"It's going to be a lot tougher obviously, because we are not a secret anymore," CB Todd Lyght said. "It's out that we are the best team in the NFL."

		Can regular-season and Super Bowl MVP Kurt Warner do it again? People questioned him last season, yet he was consistent the whole year. Now, his shoulder is a little sore. Can he maintain that caliber of play? Everybody will be gunning for him to reveal flaws in his game. Also, the players complained for so long about Dick Vermeil and how hard he was. Will they miss Vermeil or will they embrace a bit of a lighter load from Mike Martz? The new head coach is intense in his preparation, but not as enamored with long practices as Vermeil.

The Rams return 19-of-22 starters from a team that accomplished one of the most stunning turnarounds in NFL history, going from 4-12 in 1998 to 13-3 and Super Bowl champions in '99.

"Going into camp last year, we thought we could be good," WR Ricky Proehl said. "Now we know we are good. Confidence is an unbelievable factor when it comes to sports. We are excited about this year."

The Rams still don't feel as though they are getting their due respect, as many people are picking the Redskins or the Buccaneers as the favorites to win the NFC title.

"You can say it's a motivation to be the Super Bowl champs and not be considered the favorite," MLB London Fletcher said. "We feel like we've been disrespected in a sense. But the only way you get respect is to go out there and take it. So each and every game, that's what we're going out there to do."

The biggest change for the Rams is with their head coach. Dick Vermeil rode off into the sunset after winning the Super Bowl, and now offensive coordinator Mike Martz is in charge.

Martz is the quiet, professor type. But he can be demanding, and he's a stickler for detail. He actually had his players practice clapping their hands together to break the offensive huddle.

"It sounds like something you do with school children, but you can't skim over those little details," Martz said. "Those are important in winning."

Offense
Quarterbacks: NFL MVP Kurt Warner is eager to prove that last season was no fairy tale. However, it will be hard for Warner to match his astonishing numbers -- 65.1 percent completion rate, 4,353 yards, 41 touchdowns, only 13 interceptions and a 109.2 passer rating. "To say I'm going to go out and duplicate those stats each and every year in the NFL is crazy," Warner said. "But the bar is set up there, and that's what I'm shooting for. I'm going to shoot to be even better. I think I can play even better than I played last year. I think going into the season I'm much more comfortable with the offense than I was last year. That's going to help me be more consistent early on." Trent Green is now the backup after recovering from the knee injury that sidelined him all of last season. Green, like Warner, is an extremely accurate passer. Green also knows Martz's offensive system like the back of his hand. Green will serve as an insurance policy this season, and then he could be put on the trading block next year because he wants the opportunity to become a starting quarterback again. The Rams believe that Joe Germaine is their quarterback of the future, but it's probably not the near future.
Grade: A