ESPN.com - NFL/PLAYOFFS99 - Despite Rams' hype, Bucs not worried

Despite Rams' hype, Bucs not worried
By David Kraft
ESPN.com

ST. LOUIS -- Lights burn through the wee hours spelling "Go Rams" on downtown skyscrapers. Banners extolling the virtues of the hometown team are everywhere -- hotels, bars, billboards ... even one draping the historic Federal Reserve Bank building (did anybody consult Alan Greenspan?).



	St. Louis has gone ga-ga over its Rams.

At a pep rally that attracted 18,000 people to Union Station, men and women old enough to know better and children young enough not to all had their faces painted and wore blue-and-gold balloon hats.

And one local newspaper cried in a front-page headline: "Rhapsody in blue, gold."

The good people of the Gateway to the West, starved forever for a football title and since 1982 for a pro sports championship of any kind, are positively ga-ga over their 14-point favorites, who meet Tampa Bay on Sunday in the NFC title game.

Only downside to what one local TV station is calling the Rams' "March to Atlanta"? There's still a game to play before the Rams and their faithful should start thinking Super Bowl. And the Buccaneers, winners of 11 regular-season games (the Rams won 13), don't seem to be buying into the conventional wisdom.

"These are the two best teams in the NFC," said Tampa Bay's Warren Sapp upon arriving in St. Louis. "The one with the most wins and the one with the second-most wins."

"The last few Super Bowl and (conference) championship games ... I can't remember what the (point) spreads were," said Tampa Bay coach Tony Dungy.

All Dungy needs for historical context is last year's NFC title game, in which heavy favorite Minnesota lost to unsung Atlanta. No doubt he's brought up the reference.

High praise for Warner

News conferences, especially at events such as the NFC Championship game, tend to give the term "news" a bad name. Safe in the sanitized air of a hotel ballroom, the usual array of cliches, bromides and predictable comments flow freely.


	Warner

And then comes Dick Vermeil. Friday, he casually mentioned that his second-year quarterback, Kurt Warner, might someday be linked with Joe Montana.

That Joe Montana.

"He's not a flash in the pan," Vermeil said. "I've never seen anything like him."

Vermeil went on, saying that he and Fox analyst John Madden were watching Warner practice earlier this week, and Madden said he thinks Warner throws the ball like Montana did.

He continued: "Maybe some day they'll say that Joe Montana throws the ball like Kurt Warner."

Montana has four Super Bowl titles. He's about as sure a bet to be named to the NFL Hall of Fame next week (in his first year of eligibility) as any man in history. Warner? He's won 14 games, not counting his time in the Arena Football League and World League. His story is compelling, but Montana?

Vermeil smiled when he made the comparison.

For his part, Bucs coach Tony Dungy said he's not ready to put his rookie quarterback, Shaun King, in Montana's class. At least not yet.

Someone even tried to goad King into the debate, but he declined. "I've got a long way to go to get to Mr. Montana's level," he said.

Wisely said, young man.
-- David Kraft

The Rams, meanwhile, are doing nothing to quell the hype. Fueled by a city that supported the team even when it was losing -- something the Rams did every season before this one following their move from Anaheim in 1995 -- there's little reason for the Rams to think any other way.

On Friday, someone asked St. Louis wide receiver Isaac Bruce whether his team was unstoppable. "I kind of have that feeling," Bruce said before falling into a little more traditional gamespeak.

"The only one I know to be untouchable is Elliott Ness and I think he's gone," answered Sapp.

The St. Louis confidence drips from the pores of coach Dick Vermeil, who has been quoted as saying his team doesn't have any real weaknesses.

"We're poised, relaxed, confident -- I don't think anyone can do anything with the fear of losing," he said.

To be fair, Vermeil, who's been in this position before (20 years ago with the Philadelphia Eagles), does give Tampa Bay its due. He likes the Bucs defense. He thinks Sapp can disrupt any offense. "We plan to play well, and so does Tampa Bay," he said.

But Vermeil is confident. And so is his team. "I'm very, very positive about how I coach," he said.

"They've earned the right to be confident," said Tampa Bay safety John Lynch. "(But) I've never heard a head coach say he can't find a weakness in (his) team."

The Bucs point to last week, when they held the NFL's No. 2 offense to just 157 total yards and no offensive touchdowns in their 14-13 victory over the Redskins. The Rams are the NFL's No. 1 offense.

The Rams point to themselves.

"We have a feeling that any time one of our guys gets into a one-on-one situation, he can win it," quarterback Kurt Warner said.

"We'll come in and play our game," Dungy said. "We didn't feel like we'd lose to the Raiders by 45 points (on Dec. 19), but we did. You can't really fathom what's going to happen out there."

One of the intriguing matchups is Bruce against Lynch. The Bucs play more zone than man-to-man, but there's little doubt the two will hook up -- and both left calling cards on Friday.

"Lynch is going to try to put us on our backs," Bruce said. "I don't believe he can."

"We've been hearing a lot this week," countered Lynch. "We're of the opinion that you play the game on the field. We'll see on Sunday."

But he couldn't resist an invitation to Bruce: "I'm sure we'll come in contact (with each other)," he said. "I'm sure I'll greet him with a Tampa hello."

Both teams will hold walk-throughs at the TWA Dome on Saturday. Both are relatively healthy -- the Rams will activate Keith Lyle, and kicker Jeff Wilkins will play. Sapp says he's been practicing at full speed after suffering a leg injury last week and promises to get "a lot of opportunities to get up close and personal" with Warner.

And at least the Bucs seem tired of talking.

"It doesn't matter what (the media) thinks or what they think," said Alstott. "It matters what we think."

Said Dungy: "That's why you play the games. You never know what's going to happen."