Eric Dickerson says Rams belong in Los Angeles

There has been plenty of talk that the St. Louis Rams will be relocating to Los Angeles, Calif. at the end of the 2015 season. The Rams have been in St. Louis since the conclusion of the 1994 campaign, after spending 49 seasons in Los Angeles from 1946-94.

Former Rams running back and Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson spoke out on the topic, claiming the Rams belong in Los Angeles, per Arash Markazi of ESPN.com.

"“I believe the Rams belong here [in Los Angeles],” Dickerson told ESPN. “That’s like the Packers not being in Green Bay. You couldn’t imagine that. I just feel like [they] need to be back in L.A. I go to St. Louis and support them, don’t get me wrong. I don’t care where they [go], I’ll still support them, but I would like them back in Los Angeles. I live in Los Angeles and a lot of players live here who played for the Los Angeles Rams.”"

Here’s the rub about this. Dickerson did in fact play for the Los Angeles Rams from 1983-87, but the team has technically already moved from the city. The Rams left the Los Angeles Coliseum following the 1979 season, moving to Angels Stadium in Anaheim, Calif.

Los Angeles would get pro football back in 1982 when the Oakland Raiders moved to town, and subsequently won the franchise’s third Super Bowl in 1983. However, the Raiders would also leave town after the 1994 season, going back to Oakland after the city failed to support the team despite good records.

Ultimately, Dickerson will likely get his wish. Rams owner Stan Kroenke owns a massive swatch of land in Hollywood Park. Inglewood, Calif. has already agreed to have a stadium at the cost of $2 billion built on that land, providing a great place for an NFL team to play in.

Despite past failings, Dickerson believes the city should get another shot at hosting a club.

"“This is a major city. It’s the second-largest city in the country and we don’t have a football team, and at one point, we had two football teams in town with the L.A. Rams and the L.A. Raiders. I just think it’s the perfect time. The NFL is bigger than it has ever been and it’s only getting bigger, and to not have a team here is like not having a team in New York. I think we deserve a team. If you had asked me that question 20 years ago, I would have said no. I didn’t think the fans were ready, I didn’t think they would support the team, but football is so big and everybody loves it and everybody wants to go to football games.”"

Perhaps within a year, he will have his wish.