BOB RYAN

Rams: Ready, set, go

1/29/2002

EW ORLEANS - Motivation advantage? Zero.

You think there is any remote chance the St. Louis Rams will not be taking the Patriots seriously Sunday? Do you really believe that? There couldn't be a more unrealistic reason to pick the Patriots.

The NFC champions are the perfectly motivated team. The roster consists of two types of players. Every Ram is either someone who (a) was on the Super Bowl champions of two years ago and is carrying a major hurt around after being knocked off by New Orleans in last year's wild card game or (b) someone who wasn't a member of either team and who is obsessed with getting his own ring.

Between the guys who remember the sweet taste of ultimate football victory and the guys who never have experienced that taste at all, the Rams will put 45 supremely motivated people on the field at 6:28 EST Sunday. Let there be no mistake about that.

As for any possibility that the Rams view the Patriots as some kind of AFC roadkill, you can likewise dismiss that thought. It turns out that when the Rams were through defeating the Patriots by a 24-17 score in what had been a competitive game back on Nov. 18 at Foxboro Stadium, St. Louis coach Mike Martz told his team that it had just defeated ''a Super Bowl-caliber team.'' The Rams remember that game and they also know what took place in Pittsburgh Sunday.

They will be mentally ready.

In case you haven't figured it out by now, the Patriots are led by someone who commands immense respect in the intense world of football coaching. ''We won't get much sleep,'' Martz said following his team's 29-24 conquest of the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday. Of facing Bill Belichick, he said, ''It's quite a challenge for us. He does so much. They do a great job of attacking what you do, in the running game, and I just think they're as well-rounded and well-coached in all three phases of the game as there is in the league.''

Now you can choose to believe Martz was speaking from the heart, or you can choose to believe he was being polite and nonthreatening. I'm selecting the former. Everyone else in the league respects what Belichick and his able lieutenants have accomplished this year. Why should Martz be any different?

''We played them once and we had a great game with them,'' said league Most Valuable Player Kurt Warner. ''They're a very talented football team, a fun team to watch and play. Belichick will have a different [defensive] scheme than when we played them the first time. I am sure he will come up with something for us this time. It should be fun.''

But from the Rams' point of view, the identity of the opponent has no bearing on their mental state. It makes a difference to the coaches, who must prepare the respective game plans, but the players could be facing the AFC All-Star team. The Rams simply believe that the AFC team is the last obstacle in a very difficult season. The 1999 season was a joy ride from its September start to its January Super Bowl finish. There has been nothing idyllic about the ride this time.

'''99 was really a dream season, the way it played out,'' said Warner. ''Nobody expected us to do anything, and it was a special year. This year may be a little more rewarding because we were really the team that everyone wanted to beat from the get-go. We were favored from the start and we were able to fight through the season and fight through these last two games and make it into the Super Bowl. It's very, very rewarding, with everybody expecting us to be on top, everybody wanting to knock us off, [to] still be able to accomplish what we did.''

Running back Marshall Faulk was in complete agreement. ''From the first game in Philly, it just seemed like we kept having all these important games every week,'' he said. ''Mike would stand up in front of us and say, `This is an important game.' The next week it would be, `Now this is an important game.'''

Now factor in the specific motivation of a defensive unit that feels disrespected by the world at large. Two years ago the Rams won despite their defense. It was all about this jet-powered offense that could outscore anyone. It was an unbalanced team, and last year the defense dragged the team down. General manager Charley Armey went to work in the offseason, dramatically reshaping the defense with eight new starters and four new defensive coaches, including coordinator Lovie (yes,it does take some getting used to) Smith.

''Those eight new guys have all bought into the system,'' Faulk said. ''Their attitude is, `We want to be just as special as the offense.' We've been competing since the first day of training camp. They make us better and we make them better, and what you get is what we've got right now.''

And what that happens to be is the greatest offense in modern times, coupled with a punishing defense that believes it can compete with anyone. These defenders can hit you, and when people discuss the speed of the Rams it no longer can be assumed the unit in question is the offense.

The Rams are feeling good about themselves, but not good enough. There is one game to be played. The Rams will be ready.

Bob Ryan is a Globe columnist. His e-mail address is ryan@globe.com.