ESPN.com - NFL/PLAYOFFS99 - Rams still soaring on morning after

Warner, Vermeil look ahead on morning after
By Mike Grady
ESPN.com

ATLANTA -- Super Bowl mornings after are good for one thing besides stomach antacid products: wondering what's going to happen the next 364½ days.



	Dick Vermeil was hoarse but happy the morning after the Super Bowl.

St. Louis Rams head coach Dick Vermeil and his quarterback, Super Bowl XXXIV MVP Kurt Warner, addressed just those wonders Monday morning. The glow of Sunday night's exciting 23-16 victory over the Tennessee Titans in the Georgia Dome was still evident in the glow of Warner's face and the scratchiness of Vermeil's voice.

But reality was that the Rams' next step is mapping out a plan to return to the NFL's biggest bash in 2001 at Tampa, Fla.

At first glance, St. Louis doesn't have a lot of worries. The team is relatively young, has most of its players locked into contracts and is devoid of aging superstars at key positions, a la the 1998-99 Denver Broncos, whose return-to-Super hopes hinged on John Elway's golf plans.

But there are still some transactions the Rams must approach with care, including re-signing Warner; deciding whether to bring back Trent Green, the high-priced starting quarterback who went down with a season-ending injury in an exhibition game; and the re-signing of several standouts on defense and in the receiving corps.

"I don't know what the Rams are thinking (about me)," Warner said at a news conference in which he was given the keys to a shiny black Ford pickup for being named Super Bowl MVP. "But I'm not really worried about that right now. I definitely want to stay, though."

Warner's supporting cast is mostly secure, however. Isaac Bruce and Az-Zahir Hakim are signed through next season, and Marshall Faulk got a new deal when he came to St. Louis from Indianapolis. Tackle Orlando Pace is signed through 2003. On defense, Kevin Carter, D'Marco Farr, London Fletcher, Mike Jones and Keith Lyle are all under contract at least through the 2000 regular season.

Pro Bowl cornerback Todd Lyght is a free agent, as is offensive tackle Fred Miller.

It's highly unlikely the Rams won't re-sign Warner to a huge contract this offseason. He capped a remarkable one-year transition from scout-team quarterback to NFL regular-season MVP by completing 24 of 45 passes for a Super Bowl-record 414 yards and two touchdowns.

It was a wild ride. From being cut by the Green Bay Packers in his first pro training camp in 1994, to stocking grocery shelves for $5.50 an hour, to playing three seasons in the Arena Football League and one in NFL Europe, to having more than 125 million TV viewers watch him climb into the stands to kiss his wife after Sunday's game, Warner has written an amazing story.

"Quarterbacks can fall through the cracks a lot easier than players at other positions," said Vermeil, who considers himself lucky now after having left Warner available in last year's expansion draft. "That's the position where you're usually investing a lot of money in the main guy. Coaches invest a lot of time trying to prove they were right in spending that money or using a high draft pick on that No. 1 guy."

But now it's Warner who will be doing the investing. His "I'm going to Disney World" commercial is already on air, and any one of hundreds more lucrative endorsement deals are only a phone call away.

"I do want to take advantage of some things out there," Warner said. "I'd like to share my story, share my faith in God, and this will give me the opportunity to do that. Beyond that, I don't know."

"I'll tell you, though, it's much better thinking about (possible retirement) than thinking about possibly getting fired, which had been the case the last two years."
-- Dick Vermeil

Although all the ingredients are there to alter his life drastically, Warner seems too grounded to change a whole lot.

"Obviously I'm not a guy who cares a whole lot about money," he said. "Maybe that could rub off on some other people (on the team).

"I think we're in a good position to stay together and continue to build this thing, but there are a lot of opportunities out there for different guys."

One guy who has everyone wondering is Vermeil. He lost Super Bowl XV with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1981, then two years later retired as an NFL coach, citing burnout.

The Rams recently re-signed offensive coordinator Mike Martz and announced that Martz would be head coach when Vermeil retires. Vermeil said then that he would honor the final two years of the contract he signed when he returned to the NFL in 1997, but he hasn't repeated that since. And he's been asked often to address the situation.

There is speculation Vermeil will step down now while he's on top, having led the Rams to a 13-3 regular-season record and the surprising Super Bowl title after his first two years of 5-11 and 4-12.

"The first thing I'm going to think about is getting home and spending some time with my wife and family," said Vermeil, skirting the issue when asked again Monday. "I'll tell you, though, it's much better thinking about (possible retirement) than thinking about possibly getting fired, which had been the case the last two years."

Vermeil, known for showing his emotion, broke into tears once during Monday's news conference. When asked if he had cried after Sunday night's victory, he broke down momentarily while recounting his brother reminding him of their mother, now deceased, having told Vermeil following the Super Bowl XV loss that he would return to the Big Game again and win.

But mostly he spoke of the people who put him in the position and helped him win.

"It still hasn't hit me fully. It really hasn't," he said. "The thing is, I didn't get to see all the players last night after the game. I'm really looking forward to getting with them behind closed doors."