Rams arrive in New Orleans heavily favored to beat Patriots

NEW ORLEANS -- The St. Louis Rams aren't impressed with the oddsmakers.

They even think it's unfair that their opponents in Sunday's Super Bowl, the New England Patriots, are 14 1-2-point underdogs. They felt the same way when the line against Green Bay was 11 points.

"I don't think anybody thinks about being a 14-point favorite," defensive end Grant Wistrom said Monday shortly after the team arrived. "That's just ridiculous for a Super Bowl. It was ridiculous last week."

Coach Mike Martz said he doesn't pay attention to point spreads.

"First of all, I'm not sure I understand how a line is made," Martz said. "If that's a large line, I have no clue. I'm the wrong guy to ask, I guess."

Martz figures the Rams will face the Patriots' Drew Bledsoe at quarterback instead of Tom Brady, though it was just a guess.

"I don't know how serious the injury to Brady is," Martz said. "I probably shouldn't say, because I don't know. I've been locked in a bunker."

Whoever the Rams see, Martz said it'll be a challenge because though Bledsoe has a stronger arm and Brady is more mobile.

"They both run that offense very well," Martz said. "To have those two quarterbacks on the same team playing at that level is pretty special."

New England coach Bill Belichick said he would make his quarterback decision on Wednesday.

There's no question who the Rams quarterback will be. Kurt Warner, who took a painkilling injection for bruised ribs on Sunday, felt "great" on Monday.

"I feel better now than I did yesterday going into the game," Warner said. "I'm very optimistic I'm going to be 100 percent come Sunday."

Season-long favorites

The Rams, seeking their second Super Bowl championship in three years, have been double-digit favorites throughout the playoffs, just as they often were in the regular season.

"We've been expected to win," running back Marshall Faulk said. "People look at us and say 'You're supposed to win."

"We just go out and have fun and don't put those pressures on ourselves," he said.

They fell short of the expected easy time with the Philadelphia Eagles, winning the NFC championship game 29-24 on Sunday. But the oddsmakers had them pegged correctly as 10-point favorites against the Green Bay Packers, 45-17 losers.

There's good reason for the inflated lines. St. Louis (16-2) has been rolling up big numbers, winning by an average score of 31-17 in the regular season. They're the first team in NFL history to score 500 points in three consecutive seasons, and beat the Panthers by 34, the Dolphins by 32 and the Falcons by 29.

The Eagles game was the exception. Though favored by as many as 11 points, the Rams trailed at halftime for only the third time all season and needed a late-game interception by Aeneas Williams to snuff out Philadelphia's last drive.

Another exception was the first meeting against the Patriots, a 24-17 victory in New England on Nov. 18. New England was a double-digit underdog against the Steelers, whom they beat 24-17 in the AFC championship game.

The Rams enter the week with a few injury concerns. Offensive tackle Orlando Pace, who missed a series with a strained right knee ligament in the NFC championship, isn't expected to miss any practice time.

"Orlando is much better than I anticipated," Martz said. "I was really concerned."

Offensive tackle Rod Jones, who started two playoff games in place of Ryan Tucker (ankle), injured his groin. Martz said it'll be a few days before the team knows Jones' status.

Both Pace and Jones underwent MRIs earlier Monday that showed no significant problems.

Tucker played in a reserve role when Pace missed a series with a strained ligament in his right knee, and expects to start in the Super Bowl.

Despite the close call against the Eagles, the Rams enter the Super Bowl brimming with confidence. Getting a trip to the Super Bowl in his rookie season wasn't a surprise to strong safety Adam Archuleta.

"I knew it was going to happen when I was drafted by the Rams," he said. "That's all they have ever talked about."

Williams, who made the playoffs once in 10 years with the Cardinals before coming to St. Louis in a draft-day deal, noticed this attitude in the first minicamp.

"It's always gratifying when you can set a goal and the organization is not afraid to talk about it," Williams said.

The game is a homecoming for Faulk and Williams, who were the first two players off the plane when the team arrived on Monday.

"It's great to be home for this big game," Williams said. "It's a dream come true."