Going The Distance

The night before new eras began for the Mike Ditka-led Saints and the Dick Vermeil-led Rams, St. Louis special teams coach Frank Gansz took the floor at a earn meeting. "Men," Gansz said, "this game's going to be a 15-round fight. And you guys are Joe Frazier."

With that, Gansz popped in a tape of Ali-Frazier I, the 1971 heavyweight showdown in which Frazier knocked down Ali in the 15th round and won one of the greatest title fights of all time. "What a man!" Gansz said of Frazier. "Most guys can't raise their arms in the 15th round. But Frazier had the Dower to knock down maybe the greatest boxer ever. That's what you have to be against the Saints: 15-round fighters."

Through the NFL's longest training-camp practices, in the torrid heat and humidity of western Illinois, Vermeil repeatedly stressed one thing: "We won't die when things get tough. We'll be a great second-half team." And on Sunday the Rams proved they had Frazier's staying power.

During pregame introductions, Vermeil leaped into the arms of right tackle Fred Miller, and the crowd went wild. Still, it was the Saints who landed the first punch. On the game's opening two plays from scrimmage, Heath Shuler passed 32 yards to Randal Hill and then connected with Andre Hastings on a 39-yard flea-flicker. Four plays later Doug Brien kicked a 31-yard field goal.

Late in the first half, trailing by eight, the Saints stunned the Rams on Eric Guliford's 102-yard kickoff return and added a 46-yard Brien field goal to take a 17-14 halftime lead. But in the third quarter the Rams outgained the Saints, 197 yards to minus-four and scored three touchdowns in one four-minute flurry, taking control of a game that was up for grabs. Tight end Ernie Conwell bulled his way for a score on a 46-yard pass from Tony Banks, and Lawrence Phillips ran for his second and third touchdowns of the day, as the Rams prevailed 38-24.

"Last year," Vermeil said, "this team was 0-6 [1-5 actually] when it was down at halftime. This is not last year anymore."

There are a multitude of differences between the Rich Brooks Rams of the past two seasons and this team, but the ability to go the distance stood out in the opener. "I can't believe any other team in the NFL had a camp like we had," middle linebacker Robert Jones said after the game. "I mean, up at 6:45 and going all day, then meeting until past 11 every night. You wonder if your body can get by without rest. But I think the guys just thought, Hey, we'll be ready in the fourth quarter this year."

As Vermeil repeated again and again, this was only one game. And though he didn't say it, this was only the Saints. Toweling off from a Gatorade bath and pondering the future, he saw more than the 49ers, who pay a visit to the Trans World Dome this Sunday. "We've got 15 more rounds to fight," he said. "And, oh, do we have a lot of work to do to be good. But I do know this: We're starting something good here."

On Sunday, for a change, the Rams also finished what they started.

Same as the Old Boss