They love this guy

Rams bought Smith's plan from the start

By Jim McCabe, Globe Staff, 1/31/2002

EW ORLEANS - It has become a Super Bowl staple, embraced by a media that fits into traditional storylines like comfortable loafers. As if in search of Waldo, the task is to locate the coaching ''genius'' involved in the construction of conference champions.

The word makes him cringe, but Lovie Smith knows he's it this year. He's the ''genius,'' the mastermind behind St. Louis's revamped defense, starring in a role previously played by the likes of coordinators such as Bill Belichick (defense with the New York Giants), Mike Shanahan and Mike Holmgren (offense, San Francisco), and Marvin Lewis (defense, Baltimore).

Smith has been involved in this business since 1983. OK, he's learned a few things along the way, but it's not as if the switch to his brain somehow got turned on automatically this season. This didn't exactly come together overnight and while he talks about the dramatic 198-point turnaround with the Rams' defense - 471 last year under coordinator Peter Giunta, 273 this season - Smith has striking presence about him.

He's just not into this ''genius'' thing. The label doesn't feel right for this small-town guy who has known football all his life.

''I'm comfortable with the job our defense has done,'' said Smith. ''The guys did a great job. They were treated like stepchildren all last year; this year, they got the monkey off their back. So I'm comfortable with anything good that someone is saying about them.''

Mostly glowing things, understandable given the fact the Rams went from 23d in defense a year ago to third under Smith. They allowed the fewest first downs (256) and yards (4,471) in the NFC and went from six fumble recoveries to 22. While the spotlight still shines on the team's dynamic offense, everyone knows why the Rams have earned their second Super Bowl appearance in three years.

''Last year, we were the reason we weren't here,'' said defensive end Grant Wistrom. ''Now, to be a solution to the problem rather than the cause is pretty satisfying.''

Few accolades have filtered their way, however, with only one Ram - cornerback Aeneas Williams - chosen for the Pro Bowl. Consequently, focus has shifted to Smith, a task made even easier by the critical praise that has come his way.

''He's almost too good to be true, to be honest with you,'' head coach Mike Martz has told reporters, and linebacker London Fletcher concurs, offering that Smith ''has a magnetic personality, and a tremendous defensive mind, [is] a phenomenal person and a phenomenal coach.'' Wistrom adds his layer of praise: ''You want to go out there and bust your butt for him.''

Smith knows the words and comments have been poured forth faster than the gumbo this week, but he won't have any of it. He was one of 34 kids in his graduating class at Big Sandy High School, 100 miles east of Dallas, a football star at a football power in a football-mad state, yes, but too many of life's challenges have come his way to let words of praise make him forget where he's from and what he's all about.

''I just so happen to be in the leadership role,'' said Smith. ''But it's easy to work with players like I'm working with. It still comes down to personnel.''

A whole new game

The Rams were the reigning Super Bowl champions at the start of the 2000 season, but coach Dick Vermeil had quit after three seasons and Martz had been elevated from offensive coordinator. When the team started 6-0, back-to-back Super Bowl titles appeared on the horizon. But quickly storm clouds moved in and the team lost six of its last 10 games, some of the defeats looking like the Rams were involved in some sort of Arena League - 54-34 to Kansas City; 33-20 to Washington; 31-24 to New Orleans; 38-35 to Tampa Bay.

''Last year, some players got away with some stuff that really shouldn't have happened, as far as not working as hard as they should,'' said Wistrom, who wasn't surprised when Giunta was let go days after the Rams were ushered out of the playoffs, 31-28, by New Orleans in a wild-card game.

Martz's search for a defensive coordinator was an important one because, with Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk & Co., he knew he already had the best offense in the league. What he couldn't overcome was giving up an average of 29.4 points per game.

Smith had been the linebackers coach at Tampa Bay since 1996 and his swarming defense was held in high regard by those around the league. But Martz went back even further, back to Arizona State in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when he was the offensive coordinator and Smith the linebackers coach. There was always something special about Smith, thought Martz, and the interview process was set in motion.

First stop, team president Jay Zygmunt and Smith didn't waste any time getting to the point. ''I can't guarantee that we'll be better,'' he told Zygmunt, ''but I promise they'll work hard.''

Smith got the job and it didn't take his players long to get his message. The first day of camp, in fact, when the guy from Big Sandy put them through a series of grueling pursuit drills. Relentless with his criticism, Smith barked orders and ran his squad into the ground, oblivious to the fact that in most situations all 11 players were surrounding the ball. This was training camp and the message was clear: ''Work hard or I'll run you out of camp.''

Martz stood to the side and was consumed by a sense of relief. He had explicit orders for Smith: basically make the defense as good as the offense, and between them they had set out to rebuild. Disgruntled veterans from the 2000 season were shelved, making room for Martz and Smith to plot an overhaul.

''He was very succinct, very sharp, very clear about what he wanted for that defense,'' said Martz. ''Lovie is probably as good an evaluator [of talent] as anybody I've ever been around.''

Through the draft, the Rams got starting strong safety Adam Archuleta and weakside linebacker Tommy Polley. Via free agency, left defensive end Chidi Ahanotu, strong-side linebacker Don Davis, and free safety Kim Herring came aboard. But the glue that may have sealed it all was the trade with Arizona that brought in Williams, the left cornerback.

''He means to our defense what Marshall [Faulk] meant to our offense in '99 when he came here,'' said Martz, sparing no praise for Williams.

Graciously, Williams deflects it all. ''I can't take any credit. This is one of the best coaching staffs I have ever been around. Coach Lovie Smith and the [others] have done a tremendous job.''

The name rolls off his tongue - Lovie - and you catch yourself wondering about the name. When you discover it's for real and not a nickname, there is a chance you'll snicker. Please don't. The folks in Big Sandy never did.

Solid foundation

His parents had anticipated a girl, one who would be named after Aunt Lavana, but when they found out otherwise, Lovie is what they came up with. Sort of close to Lavana. Kind of, anyway.

Football is serious stuff in Big Sandy where Smith is sort of a legendary figure, a key player on three state championship teams, one of which scored 820 points in a season. ''Most people today in Big Sandy can't recite everything that happened back then in those days, 27 years later, but I can. It's a football town. Five hundred people in the town, most of them interested in football.''

Smith played at Tulsa where John Cooper became the first coach to make a lasting impression on him. In fact, Cooper gave Smith his first job, coaching the Tulsa linebackers, and the tour of coaching outposts was under way - a year at Wisconsin, three at Arizona State, one at Kentucky, two at Tennessee, one at Ohio State, then his arrival in the NFL, with Tony Dungy in Tampa Bay.

A lot of guys had shaped the philosophies that Smith applied to his duties with the Buccaneers and there was no doubt he was ready for advancement. Still, he gives all the credit to Martz.

''He had a lot of nerve, a lot of guts to take a chance on me.''

More than warranted, some would argue. Smith, after all, had shown character and commitment from the moment he entered the coaching fraternity. He got his strength from the two most inspirational people in his life - his father, a man who battled alcoholism for years, and his mother, blinded by diabetes 11 years ago but as passionate as ever about life.

Good and honest people, both of them, said Smith, who brought that attitude into his meeting with Zygmunt, then to his players.

''From the first day [with the Rams], I told the guys, `We're going to be different. We're going to have 11 guys around the football, every play.' That's elementary. Most people don't want to hear that. But that's what we talked about. Hey, guys, if you want to play, here's what you have to do.''

It doesn't take a genius to issue such a demand. However, it does take a special kind of coach to get them to respond.