"I hate to burst your bubble," Rams assistant head coach Al Saunders said. "This is not a truly fast team. It's a play-fast team. The players chuckle hearing how fast they are. Nobody is Willie Gault fast."

	Tony Horne, right, is the fastest Ram with a 40 time of under 4.4 seconds.

In fact, Saunders could see receivers such as Wayne Chrebet, Ed McCaffrey, Steve Largent and Charlie Jones fitting into this offense perfectly. Beating a cornerback on a 40-yard dash is the last thing the Rams want to do. The Rams don't work by the clock.

"That's the reason we don't base everything off time in our scouting reports," Rams general manager Charlie Armey said. "Speed times tell us that the player runs fast. What we want to know is how they run putting the pads on and playing the game."

The fastest Rams skilled player is the least used -- wide receiver Tony Horne, who may be able to get under 4.4 seconds in the 40. Sanders estimates Torry Holt and Az-Zahir Hakim run in the high 4.4 range. Isaac Bruce is a 4.5 guy, and Ricky Proehl may run a 4.6. What drives them is running those same speeds directly at a defensive back while wearing shoulder pads, helmets and a uniform.

The fastest 40 to them means scoring 40 points in 40 minutes of football. The track term 4x100 translates into four receivers each gaining 100 yards of offense.

"We'd all bet that if you take an Isaac Bruce going at full speed while changing directions as he goes, he can beat a track runner who can do a 4.35 40," Saunders said. "The difference between 4.55 and 4.35 is a blink of an eye. You put the pads on and that makes a difference."

The scary part of the Rams offense is that receivers know where they are going and get there quickly. Quarterback Kurt Warner also changes the equation in favor of the Rams. He knows where he wants to throw the ball and rarely misses his mark.

"If you watch, the quarterback throws to a spot and the receiver gets there as fast as he can," Saunders said. "The key to this offense is the style in which we run routes and the tempo everyone is supposed to play."

Rarely in practice does the ball touch the ground. Each day in practice, the Rams push the envelope. The reason the Rams can get behind safeties in two- and three-deep zone schemes is because they know where Warner can throw it, and they race like crazy to get under the pass.

"The thing that everyone seems to forget is that these guys are great at catching the ball; they all have great hands," Saunders said. "Each guy will run his route equally as fast and they will catch the football. In the first five games, I think the only receiver to drop a pass was Az-Zahir Hakim, and he only dropped one. He's got great hands."

Those long passes are a result of getting to where Warner is throwing the ball as fast as their bodies will take them, but the short passes are just as dangerous. A quick 5-yard catch in which Holt or Bruce motor past defenders for long touchdowns is every bit as good.

In practices, Saunders will chase each receiver down the field to make sure once he grabs the ball he doesn't stop.

The Rams coaches preach to never fool the quarterback. "Be where you are supposed to be when you are supposed to be there," Saunders said.

Strategically, though, Marshall Faulk is the threat that drives defensive coordinators crazy. It's bad enough facing Bruce, Hakim and Holt stretching the field or racing past a defender on a quick pass.

Faulk is the secret weapon. Like his teammates, he makes his moves at full speed.

"Marshall is that guy who dictates whether defenses are going to be in two-deep zone or whether they want to have eight guys in the box to stop him," Saunders said. "He dictates the style of defense."

Because they've been together on losing teams and a Super Bowl champ, the Rams' receivers run at full speed not as much for themselves as it is for their teammates.

"They worry more about letting the other guy down," Saunders said. "The team got tired of losing a couple years ago. All five guys are playing for each other. They don't care about the number of snaps or who gets the catches or the plays. Every week it's going to be different."

As long as they don't fool the quarterback, they will continue to make their full-speed assault on the NFL records books.