| |  Dominance more than just talk for the Rams
By Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com
ST. LOUIS -- The term is derived from an old NASA benchmark of excellence, back at a time when the brilliantly administrated space agency never made a mistake and the romantics conjured up visions of a colonization of the moon or of Mars, and the sky literally was defined as the limit.
Little wonder then that St. Louis Rams coach Mike Martz, a man whose offense seems forever poised for liftoff and whose retooled defense now orbits ominously around enemy quarterbacks, embraced the theory of "Max Q" as the ultimate goal for his football team. Get accustomed to the term because, as the Rams attempt not only to capture their second Super Bowl championship in three years this Sunday but also to establish themselves as one of the most complete outfits in the recent history of the game, you are apt to hear it about a zillion times.
In the world of Mike Martz, who people seem to forget was only the offensive coordinator for Dick Vermeil when St. Louis won Super Bowl XXXIV over the Tennessee Titans, winning is simply not enough. Winning in dominating fashion, somehow having every component of the game galvanize at precisely the same time and reaching the state of football nirvana, really is the prize he has set as the Holy Grail.
Even if his charges don't actually believe such perfection is possible in a
game governed by the ungovernable, they have bought into the nuance of "Max
Q" and will depart for New Orleans a step closer to achieving it following
their victory Sunday in the NFC championship game.
"To get to that 'Max Q' that Mike talks so much about," said cornerback
Aeneas Williams, "you have to be a multifaceted team. When I came here last
spring, I wasn't certain that was the case, because the concept I had of
this team was that it was all about offense. But you've seen the way we win
now. You saw how we all kind of dovetailed today to get it done. We are
about as total a team, or at least getting close to it, as I've seen in my
11 seasons in the league."
Indeed, about the only glaring deficiency for the Rams is on special teams,
where the return and cover units are mediocre even on a good day. Outside of
those shortcomings, though, St. Louis has morphed into more than just a
high-tech offense that is forever moving the ball vertically in the
direction of the end zone. By bringing in coordinator Lovie Smith, and
installing eight new starters on defense, Martz has tacitly conceded that
side of the ball is more than an afterthought designed to allow his arsenal
of offensive playmakers a breather.
In facing the New England Patriots and head coach Bill Belichick, a man
whose defensive genius he openly admires, Martz figures to attempt to design
the consummate game plan. A second title in three years for the Rams will be
significantly sweeter if earned with a performance so lopsided people
beginning whispering the "D" word (as in dynasty) when addressing this Rams team.
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“ |
To
get to that 'Max Q' that Mike (Martz) talks so
much about, you have to be a multifaceted team.
When I came here last spring, I wasn't certain
that was the case, because the concept I had of
this team was that it was all about offense. But
you've seen the way we win now. You saw how
we all kind of dovetailed today to get it done. We
are about as total a team, or at least getting close
to it, as I've seen in my 11 seasons in the
league. ” |
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— Rams cornerback Aeneas Williams |
Said wide receiver Torry Holt, who will be tested on his inside seam routes
by a secondary that embraces contact, but who has grasped the theory of "Max
Q" despite his youth: "No doubt the bottom line is winning. But winning at
every aspect of the game is the goal."
It is a goal, quite frankly, that cuts right to the quick (and the
quickness) for the Rams. If there is one criticism that rankles both Martz
and his team it is the still-popular suggestion that St. Louis remains a
finesse team on both sides of the ball. Those skeptics who contend the Rams
become shrinking violets when confronted by violence will be coming out of
the woodwork this week.
The Patriots are a consummate blue-collar team, a collection of modestly
talented veterans, many of whom were plucked off the NFL scrap heap last
spring by Belichick and by personnel director Scott Pioli. As such, they
will be elevated to sweetheart status by all those who cheer underdogs, and
their supposedly superior toughness is apt to be a recurring theme for the
week.
But in defeating the upstart Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, and doing
so by trashing their usual big-play game plan and grinding out yards in
grunts instead of gulps, the Rams displayed again that they can play it
roughhouse when they really get motivated to go smashmouth style. It was as
if, realizing what lies ahead, Martz opted to send a message to his Super
Bowl opponents.
Truth be told, he didn't need to, because the regular season reinforced the
notion the Rams are much more than just an entertaining high-wire act.
A quick fact: St. Louis ranked second only to Pittsburgh in 2001 in running
game differential, the difference between the averaging rushing yards it
gains less the average it surrenders. The Rams had a gaudy differential of
plus-40.1 yards. Translation: This is a team that not only ran the ball well
but also stuffed the run defensively in impressive fashion.
Noted more for its big-play mentality, the statistics validate Martz'
contention that St. Louis also is a team that does the little things well.
One of the game's most creative offensive minds, a guy who has studied Don
Coryell more than Buddy Ryan, the St. Louis coach nonetheless is plenty sage
enough to know that football is a pursuit of mastered minutiae.
Do the little things well, pay attention to detail, rise to magnificence in
performing the menial responsibilities well, and you win a lot more often
than you lose. That realization is the primary difference not only in Martz
but also in his team this season. There was a time this season when the Rams
didn't always adhere to the tenets of tenacious pursuit of excellence in
small matters, and part of that was Martz's belief that turnovers were just an
accepted occupational hazard for the frenetic style preferred by his team.
But the Rams have practiced better ball security on offense and rededicated
themselves to defensively chasing people down.
Not surprisingly, that combination made them a 16-point favorite over the
Patriots as the betting line opened Sunday evening. And that combination
is apt to put the Vince Lombardi Trophy into the hands of Rams owner Georgia
Frontiere late next Sunday night.
The week of preparation in The Big Easy almost certainly will spotlight the
battle of wits between head coaches who represent two of the greatest minds
on either side of the football that the sport has seen in the past
quarter-century. Fair enough, because everyone is seeking an angle, and because the respective brilliance of Martz and Belichick should not be diminished.
But while both teams will be seeking a championship, one will be seeking
"Max Q," the state of football perfection. Combine that with the palpable
reality the Rams also are fueled by a sense of unfinished business, the
undercurrent that suggests a team with 27 players who own Super Bowl rings
feels it was the NFL's best outfit in 2000 as well, and one can almost
justify those very wide betting odds in Super Bowl XXXVI.
Where the crafty Belichick is concerned, as evidenced by the upset Sunday in Pittsburgh, all things are possible. But facing a team as complete now as
the Rams appear to be, with a defense that in one year improved from 23rd in
the league to No. 3 and an offense more volatile than a vat of
Nitroglycerine, figures to be too difficult a combination to overcome.
"We are a team of high expectations," said offensive left tackle Orlando Pace. "Make that very high expectations. All that 'Max Q' stuff. We believe
in it and we think we're the team to achieve it."
Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.
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