| The New England Patriots are the
only ones who seem to believe their Super Bowl invite carries even a portion of an ounce
of validity. The Oakland Raiders think they have a beef. The Steelers would like to play a
best-of-three. And the rest of the NFL isn’t really sure how Bill Belichick got his
no-names to the big game — except Rams coach Mike Martz. "We knew about this
team far before we played them," Martz said following the Rams' 29-24 win over
Philadelphia in the NFC title game.
And there is documented proof that Martz spread his thoughts to the rest of the Rams.
"Coach Martz told us they could be here after we played," ORT Ryan Tucker
said of Martz’s postgame comments in Foxboro following a 24-17 win in Week 10.
"He said, ‘I didn’t want to tell you guys, but this is a Super Bowl-caliber
team.’ I don’t know, man. That guy can look at a team for a short time and tell
you how good (it) is, and why. He’s a great football mind."
The meeting of the minds between Martz and Belichick hasn’t dominated headlines
like Brady vs. Bledsoe, but the strategic warfare between the coaches will be explosive.
Belichick is known for "shutting down your top option" as Martz put it, but
against the Rams, it isn’t clear where to start. QB Kurt Warner threw for 401 of his
4,830 yards in Week 10 vs. the Patriots in a game played at night, in the cold, with a
breeze, in November. In the comfort of the Superdome in New Orleans Sunday — Warner
played indoors in college, later played Arena football and currently plays his home
games in St. Louis under a dome — Warner will be downright unstoppable.
Rams WR Torry Holt, who led the St. Louis receiving corps with 81 receptions, expects a
lot of physical play from the Patriots. If that is the game plan Belichick boasts, what
will change? In their prior meeting, Isaac Bruce caught seven passes for 130 yards, while
Holt had seven grabs for 89 yards and a score. So that leaves LBs Mike Vrabel, Tedy
Bruschi and Bryan Cox to stop RB Marshall Faulk. Good luck. Faulk caught seven passes for
70 yards and had 153 total yards in the last meeting — on grass, in the cold, in
November.
But if the Patriots have a trick up their sleeve, it is the element of surprise. They
won’t sneak up on the Rams; Martz will have them well-prepared. But like the rest of
the football world, St. Louis believes it is a 14-plus-point favorite. Nobody saw the
Patriots coming, and everybody expects last week’s halting of the Steelers express to
be Belichick’s last playoff ride.
"It didn’t cross my mind that we would see New England again," Rams SS
Kim Herring said. "Honestly it didn’t. Luckily there is nothing new. We’ve
seen each other."
That might not be a lack of respect, but it certainly sounds like it. CB Dexter McCleon
did his best to bail out Herring, who said he feared media day more than the Patriots.
"You just never worry about the other side," McCleon said. "You better
not. You have to worry about getting yourself there and taking care of your own business.
New England is on a roll. They can beat anyone."
But the Rams don’t believe that. They are simply saying the "right
thing" in order to avoid making noise, or provide added motivation, as if there is
such a concept in the Super Bowl, for the Patriots. DE Grant Wistrom said the Rams are
confident — very confident — that if they play their game, their best game, they
should not lose. While Wistrom is probably right on several counts, Belichick won’t
let that one slide.
Just two weeks ago in the NFC divisional playoff against Green Bay, Martz used the
media to light a fire under his defense. He scribbled the advertised score from one NFL
analyst, "45-40," on a locker-room chalkboard. Three days and eight forced
turnovers later, the Rams were suddenly considered a defensive force.
While Belichick is using a match from that same book to spark the Pats, the media
continue to wonder whether New England can get enough breaks on special teams and defense
to stay with the Rams. I know the Patriots have scored just two offensive touchdowns in
the postseason. I know the speed of the defense is minimal, at best. I know the Rams are
to the Patriots what the Globetrotters are to the Generals. But let’s be frank:
"Any given Sunday" includes Super Bowl Sunday.
The Rams are not bulletproof. Remember, the 1-15 Carolina Panthers came within a
touchdown of rocking the Rams’ boat. A team for which turnovers are kryptonite, St.
Louis is facing a New England team that survives with takeaways, forcing 34 during the
regular season.
Holt told the media Tuesday that he picked New England to bounce the Steelers. Then he
went so far as to say that New England could "slow us down." Don’t be
surprised if the gritty Patriots are able to dictate the pace of this game. If that
happens, a Rams victory, on New England’s terms, will be that much more impressive. |
