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 Tuesday, August 15
Rams ready to put pedal to the metal
 
 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
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.
 



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