Defense Does It Again in Rams Win

Sunday, October 8, 2006

By Nick Wagoner
Senior Writer

GREEN BAY, Wis. � Standing on the sidelines late in Sunday�s game, Leonard Little found himself fatigued, weary and with his defensive coordinator in Little�s face.

The dehydrated Little had already been through three IVs and didn�t have much left to give. But when Jim Haslett came to him demanding that he dig a little deeper for a big play, Little came through.

As the Rams have in pretty much each of their five games this season, they got a big defensive play when they needed most on their way to a 23-20 win at Lambeau Field on Sunday.

The victory moves the Rams into sole possession of first place in the NFC West Division with a 4-1 record and rival Seattle coming to town next week. Green Bay falls to 1-4 with the loss.

With 44 seconds to play and Green Bay on the verge of at least kicking a game-tying field goal, Little found the energy for one final big play. As defensive tackle Jimmy Kennedy bared down on quarterback Brett Favre, Little burst around right end.

At the last second, Little saw the ball dangling from Favre�s right hand and knocked it loose. The ball bounced off of Little and away before it appeared that Green Bay guard Daryn Colledge had recovered it.

�It seemed like it took forever, like the ball was going in slow motion,� Little said. �I was just hoping that someone would fall on the ball.�

That someone came in the form of cornerback Jerametrius Butler. The ball squirted away from Colledge and Butler pounced on it to preserve the victory. The Rams took a knee and escaped with the win.

For the Rams, Sunday�s win was just another in a line of heart stopping finishes. Fortunately, those finishes have continued to go in their favor. Sure, there has been some luck involved such as Kurt Warner�s fumble in week three in Arizona, but make no mistake, the defense has developed a knack for coming up with big plays when the team needs it the most.

�We are the second coming of the cardiac kids right now,� cornerback Ron Bartell said. �How many times can that happen? Hopefully the ball keeps bouncing our way and we can pull out some more wins.�

Aside from Sunday�s fumble recovery and linebacker Will Witherspoon�s recovery of Warner�s miscue, the Rams have had a tipped ball from Witherspoon into the hands of Fakhir Brown for an interception to preserve the opening victory against Denver. Last week, Witherspoon did it again with the tipped pass to save the Rams from a potential pass interference penalty that would have put Detroit in position to tie the game.

It�s become a familiar and emotional refrain that might not be ideal, but it certainly seems to be working.

�We have had some emotional roller coaster type games,� coach Scott Linehan said. �They are all like that in this league, but you just have to go in there and play every play. Fortunately for us, we have been able to come out on the better end.�

While any Rams coach or player would be the first to admit there has been some luck involved, the Rams seem to find a way to make their own luck. To be sure, there isn�t anything lucky about a team that leads the league in takeaways and turnover differential.

It was no coincidence that the Rams won the turnover battle once again against the Packers. St. Louis was plus two against the Packers and had no turnovers of its own. That formula has been the ultimate for a Rams team that hasn�t had a premium on ball control in years past.

Of course, Sunday�s victory wasn�t much on aesthetics, as both teams had their share of struggles whether it be with costly turnovers in Green Bay�s case or mounting penalties in the Rams� case.

St. Louis had opportunities to put the Packers away in the second half, but was unable to because of struggles in the red zone. The Rams scored first after Green Bay�s first turnover of the game.

Green Bay running back Vernand Morency fumbled on the fourth play of the game. Defensive end Victor Adeyanju recovered at Green Bay�s 37 and the offense quickly took advantage of the field position.

Quarterback Marc Bulger had another in a string of strong outings, hitting receiver Torry Holt for a 6-yard touchdown, the first of two scores Bulger threw Sunday afternoon. Bulger hit Kevin Curtis for a 3-yard score with 3:27 left in the first half to give the Rams a 14-13 lead that the team would not relinquish.

On a windy day at Lambeau Field, the Rams came out with an offensive game plan focused on taking care of the ball.

�The game plan was to take what they give us,� Holt said. �I think (Linehan�s) doing a great job of keeping defenses off balance so they can�t key in on what we are doing too much. This was a lot more conservative, trying to manage the game, take care of the football and get in the red zone and get some points.�

Aside from the fact that Bulger once again went without throwing an interception, he finished with 220 yards on 18-of-28 passing for a rating of 112.2. Running back Steven Jackson did his part in controlling the ball and the clock as well, rushing for 98 yards on 23 carries with another 20 yards coming on three receptions.

One week after an offensive explosion against Detroit in which the offense posted a season-high in yards, the Rams finished with 327 yards against Green Bay. They finished two-of-five in the red zone, missing some opportunities to extend the lead, but Jeff Wilkins was his usual perfect self, converting all three of his field goal opportunities in the second half.

Wilkins� 20-yard field goal into the wind with 9:25 proved to be the winning score. Packers receiver Greg Jennings scored on a 46-yard touchdown with 6:42 to go, but the defense held up at the end.

As the close games pile up, there are many hearts slowed or stopped for Rams� fans, players and coaches everywhere. But the important thing is that those tense moments continue to end with a sigh of relief.

Thanks to yet another in an emerging line of significant defensive plays, that�s the way these Rams are developing an identity.

�This team always fights,� Little said. �That�s the difference between this team and teams of the past. We are fighting to the very end, until the 60 minute clock runs out. Today was another example of that. (It�s) different coaching, different personnel. This whole team is different. We don�t stop playing until the last second goes out of the clock.�