My friends, THE GURU is amped for Week Four action with my eyes trained on the Colts (3-0) visiting the Rams (2-1) because it brings to mind the craziest transaction in the history of the National Football League.
No, I’m not talking about trades of Hall of Fame running backs like the Rams sending Eric Dickerson to Indianapolis (1987) or the Colts shipping Marshall Faulk to St. Lou1 (1989). Instead, I’m thinking of a 1972 deal to end all deals.
Indeed, on July 13, 1972, the owners of the Los Angeles Rams and Baltimore Colts swapped their franchises as casually as FATBACK trading yours truly a slice of cake for a frozen burrito2 in the early ‘90s.
Yes, Carroll Rosenbloom3, the dapper Colts owner who'd turned a $13,000 investment into an NFL dynasty, longed for California sunshine. Meanwhile, Robert Irsay, a Chicago heating and air conditioning mogul who'd just dropped a record $19 million on the Rams, realized he'd rather run a team in Charm City.
The man must’ve had a hankering for some pit beef, and I couldn’t blame him.
It was a transaction as simple as THE CHIEF’s morning routine - wake up, eat some Cheerios, start complaining - and nearly as quick. Rosenbloom got the Rams and the Hollywood lifestyle, Irsay received the Colts and Johnny Unitas. No players moved, no coaches fired, no cities abandoned (yet). Just two rich dudes playing the ultimate game of "I'll trade you my toy for your toy.”
Rosenbloom was a particularly interesting guy - a legit business genius who'd retired at 32 after building a textile empire, then returned to make military uniforms during World War II. Then NFL Commissioner Bert Bell - his old University of Pennylvania football coach - convinced Carroll to rescue the failing Baltimore franchise in 1953 by spending 13k for 51% ownership. Within two decades, he was sitting on a goldmine so big that it could’ve caused a herniated disk.
Rosenbloom saved $4.4 million in taxes with the swap and got his Hollywood ending - literally. He moved into a Bel-Air estate with his wife, Georgia, a former lounge singer who'd already plowed through five marriages4 before deciding Rosenbloom was the one in 19665.
Both franchises, of course, would eventually break their fans' hearts in spectacular fashion with Irsay taking the Colts to Indianapolis in 1984 and Georgia relocating the Rams to St. Lou in ‘95.
One last note that makes this mind-bending trade even more intriguing. While the franchises rarely play one another today, they were once bitter rivals who met twice annually in the Western Conference from 1953-1969. Think QBs like Unitas and Van Brocklin battling it out in their prime, two future Hall of Famers slinging passes in an era when men were men and face masks were optional. And then learning that their owners were trading places.
Think Robert Kraft and Jeffrey Lurie6 might wake up tomorrow and decide to swap franchises? Well, that’s what happened in 1972, folks.
As for today’s game, I’m taking the Rams with the Colts pretty banged up. Still, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Daniel Jones - YES, Daniel Jones - turn this one into a shootout. You can catch the action at 4:05 pm ET on Fox.
After Thursday night’s loss, the season mark stands at 26-23 heading into today (.531). Time for LE GURU to wake up. On to the games…
SUNDAY – 9:30 AM NFL NETWORK (DUBLIN)
Minnesota (2-1) and Pittsburgh (2-1) match up in Dublin and, while the Guinness and Shepherd’s Pie will flow, the points may not. Kudos to Carson Wentz for getting another stamp on his NFL passport but I’m taking the Steelers.
SUNDAY – 1:00 PM CBS
Washington (2-1) wins at Atlanta (1-2) with JD5 (knee) and Terry McLaurin (quad) on the shelf. The Commies growing injury list makes THE CHIEF (entire body) and THE TRE MAN (teen malaise) nervous but yours truly trusts in Mariota…
…Buffalo (3-0) crushes host New Orleans (0-3). THE FRANKLINVILLE KID - age 56 - will be knee-deep into his third Wingstop order before the Saints cross midfield in this one…
…the visiting Chargers (3-0) topple the woeful Giants (0-3). This is a trap game for Harbaugh & Co. but the Jints are an obstacle that can easily be surmounted. Jaxson Dart makes his starting debut and it won’t be auspicious…
…Houston (0-3) gets a home win vs. Tennessee (0-3) in a game that someone has to win, right? Right?
SUNDAY – 1:00 PM FOX
Detroit (2-1) pounds host Cleveland (1-2). Sure, the Brownies shocked the Packers last week, but the Lions are once again on a mission…
…Carolina (1-2) falls at New England (1-2). This Pats team won’t make the playoffs but I think that Vrabel coaches them to 7-8 wins. I’ll let you know in a month if that includes preseason games…
…Philadelphia (3-0) keeps it rolling at Tampa (3-0). TOMMY BIRD is so excited that he’s already color-coding the parade route from Fishtown to City Hall and Tampa is sans both Godwin and Evans. It’s a safe bet that Baker Mayfield’s best target today wears midnight green.
SUNDAY – 4:05 PM FOX
San Francisco (3-0) remains unbeaten at Jacksonville (2-1). It’s a big game for Mac Jones, a Jacksonville native who was cut loose by the Jags after last season, and I think he’ll play well. Smoke ‘em if ya got ‘em, Mac!
SUNDAY – 4:25 PM CBS
Baltimore (1-2) wins at Kansas City (1-2) and sends the City of Fountains into a red alert situation. How bad are things in KC? Well, RIGHT WING MATT can’t sit still for an episode of Fox & Friends and hasn’t had the strength to share one of POTUS’s Truth Social posts in days…
…I’m taking Chicago (1-2) in a mild upset at Las Vegas (1-2). Note: if Caleb Williams was at the tables last night, this pick can’t be used against me.
SUNDAY NIGHT – 8:20 PM NBC
Green Bay (2-1) stomps Dallas (1-2) in Big D as Micah Parsons dances on the star, T.O. style. No CeeDee Lamb is tough for Cowboys fans to swallow but, hey, they’ve been choking down bitter pills since 1995.
MONDAY NIGHT
7:15 PM ESPN
The Jets (0-3) fall in Miami (0-3) and Mike McDaniel lives to coach another day on South Beach. The visitors, meanwhile, are 0-3 for the fourth time in seven years!
8:15 PM ABC
Denver (1-2) beats visiting Cincinnati (2-1). SIR STRIPES struggles to function moderately at low altitude so there’s no telling how he’ll do in the Mile High City.
That’s all for this weekend, folks. God bless and, please, pass the gravy!
Yup, the Rams were in St. Lou from 1995-2015 but, as with the Cardinals (1960-1987), the city just couldn’t hang on to a football team.
We’d both like to say we “won” the transaction but, in the end, our gastrointestinal systems were big losers.
A dude named Carroll would’ve fit right in with the world in 2025, eh? Actual full name: Dale Carroll Rosenbloom.
Georgia eventually married a seventh time after Rosenbloom died tragically in a 1979 drowning accident though she fell short of nine-time bride Zsa Zsa Gabor, the famed actress. Those ladies went through husbands like THE TRE MAN through a wad of $20s.
The pair met at a 1957 party hosted by none other than Joseph P. Kennedy, father of the future president.
Heck, if I were Kraft, I’d think about it! Philly is the best franchise in the league.