Doesn’t Take Long For Rypien To See He Likes St. Louis

After two days as a Ram, Mark Rypien already feels like he’s at home.

Signed by St. Louis on Friday morning, the former Washington State and Shadle Park High School quarterback has spent two days in the Rams’ minicamp in the Los Angeles area and things are looking pretty familiar to him.

“Of the 28 (actually 30) teams, there’s really only about five different strategies and offenses in the whole deal,” Rypien said. “(Offensive coordinator) Jack Riley comes from the Don Coryell. Joe Gibbs school, so this is very similar - even the terminology - to what we ran at Washington.”

Rypien, after seven years with the Redskins, served as a reserve at Cleveland last year, but was waived at the end of last season.

And although it took nearly four months to find a new employer, the MVP of Super Bowl XXVI said he hadn’t developed any anxieties with the passing of time.

“No, I knew for the last month or so this was going to come together, although Houston turned up the heat a little bit and were in this thing at the end,” Rypien said.

The Oilers invested the third pick in the NFL draft on Steve McNair, clearly their projected quarterback of the future.

“That was much to the dismay of (Oilers offensive coordinator) Jerry Rhome,” Rypien said of his former quarterback coach with the Redskins. “Houston would have been a good opportunity, but probably only for a year with the future belonging to McNair.

“Now, with St. Louis, I’ve got a chance to go in and compete for a job and get a chance to play some more and maybe then call it quits after three or four more years,” the 32-year-old Rypien said.

Rypien said he is a good friend of the Rams’ returning starter Chris Miller. “We’ve played a lot of golf together and had some real battles in college,” he said.

Another aspect of signing with the Rams that suits Rypien is the new head coach - Rich Brooks - against whom he competed in college.

Brooks coached Oregon in several wild games against Washington State when Miller quarterbacked the Ducks and Rypien led the Cougars.

In 1984, WSU won 50-41 as Rypien was 8 for 21 for 139 yards and Miller was 15 for 35 for 238 yards. Both quarterbacks were overshadowed in that game by Cougars back Rueben Mayes, who rushed for an NCAA record 357 yards.

In the next year’s WSU-Oregon game, Rypien had his biggest game as a Cougar, completing 21 of 37 for four touchdowns and 403 yards. Miller was also 21 for 37 with three touchdowns and 259 yards.

The Rams’ move to St. Louis means they will play in a new stadium in front of hungry fans.

“It’s a team in a new city and there’s a lot of excitement built into it,” he said. “It’s an opportunity I’m very excited about.”