LAST SEASON: 14-2, lost to Patriots in Super Bowl
PROJECTION: 1st in NFC West

	Faulk wants to prove the Super Bowl was a fluke.

STRONG SIDE

RB: The Rams' attack starts with Marshall Faulk, the human mismatch. Anyone who can cover him can't tackle him, and vice versa. Faulk's all over the field: in the backfield, in motion, in the slot, out wide. If he stays healthy, expect 20 TDs, and he'll set an NFL record with five straight years of more than 2,000 total yards. When Faulk needs a blow, his backups are up to the task. Burner Trung Canidate averaged 5.7 yards per rush. But he may see some of his touches going to impressive rookie find Lamar Gordon, a third-rounder from North Dakota State, who's looked great running the sweep in training camp.

WEAK SIDE

LB: London Fletcher left for the Bills, taking tackles (119) and heart from the linebackers. Ex-Buc MLB Jamie Duncan, though solid and familiar with D-coordinator Lovie Smith's scheme, is not an upgrade. Second-year man Tommy Polley and rookie Robert Thomas will play outside. They're young and fast but, unlike last season, when the Rams had the NFC's second-best rush D, opposing backs could look a lot more like Faulk.

NFC West

1. Rams

2. 49ers

3. Seahawks

4. Cardinals

Scouting Report Index

OTHER UNITS

QB: The thumb's fine, so far. The picks (an NFC-high 22 in 2001) need to come down. But two-time MVP Kurt Warner (4,830 yards, 36 TDs, 68.7% completion rate) is the best QB, on the NFL's best O. Jamie Martin and Marc Bulger are good backups -- not that Mike Martz would ever take Warner off the field.

WR: Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt are a blur into the end zone. Ricky Proehl's always there on third down. Terrence Wilkins will hold on to the ball better than Az Hakim did. And bruising TEs Ernie Conwell and Brandon Manumaleuna contradict the notion that the Rams are soft.

OL: Steady-to-spectacular. Anchored by LT Orlando Pace, LG Tom Nutten, C Andy McCollum and RG Adam Timmerman, this unit enters its third season together. Pace, already dominant, dropped 10 pounds for more quickness. The unknown is RT John St. Clair, who didn't play his first two years as a Ram.

DL: Injuries slowed last year's rookie DT combo of Ryan Pickett (right kneecap) and Damione Lewis (right foot). But the Rams line is the NFL's deepest. High-energy RE Grant Wistrom provides the inspiration, and LE Leonard Little (14.5 sacks) brings the speed. DT Jeff Zgonina excels at tying up blockers.

DB: Last year CB Aeneas Williams helped turn around the Rams D, which allowed half as many TD passes (16) as in 2000. Corners Dexter McCleon and Dre' Bly (6 INTs) rotate on the right side (the third CB plays as much as the starters). Adam Archuleta and Kim Herring are hard-hitting safeties who can cover.

ST: Kick returner Terrence Wilkins -- 10.4 yard average on punts, 22.9 on kickoffs in 2001 -- is the glamour addition to a group that needed help. New P Mitch Berger consistently hits the coffin corner.

This article appears in the September 16 issue of ESPN The Magazine.