The defense went through a complete overhaul during the off-season, starting with the departure of defensive end Kevin Carter. In 2000, Carter played nowhere near the level of the previous season, and often appeared to be sleepwalking on the field. Cedric Jones was expected to fill Carter's slot, but he was lost for the season due to injury. The Rams recently picked up former Bucs' starter Chidi Ahanotu to fill the position.

Probably the biggest addition to the defense is veteran Pro Bowl cornerback Aneas Williams. The Rams gave up two high draft picks to get Williams from the Cardinals, but they expect him to provide a huge improvement in a secondary that allowed 32 touchdown passes a year ago. Williams will also give this youthful unit some much needed leadership.

Rookie Damione Lewis was a nice addition to the defensive line, and so far he is holding down a starting job. Second-year man Brian Young has come back stronger this year, and may be tough to keep out of the lineup. Overall, the defensive line has seven or eight solid guys, but no real superstar.

I don't know what you can say about the Rams' offense that hasn't already been said. When healthy they are the best in the NFL, but this season they will not have the luxury of a Trent Green to fill in if Warner goes down. Marshall Faulk is still the most dangerous running back in the league, and his game-breaking skills will be utilized as often as possible.

Martz has not been real pleased with the effectiveness of his offensive line in the preseason. They have struggled picking up blitzes, and they haven't shown that they can get physical with the opposition.

Overview

The Rams are probably still the most dangerous team in the NFL, and come playoff time, no one will want to draw their number. Even with the worst defense in the league last season, this team still ended up with the same record as the division champion Saints.

The defense will determine how far this team goes in the playoffs. They must improve on last year's performance, which shouldn't be too difficult. But they have eight new starters that will have to learn to play together, and at times will probably miss assignments.

The old saying is, "defense wins championships", but in the Rams case, it just needs to be average.