Original 5 Rams recount L.A. life

St. Louis' DeMarco Farr, Isaac Bruce, Keith Lyle, Jay Williams and Todd Lyght remember their time in Los Angeles and use it as motivation.

By ERNEST HOOPER

© St. Petersburg Times, published January 29, 2000

ATLANTA -- Words are not necessary for five of the St. Louis Rams.

A knowing look, a telling smile is all they have to see. It motivates them, it bonds them and it reminds them of what once was.

The Los Angeles Rams.

"Take off-season conditioning," defensive tackle DeMarco Farr said. "You're running laps and you're just dead tired and you just want to stop.

"If I'm running with Isaac (Bruce), I'm going to give it more. He's going to give me a look like we've got more to give than others because we've been here the longest."

Farr, Bruce, safety Keith Lyle, defensive end Jay Williams and cornerback Todd Lyght, the oldest of the bunch, can remember what it was like to play at Anaheim Stadium, bask in California sun and ... lose a lot of games. Although the memories of those seasons are not fond, they do serve as inspiration.

"We definitely thrive off of one another," Farr said. "We don't really talk about it much, but when we're working out together or we're eating together or we do anything together, it's a kind of vibe. We kind of give each other a look like we stuck it out, we're the last remaining players."

The survival of this bunch can't be underestimated, especially Lyght. The Rams have had four coaches since he joined the team out of Notre Dame in 1990, but he has stuck through it all and now relishes the chance he has to cap a magical season.

"It would mean a whole lot more to me if I could get a ring," Lyght said.

Said Lyle: "It's very unique and it's a special bond. When you've been with guys for six years and struggled and been through so much. We talk about it a lot and we're relishing everything."

St. Louis isn't exactly sunny in the winter, but the Rams have warmed up to the town after making the move from California. For some, the departure meant saying goodbye to a glamorous lifestyle and hello to Midwest values.

Initially, the arrival was surreal. The team came off a 4-12 season and was greeted with a ticker-tape parade. But in 1999, all of it seems to make sense to Lyle.

"It seems like in L.A. when you lost, there was so much to do that people accepted that very easily," Lyle said. "L.A. is a great city and you can get caught up in the hype. When we moved to St. Louis, we were frustrated with that at first, but it's so intimate and so small they embrace you. It's a great football city, a great sports town."

While Farr, Bruce, Lyght and Lyle have varying degrees of fondness for the Los Angeles lifestyle, Williams said he doesn't miss much about the Hollywood glitter because he never was really a part of it.

"There weren't too many L.A. days for me," Williams said. "I didn't go out that much. I was on the practice squad. I didn't want to get caught up in that wild life in L.A. because I had already been cut twice and I didn't want to get cut for a third time.

"I knew the move would be good because the fans in St. Louis were hungry for football. The fans in L.A. weren't. The attendance at games was terrible. I thought it was a good move for the team and the players to start fresh again."

The fresh start took five seasons and 82 games to come to fruition, but now it appears leaving L.A. was the best thing for this five and the Rams.

Bruce has overcome hamstring injuries to have one of his best seasons with 77 receptions and 1,165 yards. Lyght earned a trip to the Pro Bowl for the first time.

Farr has been an overachieving tackle credited for helping the Rams defense go 19 consecutive games without allowing a 100-yard rusher.

Williams had four sacks as a reserve after having only two in 49 career games.

Lyle was being ranked among the elite safeties before an injury late in the season, but is expected to play Sunday.

"When you lose and you hadn't had a winning season as long as we did, when you finally turn it around it makes it that much sweeter," Lyle said.

Said Farr: "We're the last of the L.A. Rams, the last of a dead dynasty.

"And the start of a new one."

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