Tuesday, January 22, 2002
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ST. LOUIS >> A decade of losing in Arizona merely heightened Aeneas Williams' thirst for winning. Now he's quenching it by making big plays for the St. Louis Rams. Winning is Williams’
new bag in St. LouisStar-Bulletin wire services
No one has ever made more big plays in a postseason game than the All-Pro cornerback did on Sunday as the Rams routed the Green Bay Packers 45-17 in an NFC divisional matchup. Williams ran back two interceptions for touchdowns, a first in the NFL playoffs. He also stole the ball from Antonio Freeman after the Packers wide receiver made a reception.
That performance, while typical of Williams' ball-hawking skills -- he has five interceptions in three playoff games -- is exactly what the Rams lacked a year ago. And precisely what the Rams had in mind when they traded two draft picks for him in April.
"It begins to sound like a broken record, but you start with Aeneas," coordinator Lovie Smith said yesterday of the revitalization of the defense that included bringing in Smith and eight new starters. "Aeneas is one of the oldest players at practice, but at the level he goes, he runs to the end zone every time he catches the ball. He writes down every word at meetings. This is an All-Pro player doing this.
"Young players see him doing it, and before long, it becomes habit."
Losing was a habit in Arizona, where the Cardinals went 56-104 in Williams' 10 seasons. They had one winning record, 9-7 in 1998, when they were 1-1 in the postseason. There was also a .500 season. Otherwise, a lot of bad football.
But the Rams knew what Williams was about. And it wasn't losing.
"This feels great," Williams said of being a victory over Philadelphia away from the Super Bowl. "It's been a journey. A lot of times in life, you just need opportunities. What this organization has done for us as players is give us a tremendous opportunity to succeed."
That wasn't the case with the Cardinals, where winning sometimes seems an afterthought. The Rams were in much the same situation until the new regime took over in '97. Now, they are the envy of pro football.
Williams came in to join new starters Chidi Ahanotu, Brian Young and Jeff Zgonina on the line; Don Davis and rookie Tommy Polley at linebacker; safeties Adam Archuleta, another rookie, and Kim Herring. While all have been factors in the Rams' rise to the No. 3 ranking on defense, Williams has had the biggest impact.
"Aeneas shows you how to conduct yourself and how to go to work," Archuleta said. "You watch him, every day he is the same guy. He takes notes in meetings, he studies film, and in practice he works hard every day."
Archuleta was a star linebacker at Arizona State whose switch to safety was made easier by Williams' guidance. But although he went to school in Tempe and played in the same stadium as the Cardinals, Archuleta hadn't seen much of Williams before becoming a Ram.
"I didn't get to watch him a lot because the Cardinals were always blacked out, they couldn't sell tickets," Archuleta said. "You knew about him, but I didn't know all the details and what kind of person he is and how he prepares.
"He's a playmaker, and he doesn't just want to intercept the ball, he wants more."