By Jim Thomas
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
11/09/2005
Former NFL linebacker Kurt Gouveia called Joe Vitt last Friday to congratulate him on his work as interim head coach of the Rams.
Vitt asked what Gouveia was up to these days.
Living in North Carolina and doing some radio work, Gouveia replied.
"You want to come out and help me with the linebackers?" Vitt asked.
And that was that. Gouveia arrived in St. Louis on Sunday and has been on the practice field this week as the Rams prepare for this week's game in Seattle.
"I'm still going to be involved with 99.9 percent of the linebackers stuff," Vitt said. "But I need some help with them because of this other stuff."
The "other stuff," of course, being working as Rams head coach for the rest of this season in place of the ailing Mike Martz.
Vitt was Gouveia's position coach in 1995 in Philadelphia, and the two hit it off.
"I have a lot of respect for the man," Gouveia said. "He treated me very well. Treated my family very well. So I trust him."
A native of Honolulu, Gouveia was drafted by Washington in 1986 out of Brigham Young University. He spent the next nine seasons there, winning two Super Bowl championships with the Redskins.
Gouveia led the Redskins in tackles in 1992 and '93, and led the Eagles in tackles in '95. He finished up his 14-year NFL career playing in San Diego from 1996-98, then returned to Washington in '99. All told, Gouveia played in 184 NFL regular-season games. Even in retirement, Gouveia couldn't get football out of his system.
"It's in my veins," he said. "After 14 years in the league, you just can't get away from it. I tried. But I'd wake up in the morning, and I'm thinking football. I'd go to play golf and I'm thinking about football.
"I thought about coaching a long time ago. I started volunteer-coaching at a nearby high school when I was playing with Washington and enjoyed it a lot."
He coached linebackers for two years at the University of Hawaii, including one season instructing current Rams linebacker
Pisa Tinoisamoa. "He was a great college player," Gouveia said.
Last spring, Gouveia coached linebackers for the Berlin Thunder of NFL Europe.
In St. Louis, Gouveia would like nothing better than to make his current position permanent.
"No question about it," he said. "I'd like to stay on board. I like the coaching staff. They're very smart, friendly guys that have one goal in common - to win championships. And that's what I like. It's a great experience for me. It benefits me, and hopefully, it'll benefit them."
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