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Dick Vermeil
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ATLANTA — One of the hot topics discussed during Super Bowl week was how emotional
Dick Vermeil is. There is no denying it: Vermeil is a crier. He even talked about it
openly.
One of the running jokes among media members was that there had better be an Ark parked
outside the Georgia Dome if the Rams defeated the Titans, because there was little doubt
Vermeil’s tears would flood Atlanta.
News flash!
For the duration of Vermeil’s Super Bowl XXXIV postgame press conference, he
didn’t shed a tear.
First, there was the obligatory phone call from the president. That would surely choke
up the coach, right? Nah.
He spoke about Kurt Warner’s magical season. Eyes still dry.
When Titans head coach Jeff Fisher approached Vermeil at the podium because the two
couldn’t find each other on the field after the game, Vermeil’s eyes remained
bright, and his toothy grin grew blindingly large as the two men embraced.
OK, when Vermeil pulled Rams owner Georgia Frontiere onto the podium with him, surely
he would break down. Hand out the life jackets, please.
Again, though, to the shock of many in the room, Vermeil didn’t weep. He just
shared his thoughts on winning a championship and what it meant to the organization.
Before addressing the media, Vermeil spoke from the field to the fans who had just
witnessed the game.
"You know I am an emotional guy, but right now I just … I feel so good and so
proud of this football team and this organization to be able to bring this home to the
city of St. Louis — a wonderful city full of wonderful people, our organization
appreciates them," said Vermeil, who would break down while announcing his retirement
two days after the game.
What did Vermeil tell the team in the locker room immediately after the game?
"He said, ‘Look, we did everything that we wanted to do,’ " ORT
Fred Miller said. " ‘We knew we had it in us. A lot of people doubted us. And
it’s been a lot of fun this season.' And we get Mondays off. Another 'Victory
Monday.' "
Was Vermeil his usual emotional self while talking to the team?
"He definitely was emotional," Miller said. "It wouldn’t be a
Vermeil speech if he wasn’t emotional. He did a great job of getting us all together
and really putting the guys in the right situations."
 Another subplot that
popped up often during Super Bowl week was the rematch between Miller and Titans DLE Jevon
Kearse. Miller was dogged all week about his performance in the regular-season matchup in
Nashville, a game in which the offensive lineman was flagged six times for false starts
and also had huge problems blocking Kearse.
Miller answered question after question on the topic. One of the factors in his
embarrassing performance in the first meeting was the crowd noise at Adelphia Coliseum.
Before the game, he said the fact that the Super Bowl would host a neutral crowd would
help him in the game.
After the game, Miller stated that his hunch was right, saying that the biggest
difference between this battle vs. Kearse and the last one was the crowd noise. Kearse was
not invisible, though. At times, he did beat Miller and was able to pressure QB Kurt
Warner. All in all, though, it was Miller who came out the winner this time.
"I definitely feel a little bit of vindication," Miller said. "But the
key today was to go out and win the football game. If I would have had played a great game
and we would have lost, then it wouldn’t have meant a thing."
Despite his poor showing earlier in the season vs. Kearse, Rams coaches showed
confidence in Miller. Rather than radically alter their offense to account for the rookie
pass rusher, the Rams opted to let Miller make up for the last game primarily on his own.
"The coaches went in and said, ‘Hey, look, we’re going to put you in a
one-on-one,’ " Miller said. " ‘We’re not going to give you much
help.’ "
Miller’s teammates knew he had it in him to come through with the pressure on.
"I thought Fred did a great job today," said ORG Adam Timmerman, who lines up
next to Miller. "We didn’t do a whole lot today as far as changing our
protections. And he stepped up, knew a lot of weight was on his shoulders and did a great
job today."
The game got off to a very interesting start for the combatants in the trenches. On the
first play from scrimmage, Warner dropped back to pass. His throw was tipped at the line
by Kearse. Who caught the ball? None other than Miller, who was taken down for a one-yard
loss.
The Rams ended the
regular season with the NFL’s second-best red-zone offense, scoring touchdowns on
66.1 percent of their trips inside the 20-yard line. The Rams had 56 red-zone possessions
— second-most in the NFC behind Minnesota — and pushed the ball into the endzone
on 37 of those trips.
But in the Super Bowl, the Rams had supreme difficulty scoring touchdowns, especially
early. In the first half, the Rams ventured inside the Titans’ 20 five consecutive
times but came away without a single touchdown. They had to settle for three first-half
field goals instead.
Part of St. Louis’ problem, according to the Rams, was all the blitzing Tennessee
was doing.
"In the past, inside the 20-yard line, they had never really blitzed before,"
Rams offensive coordinator Mike Martz said. "When we had an empty-backfield setup, in
which we have a ‘hot’ receiver, we weren’t able to get to him. He threw it
to Torry (Holt) in the open field. We anticipated kind of a combination of coverages, but
they didn’t give it to us. They came after us, and that took us out of it. And I
think Torry had dropped one. We misfired a couple of times, but they did a great job down
there too. They were after us. They came after us. The defense did play very well, and we
fought and scratched for everything we got."
Holt, who scored the game’s first touchdown on a nine-yard pass in the third
quarter, said the struggles early on inside the 20 didn’t get the team down.
"We didn’t show any frustration out of the gate," Holt said. "We
knew we had to be patient and take what they gave us. We needed to do that and stay humble
and focused. Whenever they gave us a big play, luckily, God willing, we were able to step
up and make it happen."
Here’s what
Vermeil had to say to Bill Clinton when the president placed his annual congratulatory
call after the game: "I’ll tell you what, Mr. President, this football team is
what America is all about — good people that work hard and care about each other
… unselfish … give what they have to give … and they love each other. Those
just aren’t words; those just aren’t words; that’s what they’re all
about.
"I’d like to take some credit for it, but I’ll tell you, players win
games, and I’ve said that all along. We have a little motto that we try to live by in
this organization: ‘The best you can be is a good example,’ and these guys are
good examples. These guys are good examples (of) what we’re all about in
America."
Frontiere was asked
by a television reporter — presumably from Los Angeles — if she would ever
consider moving the Rams back to L.A. She told the man that she wouldn’t because she
has a lengthy contract in St. Louis, but she mentioned that Raiders owner Al Davis might
move his franchise back to Southern California. |
