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A perfect fit

The new defensive coordinator and dedicated personnel have made all the difference for the Rams.

By DARRELL FRY, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published February 1, 2002

NEW ORLEANS -- With so many new starters and a new scheme, Rams cornerback Dexter McCleon figured it would take the team's new defense a while to solidify.

Like one game.

"We were always confident from Day 1 because we faced the best offense in the league every day in practice, so our confidence was sky high. We just needed to test it out on someone to see where we were," he said. "The first game of the season against Philadelphia we contained (quarterback Donovan) McNabb a little bit. And we've been doing nothing but good things ever since."

Perhaps the only thing more remarkable than the Rams' defensive revival en route to Super Bowl XXXVI has been the swiftness in which it has taken place. In one season the Rams have gone from No. 23 in the league to No. 3.

That's quite a leap for a unit that has had to mesh a new coordinator and two new coaches with a new scheme and eight new starters.

The task was made less daunting by the Rams' meticulous selection of personnel. They were particular about signing players with speed, attitude and character. Anyone not unremittingly committed to defensive coordinator Lovie Smith's philosophy was passed over without regard to talent.

"Quite a few didn't fit into what we wanted and they are still good players in this league," said Smith, whose emphasis on team play is evident by the Rams having just one player (cornerback Aeneas Williams) make the Pro Bowl. "But we had to have guys we could trust, guys we knew what we could expect from them, guys that fit into the team environment and didn't care about getting credit."

The Rams took those additions, such as safety Kim Herring, defensive linemen Chidi Ahanotu and Tyoka Jackson, and Williams and blended them with talented veterans Grant Wistrom, London Fletcher and Leonard Little.

"You can't just have an all-star team and win it all. There are a lot of talented teams that will be watching this game," Jackson said. "What makes this team a championship-caliber team is you've got to have championship attitude and positive personalities in the locker room, and to me that's the real key to how we got this done."

It also helped that Smith's system is simplistic, far less complicated than what the Rams had. Smith's focus has been speed and pursuit, on keeping everything in front and not giving up the big play.

The players connected with it almost immediately, starting with the season opener against the Eagles in which the Rams sacked McNabb five times, forced three turnovers and held the Eagles to a field goal for three quarters.

Even before the season's midpoint, the Rams were among the league's top defenses and posted their first shutout in seven years, 35-0 against the Lions in their fifth game.

As the season progressed, they only got better. They had their three most impressive outings in the latter stages of the season. They held the Panthers and the 49ers, the league's second-best offense at the time, to season lows for total yardage. Then capped the regular season by holding the high-powered Colts to 121 yards fewer than their average of 382 while limiting them to 17 points, nearly 10 worse than their average.

The Rams defense not only improved on stopping teams, but scoring on them. After scoring two defensive touchdowns last season, the Rams tied for second in the league with five, and had three in their NFC divisional playoff blowout of Green Bay.

"When we beat Miami and the Giants (their fourth and sixth games) -- Miami had a high-powered offense at the time and the Giants were putting points on the board and we shut them both down -- that's when I said, "This team can go as far as it wants to go'," linebacker Don Davis said. "This defense has won some games. It has helped win some big games as opposed to just slowing people down and hoping our offense scores enough points."

But the Rams maintain they aren't finished. They figure if they can improve that much in one season, they should be off the charts after another year or two with the same personnel.

"You've got to remember this is the first year these guys have been together, the first year of running this system, so we're going to get better," Jackson said. "We're looking to finish on a high note in this Super Bowl, but we're not going down after that. This thing is on an incline."

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