| | By John Clayton
ESPN.com
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- In January, the St. Louis Rams won their Super Bowl rings. Now, they want to run rings around the rest of the league.
The Oakland Raiders were the first victims this preseason. Cornerbacks were caught flat-footed as new coach Mike Martz turned up his offense to a feverish
pitch. To the Rams offense, the game is constant motion. Players are in and
out of huddles quickly. Plays are called fast. If a defender blinks, the
Rams will score.
|  | | Kurt Warner will be a primary target for defenses this year. |
The Raiders lost, 31-17, and shook their heads.
"Actually, it's a plan on both offense and defense," wide receiver Isaac
Bruce said. "We want to attack, attack and attack. The defense wants to
come out and get a three-and-out. The offense comes out and puts points on
the board and makes it all the better for the defense."
Were this basketball, the style is similar to Jerry Tarkanian's Runnin' Rebs at UNLV. It's Long Beach State with the run and gun. To the Rams, it's
the tempo. In Year Two of Martz's offense, Rams players know what to do, but
instead of looking back to see if they have a strategic lead on their
competitors, they have turned up the speed to open some distance on the rest
of the field.
"We practice at a high rate of speed," Martz said. "We get in the huddle
and go. As soon as the play is called, we go. If there is a fast play where
the receivers went down field long on the previous play, we'll put two new
receivers in there and go."
Rams players love it. They appreciated last year when Dick Vermeil
shortened his practice to avert the mutiny of the 1998 season. Martz has quickened the
pace of practice so players spend 15 less minutes on the field
each day.
"That's something that Bill Walsh used to do with the 49ers," Martz said.
"You don't want to spend much time between plays. I think you stay fresher
that way. I think you get stale when you stand around."
That's one thing the Rams don't want to do. They don't want to be stale and
allow the rest of the league to get a bead on what they are going to do. The
Rams led the league last year by scoring 32.8 points and averaging 400.8
yards a game. Of course, that was against the one of the three easiest
schedules in NFL history.
Martz and the Rams know the schedule has gotten tougher. So has the scrutiny.
Defensive coaches around the league have had an offseason to study their
plays. The Rams can't surprise anyone anymore. But they have learned that what they do best -- dictate the pace of a game -- gives them an edge.
|
St. Louis' superiority in '99
|
|
Stat
|
Rams
|
NFL avg.
|
|
Pts/gm
|
32.9*
|
20.8
|
|
Total yds
|
400.8*
|
318.8
|
|
Pass yds
|
272.1*
|
212.3
|
|
Yds/play
|
6.5*
|
5.0
|
|
3rd down pct.
|
46.9*
|
36.5
|
|
* Rams led league
|
"We are going to continue to attack people from a lot of different
angles," Super Bowl MVP Kurt Warner said. "The thing that is so great is
that last year we did a lot of things and we were just touching the surface
of those things. We were getting acclimated to the empty backfield sets,
acclimated to having four receivers in a game at the same time. We were just
learning the nuances of those things. This year, we can just expand on
them."
For example, the Rams wants to take more advantage of Torry Holt's physical
presence and speed and have him catch deeper passes in which he outmuscles
and outjumps corners. Backfield coach Bobby Jackson was given an offensive
coordinator's title to come up with a few devious wrinkles in Marshall Faulk's game. Faulk averaged 5.5 yards a carry last year but is one of the most dangerous backs catching the ball downfield.
"I'm sure he's going to mix in some of the play-action stuff that he did
in Washington," Faulk said of Jackson. "Last year was the first time I
didn't have 300 carries, yet I still ended up in the top 10 rushing. For a
while in my career, I was the main focus in offenses. Now, it's fun playing
with other guys that defenses have to respect.
"I go out and there maybe 10 plays I'm going to affect a game as opposed
to 50 or 60. If I have an effect on 10 plays, it takes a lot of pressure off
individuals. Plus, it's fun."
It doesn't take an offensive genius like Martz to figure out what defenses
will do to try to stop the Rams. The Rams are overloaded in offensive
weapons -- Faulk, Bruce, Holt, Az-Zahir Hakim, Ricky Proehl and others. You
can't stop them all, so defenses will put a bull's eye on one person.
|
“ |
That's the best feeling, to see some
defensive back's face when he's there having a
nervous breakdown. We try to go out there and make big plays and be
aggressive. ” |
|
|
— Az-Zahir Hakim, Rams wide receiver |
"I think they will try to disrupt Kurt Warner," Martz said. "I think
what most people will do is hit him as much as they can and try to shake him
up a little bit. They will try to get him out of his rhythm."
In response, the Rams want offensive linemen in and out of huddles quicker
so that they can execute some of the many protection additions to their
offense. Scouts who have seen the Rams may be more impressed with the early
sophistication and execution of the linemen than anything else.
The early efficiency of the line is made more remarkable because free
agency caused a 40 percent turnover in the starters. Center Andy McCollum
and right tackle Ryan Tucker replaced Mike Gruttadauria and Fred Miller.
"Whether they started or not started, the players on this line have been
together for a while, and what happens is that the longer you are together,
the more easily they solve problems in a game," Martz said. "That's why we
locked up this offensive line for at least the next three years. That
continuity is so vital to our success."
The Rams have the swagger of a champion. To say that they walk the walk
isn't enough. They don't walk. They sprint. If they see cornerbacks tired,
they know they are going to win.
"That's the best feeling, to see some defensive back's face when he's
there having a nervous breakdown," Hakim said. "We try to go out there and
make big plays and be aggressive."
The Rams want to lap the field in sprinting to their second
title.
John Clayton is the senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.
| |
ALSO SEE
Tough negotiation looms ahead for Rams
Clayton's postcard from Rams-Titans exhibition
Rematch is mismatch as Titans rout Rams 30-3
Clayton Across America: 31 camps in 28 days
Rams: What next for the champs?
St. Louis Rams
|
