Rams face Super Bowl champions
By R.B. FALLSTROM, AP Sports Writer
August 17, 2003
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- The St. Louis Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers have developed an intense rivalry, but their matchup this season will be relatively meaningless.
After all, their only meeting will be Monday night in a preseason game.
``It doesn't mean anything,'' offensive tackle Kyle Turley said. ``We're clicking on all cylinders, and we're just biding our time, waiting for the season to start.''
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Rams coach Mike Martz is more interested in assessing personnel than which team they are playing.
``We've got to be very methodical about the preseason and avoid the temptation to make something maybe more than what it really is, at the expense of losing a good player,'' Martz said. ``The Tampa Bay-Ram thing has been a pretty good rivalry over the years and I think our guys, without saying anything about it, get pretty excited about it.''
Bucs coach Jon Gruden respects the Rams (0-1), a dominant team before last year's 7-9 finish.
``We realize St. Louis is a great team, not only on offense but defensively,'' Gruden said. ``That's where they've made a lot of acquisitions here in the last couple of years.''
The Rams were winless in the preseason last year and lost their opener last week, 7-6 at Oakland, saddling them with a five-game exhibition losing streak. They'd like to enter the year with some success, but it is not that important.
``I don't really pay that much attention to it in the preseason because so many guys are playing,'' quarterback Kurt Warner said. ``It's important to get into a stride, get into a rhythm, get everyone on the same page and start feeling that continuity.''
Warner hopes to play most of the first half with Marc Bulger and Kirk Farmer also seeing action, but he has rarely played more than a quarter in the preseason with St. Louis during his career. Warner again will be working behind a line minus All-Pro Orlando Pace, a holdout since being given the franchise tag in the offseason.
Warner, who took a hard hit from the Raiders' John Parrella last week, said he wants Pace in camp now, especially since the Rams open the season at the New York Giants in just over three weeks.
``There's always a little bit of buzz about that, guys hoping he gets in there,'' Warner said. ``I don't think anybody has any legitimate information on where it's going and how it's going and what's been said on both sides, I just think everybody here wants him here.''
Rams running back Marshall Faulk will miss his second straight preseason game, following the team's conservative early game plan. He has not played in the first two games since 2000.
``I don't expect him to see any action until the third preseason game, and then sparingly in the fourth if at all,'' Martz said. ``Just enough to get him in there and get him going pretty good.''
Defensive back Aeneas Williams, recovering from torn ankle ligaments and a broken leg that cost him a half of last season, also will be out because of lingering soreness.
For the Bucs, offensive tackle Kenyatta Walker sprained his right ankle in practice this week and is questionable. Kicker Martin Gramatica has a a sore groin and will sit out.
Updated on Sunday, Aug 17, 2003 6:38 pm EDT
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