When someone selected the St. Louis Rams' defense in my fantasy football draft, he was laughed at. First by only one person, but soon the whole room joined in. Of course, we all remembered the Rams as a team that scored about 50 points a game and gave up about 45.
It's not so funny anymore. The Rams' defense is a major reason the team is the sole unbeaten squad in the NFL. Sure, quarterback Kurt Warner, running back Marshall Faulk, and receivers Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt, and Az-Zahir Hakim get most of the press, but it's the eleven anonymous guys on defense that make the Rams the most dangerous team in the NFL.
In St. Louis' fourth game, a 35-0 blowout against the Detroit Lions on Monday night, the offense looked like a juggernaut as always, but the defense put on the real show. True, the Lions don't have a lot to boast about offensively, but the Rams still shut them down.
Other than holding the Lions scoreless, St. Louis scored a touchdown on a fumble recovery, had six sacks, and two interceptions. The week before, the defense held the Miami Dolphins to only ten points, sacking quarterback Jay Fiedler twice and creating four turnovers.
While the Rams have yet to go against the top offenses in the league, it's clear that this is a much-improved defensive unit in comparison to last year's - and even superior to the squad that won the Super Bowl in 1999.
So what makes this unit so talented? It's not big-name players, though there is a pair in linebacker Roman Fletcher and corner back Aeneas Williams. But other than that, it is a group of strong, quick players who understand their roles and execute.
The four starters on the line are all over 6'2 and weigh between 267 and 297 pounds, but they're all quick, especially the ends. Chidi Ahanatu and Grant Wistrom line up outside and are responsible for creating the most havoc in the offensive backfield. The two ends are supported by reserve Leonard Little, who leads the team with four sacks.
Fletcher is the key to the linebacking corps, and the best all-around player on the defense. The middle linebacker is only 5'10" and 241 pounds, but he leads with 33 tackles. Fletcher also has three sacks and an interception to his name.
Left cornerback Aeneas Williams was a pro-bowler with the Arizona Cardinals but came to St. Louis as a free agent this offseason. He has teamed with right corner Dexter McCleon to form one of the strongest tandems in the league. They are second and third on the team in tackles, and McCleon already has an interception on the season. And Williams' backup, Dre Bly, has the Rams' lone defensive touchdown this season.
Since this defense is working with a new defensive coordinator, Lovie Smith, and a number of new starters, it will probably improve on its current ranking of tenth in the league.
This Sunday, the Rams play the New York Giants, in a game that, in past years, was a matchup of the Rams great offense against the Giants' stingy defense. That's no longer the case, as the Giants will have to figure out how to score on the Rams.
In the long run, if the Rams have a chance at going undefeated on the season, it will be due in large part to the defense.
The good
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jerome Bettis moved over 10,000 yards rushing for his career with 153 yards against the Cincinnati Bengals last Sunday. It was the Steelers first game in their new stadium, Heinz Field, and Bettis helped the home team open up in style, as Pittsburgh won the game 16-7. Bettis is now 14th on the all-time rushing list.The bad
There were once three teams in the NFC East without wins. Now there are two. After Cardinals defeated the Philadelphia Eagles, 21-20 in the final minute, only the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins remain without a victory. The Redskins fell 23-9 to the Giants, and the Cowboys lost 28-21 to the Oakland Raiders. There are other teams without wins in the NFL, but for now, the Redskins and the Cowboys are going to remain here until they win.The ugly
Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski gets the award this week, and not just because of his physical appearance. The kicker, who weighs 255 pounds, was pulled from a night club last weekend after he was found incoherent on the floor, kicking and flailing wildly. This is not the first time Janikowski's been involved in an incident of this nature, and the NFL is looking into appropriate punishments.
