Archuleta optimistic for a breakout season

MACOMB, Ill. -- Strong safety Adam Archuleta is aiming for a trip to the Pro Bowl in his third season with the Rams.

It's only natural, he says.

"Yeah, absolutely," Archuleta said of wanting to be voted to the NFL's annual all-star game in Honolulu. "That's something that I feel that I have the capabilities to do, but I haven't put the right season together. I've got to get my hands on the ball more. I've got to get more interceptions, get some turnovers for the football team. I think that would help a lot."

Archuleta led the Rams in tackles last season with 149 -- the most ever by a defensive back since the team started keeping tackle totals in 1962.

"He's got that confidence level, and he's such a terrific athlete to begin with," Rams coach Mike Martz said of Archuleta. "He just plays at such a high level. He has ever since the first day he stepped on the field for us. He was probably our best defensive player last year. We expect him to play at the same level this year."

Martz feels that Archuleta, who got little support in Pro Bowl balloting last year, doesn't get enough credit around the NFL.

"I'm disappointed that he probably doesn't get as much recognition as he should," Martz said. "He doesn't care, but that's Archie. He's probably one of the more dominant players in the league. He's a terrific player."

Archuleta had double-digit tackle totals in seven games last season, but he had only one interception.

"It's good to be up there in tackles and everything, but as a safety, you don't really get the respect until you start getting interceptions," Archuleta said. "So that's really what I want to focus on and what I want to accomplish this season. I want to get my hands on the ball more."

As a team, the Rams' defense didn't get their hands on the ball too often last season. They ranked 24th among the NFL's 32 teams in interceptions with 12.

"Last year, I don't think we played very good as a secondary," Archuleta said. "I'm not sure what the stat was, but as far as interceptions go, I think we had only 12 or 13, and Kim Herring was the leader with three. That's not a very high interception total."

Archuleta has come on strong the last few days of the Rams' training camp after overcoming a problem with blisters on his feet.

"It always takes me a little while to get going in camp," Archuleta said. "I have to get my feet right. I get blisters early. They hamper my movement the first few days of camp. I'm starting to get my feet back, and I'm starting to feel pretty crisp out there."

Archuleta said he's had to cope with the blister problem since he was a kid.

"It has been a crazy deal that I've had to work with since I was 6 years old," Archuleta said. "I have tried everything. It doesn't matter what I do. When I come into minicamp and when I come into training camp, I get blisters."

Archuleta has tried wearing different styles of shoes, wearing extra socks and taping his feet to no avail.

"I've tried everything in the book," Archuleta said. "It's just the way I am built. My feet get torn up. I just have to get deal with it. It takes two or three days of not doing very well, and then right about this time, I start moving around pretty good."

Archuleta is practically a seasoned veteran compared to the other players in the Rams' secondary. Only cornerback Aeneas Williams, safety Kim Herring and injured safety Jason Sehorn have more NFL starting experience than Archuleta among the 15 defensive backs on the Rams' roster.

"It's only my third season, so I'm only still a baby, but it seems I have been around here quite a while," Archuleta said. "I feel a lot more comfortable and used to my surroundings."

Archuleta said he has enjoyed getting to tutor young defensive backs like Shane Walton, Kevin Garrett and DeJuan Groce.

"It's kind of cool," Archuleta said. " I'm the guy who gets to show them how to do their stuff even though I'm not doing my stuff right."

Archuleta said he was looking forward to lining up as a linebacker in the team's 4-1-6 pass defense again.

"I like when they put me in the box, and I can mix it up a little bit, and I can get in some more action," Archuleta said.