star additionally sidestepped questions on early retirement instantly after the victory.
Rams chief working officer Kevin Demoff says the crew will wait till its celebrations die down to determine how severe McVay and Donald are about beginning life after soccer, however he's optimistic they're going to each be again.
'I believe all of those guys are wiped,' Demoff mentioned. 'Whenever you get up to now, the fuel tank is empty and also you're sitting there holding a trophy. I believe that is daunting to a point while you get up this morning and understand you have to go do it over again, and you do not have the power. So I believe the speak is definitely pure.
'And I might agree. I do not assume Sean's present tempo is sustainable by way of how a lot work he places in if you wish to have a household. However I believe the one factor, these guys all love soccer. They love being round one another. ... These are all pure questions which might be onerous to reply within the second. A month away, two months away from everyone, and I believe issues will really feel lots higher.'
Not even a Tremendous Bowl championship affected Rams proprietor Stan Kroenke's career-long reluctance to talk publicly about his many sports activities groups, however Demoff mentioned the billionaire who constructed SoFi Stadium was 'happier than I've ever seen him' after elevating his first Lombardi Trophy.
'He took the 2 greatest dangers within the NFL that I can consider within the final decade,' Demoff mentioned. 'Shopping for land to construct a stadium, hoping to get the chance to change into the Los Angeles Rams once more, and hiring a 30-year-old head coach when everyone needed a serious title. These two dangers culminated final evening with unbelievable reward.'
The Rams have achieved every thing huge since Kroenke relocated them to Los Angeles from his native Missouri six years in the past. Touchdown in a glamorous city that had largely forgotten them, the Rams obtained everyone's consideration once more by growing an urge for food for dangers and stocking their roster with veteran stars.
A lot of these stars performed key roles within the Rams' sixteenth and last victory. From Donald and Von Miller to Matthew Stafford and Tremendous Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles' huge names loomed giant within the grand finale.
'There have been so many guys on this crew which have simply revered this recreation, have put within the work and the time,' mentioned Kupp, who seemed much less irritated than his boss to be awake shortly after dawn. 'That was an enormous factor coming into this. So many guys simply mentioned, 'Hey, we have got guys right here that deserve a Tremendous Bowl. We have got to win this for them.'
It occurred one final time within the Tremendous Bowl when Cincinnati scored 17 consecutive factors to take a 20-13 lead a number of minutes into the third quarter. The Rams' offense managed simply three factors from seven consecutive possessions earlier than its last drive - a 15-play, 79-yard imperfect masterpiece ending in Kupp's 1-yard TD catch.
'We speak lots about simply with the ability to do your job,' Kupp mentioned. 'We went via a little bit little bit of a lull there main into halftime and thru that third quarter. We simply wanted to maintain pushing and preserve trusting within the particulars of issues.'
The Rams stored the get together going at Disneyland later Monday, they usually'll get a victory parade in Los Angeles on Wednesday.
Free company is simply 4 weeks away, and the Rams should make choices on a number of key gamers: Miller, receiver Odell Beckham Jr., beginning cornerback Darious Williams, offensive linemen Brian Allen and Austin Corbett, and defensive lineman Sebastian Joseph-Day. They're additionally ready for Andrew Whitworth's determination on retirement.
However Kupp had a assured reply when requested if he thought the Rams may change into the primary NFL crew in almost 20 years to repeat.
'Actually,' he mentioned. 'For those who're going right into a season and did not assume you may win all of it, it will be a reasonably miserable place to play from.'
