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| Monday, October 18 Rams have definite playoff feel By R.B. Fallstrom Associated Press |
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ST. LOUIS -- The unbeaten St. Louis Rams meet or exceed the profile of a playoff team, and coach Dick Vermeil has the numbers to prove it.
The same goes for the season goals, based on the production of the winning team in every game last year. The most glaring is their average score of 36-12; playoff teams last season won 24-19. "I study playoff teams; I know what their numbers are," Vermeil said Monday, a day after the Rams exceeded last year's victory total with a 41-13 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. "Our profile right now is equivalent to a very fine playoff team. Players tease me about this once in a while when I get going, but it does define things." Here's a few Vermeil-generated numbers to crunch:
"I've got it broken down a ton of different ways, and it's very, very accurate," Vermeil said. "Right now, we're exceeding all that stuff." Critics would say the Rams' startling success is largely a product of their schedule, the third-easiest in the NFL based on last year's records. Their first five victims are a combined 8-21. On the other hand, entering the year the first five games looked somewhat daunting. Besides beating the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals, they have swept Atlanta, which went to the Super Bowl last year, and ended a 17-game losing streak to the San Francisco 49ers. It didn't hurt the Rams that the Falcons were without running back Jamal Anderson for both games, or that 49ers quarterback Steve Young was sidelined with post-concussion syndrome two weeks ago when the Rams dispatched them 42-20. Vermeil also pointed out that the Rams played 10 teams that went to the playoffs last year, winning three times. "No one sent me a sympathy card when we were playing the toughest schedules in football the last few years," Vermeil said. "We just line up and play. Some of the reasons those teams have losing records is they've played us." Vermeil's conclusion: "I don't think those five wins are a fluke." The Falcons sweep is a case in point. The first time around, the Rams beat them with the pass as Kurt Warner threw for 275 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-7 victory, and on Sunday he had only 111 yards passing and one TD while Marshall Faulk carried the load with 181 yards on 18 carries. "They did what they wanted to, and we were at their mercy," Falcons defensive end Chuck Smith. Vermeil said the best might be yet to come. "Can we play better? I think so," he said. "I think we can eliminate some penalties. I don't know if we'll score any more points." |
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