| On the surface, the Rams’ offense is all glitz and
glamour. However, like all other offenses, it is the "uglies" that make it go. "That’s
us," OLG Tom Nutten said. "But it all starts in the trenches with the
(uglies)."
St. Louis is known for its offense, the powerful unit that led the NFL in passing and
overall offense and was fifth in rushing. The Rams scored 500 points for the third
straight season, QB Kurt Warner threw for nearly 5,000 yards, RB Marshall Faulk was over
2,000 total yards for the third year in a row and the Rams again had two 1,000-yard
receivers. With all of that talent, it would be easy to forget an unheralded offensive
line — unless they were blocking for you.
"It always starts with the offensive line," WR Isaac Bruce said. "Big O
(Orlando) Pace. Adam (Timmerman). Andy (McCollum). Those are the guys that make it all
work. We aren’t the No. 1 offense by ourselves."
Other than Pace, who will play in his third consecutive Pro Bowl on Feb. 10, the
Rams’ offensive line is not imposing and, in turn, gets overshadowed to the point
that it doesn’t receive apt credit for the offensive performance on the whole.
"I think they have done a terrific job," said former Rams OT Jackie Slater, a
Hall-of-Famer. "All of them. This is a demanding style of offense to play in."
Depth has been a factor this season with reserve OT Rod Jones and C Frank Garcia
playing significant roles. Jones was particularly crucial. At one point during training
camp late last summer, Jones actually left the team for a brief period to get his
"head straight." The five-year veteran, who considered hanging up his cleats
permanently, eventually received a start in the NFC divisional playoff against Green Bay
because of an ankle injury to starting tackle Ryan Tucker.
"Our backups, especially Rod and Ryan, they could be starters on other
teams," Timmerman said. "There is a lot of talent on this line."
Sunday, Jones was playing opposite Tucker when Pace left for a short stretch in the
second quarter with a knee sprain. Offensive line coach Jim Hanifan said Jones has been a
"lifesaver" because he is versatile, which he proved Sunday by playing right
tackle on one series and left tackle on the next. Now Jones, who spent five seasons in
Cincinnati, may get a start Sunday if Tucker’s ankle problems persist.
"We’re like boy scouts," Jones said. "We’re all prepared for
whatever might come."
Whatever might come is also an adequate description of head coach Mike Martz’s
offensive game plans. His directory of plays is virtually unlimited, adding between new
200-250 offensive plays each week.
"We don’t have any idea what is coming," remarked Jones, who was a
spectator at Super Bowl XXXII when the Rams edged the Tennessee Titans in Atlanta.
"We know coach isn’t going to be shy about calling anything. We have the big
guys up front that are capable if we pound or pass."
Though St. Louis ranked fifth in the league in rushing, the Rams were first in the
league in yards per carry at 4.9 and even turned in a performance with two 100-yard
rushers in the same game. Martz called 416 running plays and 551 passes; the NFL average
was 440.8 rushes, 522 passes. Outside of the 6-7, 320-pound Pace, St. Louis features a
very small line, one designed with agility and mobility in mind. The average size of the
other four linemen is 6-4 1/2, 300 pounds, but it is that swiftness a foot that allows the
fleet to get out in front of Faulk & Company.
"We do move and we get to the point pretty quick," ORG Adam Timmerman said.
"You just have to make a little crease for Marshall. It’s awesome. He makes you
look good."
There are no comparisons to the "Hogs" in Washington or the mammoth offensive
fronts of the mid-1990s in Dallas when the Cowboys’ line averaged 320 pounds
— unless you are strictly talking results. However, the Rams’ pass-happy,
quick-strike offense hardly qualifies as an offensive lineman’s dream.
"I haven’t met an offensive lineman that wants to drop back and pass all the
time," Timmerman said. "We’d like to run the ball, get the backs involved
and then if we have to pass on third down, we could deal with it. We don’t call the
run that often, or as often as some other teams. But when we do run it, you’ve seen
what happens."
The lack of girth hasn’t necessarily led to an added number of sacks, but it does
contribute to a takedown from time to time. The first season this offensive line was
together, 1999, it allowed 31 sacks. This season, that number rose to 40.
Much like the rest of the team, the construction of the Rams’ offensive line was a
practice in persistence. Pace and Tucker are the only homegrown products, drafted in the
first and fourth round, respectively. Timmerman, who will be making his fourth Super Bowl
appearance, came from Green Bay as a free agent in 1999. That same year, McCollum left New
Orleans for the Rams and Nutten graduated from the Canadian Football League and NFL
Europe. Jones, in his first season in St. Louis, came in prior to training camp this
season.
"Overall, I think we have done an all-right job," Tucker said. "I guess
maybe a little better than that. We are going where we wanted to go." |
