Under the big top: we take a look inside the circus act that is the Rams

IN ST. LOUIS, THEY CALL THE Rams "America's Team" and "The Greatest Show on Earth." And why not? The Rams' offense is in a league of its own, ready to take its place among the greatest of all time.

In both 1999 and 2000, the Rams ranked No. 1 in the league in total yards and passing yards, and they're on pace this season to make it a hat trick. St. Louis has averaged roughly 32 points a game the past three seasons; only the Los Angeles Rams of 1949 through 1951, at 33.8 points a game, were more prolific. In each of the past three seasons, the Rams started 6-0 before losing a game. They won the Super Bowl in 1999 and are among the front-runners to capture another one this season.

Yes, it's been a wild ride--and it's far from over.

What exactly keeps this bunch so motivated? St. Louis coach Mike Martz provided part of the answer when the Rams suffered their first loss of the 2001 season, to the New Orleans Saints in Week 7. "You always dream about those things [an undefeated season] when you get off to a fast start," he said. "That's fun. If you don't dream those things, then you'll never realize those dreams. We'll always dream like that. It certainly was a goal for us."

That's the Rams, all right. They think big.

Even with injuries to Kurt Warner and Marshall Faulk last year, they scored 540 points, the third-highest total in NFL history. (They were the first team to score 500 points in back-to-back seasons.) And when Faulk went down with an injury for a period of time this season, the Rams offense barely missed a beat. Second-year player Trung Canidate simply stepped in for Faulk and kept the chains moving.

"We're in a special place in time," Martz says. "We're trying to make this thing last as long as we can because it's so much fun. That being said, I ended up by accident being caretaker of a phenomenal group of people. So I guess I don't think much of it."

In reality, Martz deserves a lot of the credit for what the Rams have done, as he is the one who designed their innovative offense. But he says that offense is only is good as the players executing it.

"This is a real ugly offense with anything less than what we have," he says. "Without these people, I don't know if we can do what we do, because we're asking these guys to do some pretty exceptional things."

Indeed, the Rams are to offense what Ferrari is to cars. Says Warner, "Some teams have two options. Some teams have three options. We've got four, we've got five, we've got six. You can try to take away whatever you want to take away. But you're still going to have to single [cover] somebody."

With Warner throwing to Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt, Az Hakim, and Picky Proehl, and Faulk running behind a solid line, St. Louis can score almost at will. All that can stop the Rams is the Rams themselves. In their loss to the Saints, for instance, they turned the ball over eight times.

But that's the only knock on an offense that is being called the best ever. The Rams, however, take such superlatives in stride. "When stuff like that is brought to our attention, we don't look at it like, `Whoa! We're getting ready to do something that has never been done before,'" rays running back Robert Holcombe. "We just look at it like we're doing what we're supposed to do."

Proehl, who made the clutch touchdown catch that beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 1999 NFC title game, adds, "You look around, and there's Az, Torry, Ike, myself, Marshall. I just look and say, `They can't stop us.' And we know that as a unit. When we start connecting, it's like playing in the backyard when you know you're going to go down the field and score."

Faulk says that kind of self-assuredness is part of the key to their success. "We're just confident in what we can do," he says. "Can we put up points? We probably could, just about on anybody."

Adds Holcombe, "We don't even care who's on the other side of the football. There's an aura of confidence. There's a trust in the guy standing next to you where you know that guy's going to be there."

Martz says that defenses have yet to catch up with what the Rams are doing on offense--and he fully intends to keep things that way. "We change every game what we do," he says. "We change every year. We try to keep changing. Defense in the NFL is a game of recognition. They recognize where you're going with things. We try to be predictable in our unpredictability."

The effect of that philosophy is nothing short of stunning. "Defenses get to where their heads are spinning," Proehl says. "They don't know where we're going. We are moving, they are trying to make calls, and the ball's snapped. And you know how fast our guys are. So if you're not where you're supposed to be at the right time [the Rams have the edge]."

Part of that edge comes from the fearlessness and aggressiveness of Martz's playcalling. Proehl cites a game last season against the Saints in which the Rams had a third-and-goal at the New Orleans 19. Martz refused to call a safe running play and settle for a field goal. Instead, he went for the touchdown.

"He's throwing a deep corner for the endzone," Proehl says. "A lot of coaches don't do that. They'll hand the ball off and play for the field goal. We're going for the seven. A lot of coaches don't want the interception. I've played on a lot of teams where we had a lot of talent, but we played not to lose. He goes for the throat, and that's another reason why we've had success."

Not surprisingly, Martz's in-your-face style tends to tick off opposing teams. One such instance occurred against the New York Jets in late October, when he called for an onside kick despite the fact that the Rams were leading 31-7. But after the game, Martz justified the move, recalling how the Jets had come back from a 17-0 deficit to win against the Miami Dolphins the previous week.

"I'm concerned about winning games," Martz says. "We don't have different speeds of how we play. We don't allow our players to let up. So we as coaches don't let up. We're not here to please anybody but ourselves. We're here to win games. And we'll do it our way. That's all we're trying to do."

However, some NFL observers speculated that Martz's move was payback after the Jets had called the Rams a finesse team. If there's one thing that annoys Martz, that's it.

Before St. Louis played the Dolphins this year, Miami's Daryl Gardener said his team was going to lock the Rams in a building and throw away the key, prompting Martz to say, "Don't you think if somebody challenges your character, there's a little bit of a motivational thing? We try not to spend too much time with it. But when somebody says they're going to lock you in a building and throw away the key, you've got to mention that, don't you think?" By the way, the Rams wound up beating the Dolphins 42-10.

And beating teams is all Martz really cares about. "Here's what bothers me: if we don't play to our capabilities," he says. "We just have one speed, and that's full speed. And our objective as players and coaches is to get it out of ourselves every time we're on the football field, to give all that there is to give. And if we can achieve that, then you have no regrets about anything."

Martz will never apologize for being bold. "You have to be bold in this league," he says. "If you're timid in the NFL, then you won't last very long. I know there are coaches who smother their team's talent. And the coach ends up getting fired. Why hold back your talent? What's the point? We do what's fun for us. And I want to keep this thing fun for everybody. As soon as you put up a harness on great talent, that's not fun for anybody."

There no question that the Rams are having fun. Even on defense, which was the team's Achilles' heel in 2000. Last season's defense was nothing short of abysmal, ranking 23rd in the league in total yards allowed and 27th in passing yards allowed.

But several new additions--including linebacker Mark Fields, safety Kim Herring, cornerback Aeneas Williams, and coordinator Lovie Smith--have helped the defense improve its ranking dramatically. St. Louis' defense is never going to be confused with that of, say, the Baltimore Ravens, but it doesn't have to be that good. All it has to do is give the high-powered offense a little breathing room, which it has done.

So as the playoffs near, the message is clear: The Rams will be tough to beat. Care to bet against them?

COPYRIGHT 2002 Century Publishing
COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group