ST. LOUIS - It must be awfully nice to have a perfect football team. The St. Louis Rams apparently believe they have no immediate holes to fill, no pressing needs, no substantial problem spots, nothing to cause alarm.
And the Rams have proceeded accordingly through their post-Super Bowl offseason, showing no real urgency to make improvements for 2000. The first draft of the new team of general manager Charley Armey and head coach Mike Martz was telling. They took a long-term approach instead of worrying about the 2000 season.
''Absolutely,'' Martz said. ''Hopefully, God willing, if things go the way they did last year, that's how you should draft: perpetuate the skill and not have to draft somebody who's going to have to come in and start.''
A team that doesn't see any in-house weakness uses a No. 1 pick on a running back, Trung Canidate. They took Canidate even though they already have Marshall Faulk and just gave up a sixth-round draft choice to Denver to acquire a backup RB, Derrick Loville. Well, at least Martz has a new toy for his baby, the offense.
A team that doesn't see any in-house weakness drafts a raw and untested cornerback, Jacoby Shepherd, in the second round. He's only played one season of major-college football and started only two games last season at Oklahoma State. This is the kind of scary pick that George Boone used to make for the St. Louis football Cardinals: look at a guy's size and speed and rate those categories ahead of any tangible production.
A team that doesn't see any in-house weakness chooses the draft's best center, John St. Clair, in the third round - and then suggests that he'll be moved to offensive tackle. Yet another project.
It's been a quiet offseason at Rams Park. Very quiet. The Rams lost three starters but signed no major free agents. The Rams didn't draft anyone who figures to start or be a significant contributor in 2000 (barring injuries). The Rams haven't started to work on new contracts for defensive end Kevin Carter, wide receiver Isaac Bruce or cornerback Todd Lyght.
The Rams are standing pat.
Why?
How can a team that just barely edged Tampa Bay for the NFC championship feel so smug and superior? Tampa Bay lost that game 11-6 and has since added two new offensive line starters, a new offensive coordinator and superstar wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson. Another NFC threat, Washington, made a series of dramatic moves. The Redskins signed defensive end Bruce Smith and safety Mark Carrier. They drafted Penn State linebacker LaVar Arrington and traded up in the first round to choose Alabama offensive tackle Chris Samuels.
And the Rams?
Well, those new uniforms sure look nice.
''The talent level that we have in the starting 22, we're very, very pleased with,'' Martz said. ''I don't know if there's anybody out there that we would go out and get that would come in here and fit what we do or make us better so to speak.''
I don't care how good a team is; there's always a need for immediate help, always a way to upgrade the product and give yourself a greater chance to defend the title.
In the Rams' case, the 2000 schedule is much tougher. The Redskins and Buccaneers are considerably better. But Armey and Martz apparently have been too busy congratulating each other on their unmatched brilliance to notice.
After nine consecutive losing seasons, the Rams won the Super Bowl. And now they think they have all the answers. It could be that Armey and Martz are cocky and complacent. Or maybe they really are that much smarter than the competition. We'll find out this season.
Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service.
