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By Bill Coats
Of the Post-Dispatch
Friday, Aug. 27 2004
Rams strong safety Adam Archuleta watched forlornly from the middle of the
field on Jan. 10 as the No. 89 on the back of Carolina wideout Steve Smith
streaked toward the end zone.
Just like that, the season was over, snuffed by the Panthers' 29-23
double-overtime victory at Edward Jones Dome in the second round of the
playoffs. It wasn't supposed to happen that way.
The Rams were the NFC West champions, and their 12-4 record included an 8-0
sweep at the Dome that extended their home winning streak to 14 games. They
were favored over the Panthers, yet their hopes of reaching a third Super Bowl
in five years were quashed by the 69-yard pass play - quarterback Jake Delhomme
to Smith - that split the Rams defense and fractured their psyche.
That vision lingered, Archuleta acknowledged. But not for long.
"You can't dwell on stuff," he said. "Every time something bad happens in your
life, you've got to look at it, examine it, figure out why it happened, how you
can change it, and then you've got to move on with your life. Because no
progress is made by looking at the past."
Such has been the mantra for Archuleta since he joined the Arizona State squad
as a walk-on, developed into a two-time All-Pacific 10 Conference linebacker,
and became the Rams' first-round draft choice (No. 20 overall) in 2001: No
looking back, no second-guessing, no regrets.
"There are very few things in life that get me down," said Archuleta. "I've
been blessed to be able to have that attitude throughout life. ... You've just
got to live, wake up every day and do what you feel like, and let the chips
fall where they may."
As low key as Archuleta seems - and truly is, according to close pal Rich
Coady, a fellow Rams safety - away from the game, his on-field demeanor
provides a direct contrast. He flies to the ball with vengeance and hits with
ferocity.
"It's an explosion," said free safety Aeneas Williams, a future Hall of Famer
who is heading into his 14th NFL season. "He gets to the ball fast, he plays in
space well, and he's a very good blitzer. He's a tackling machine as well."
Archuleta maintains his physical skills through an unusual workout regimen -
developed by fellow Chandler, Ariz., resident Jay Schroeder - that he's been
following for nearly a decade. The routine, designed to control muscle response
and increase explosiveness, has helped the 215-pound Archuleta add about 40
pounds of muscle to his 6-foot frame, increase his bench press to more than 500
pounds, and lower his 40-yard time to just under 4.4 seconds from 4.9.
"That's what got me here, and as long as I'm playing in the NFL, that's what
I'm going to be doing," Archuleta said. "I don't think there's any other way to
work out. I'd regress as a player if I didn't."
Archuleta, who has started 41 of the 42 games in which he's appeared over three
seasons, collected 81 tackles as a rookie, a team-high 149 in 2002 and 101 last
year, when he missed three games with an ankle injury. "He's doing nothing but
continually getting better," Williams said. "His potential is off the charts."
Individual progress is high on Archuleta's list of priorities. "You just want
to keep advancing your game," he said. "You never want to be the same, you
don't want to be complacent. Whatever you've been able to do in the past, you
try to build on that and just expand yourself as a player."
Part of that process encompasses his increasing role as a leader on a defensive
unit that is under new leadership, with Larry Marmie having succeeded Lovie
Smith as coordinator. "That's a responsibility of mine, and that's my role on
this team," Archuleta said. "It's something that I'll progress into as the
season goes on and as my career goes on."
A walk-on success
As an All-Valley linebacker and running back at Chandler High, Archuleta
expected to have a nice assortment of college offers from which to choose.
Instead, he had none.
"At the time, I was shocked. It was a letdown," he said. "But that was just the
path that I had to take. As I look back on it, that made me a better football
player. It's allowed me to welcome adversity in my life and not to shy away
from it, and understand that if things don't work out in your favor, you've got
to have the perseverance and the vision to fight through it."
Archuleta could have gone to a small school, or even junior college. He chose
to walk on at Arizona State, just down the road in Tempe. Now well into his
work with Schroeder, Archuleta used a redshirt season to create enough of an
impression to earn a scholarship. He played in every game the next year and was
a starter his last three seasons.
"I was actually blessed to be a walk-on," he said. "It made me have that focus,
and it really tested my fortitude, to see if I could really go through it and
see if I had what it takes to get to this level. A lot of character
development, a lot of development as a player, work ethic, discipline -
everything that has to go into it - helped me become the player that I am
today."
Brains and brawn
That player, according to Coady, is one who deftly applies his obvious physical
ability with a cerebral dexterity that might not be so evident to casual
observers.
"He's very intelligent out there," Coady said. "He understands the game of
football, understands the defense. A lot of guys really home in on their
specific position, but he can tell you where all 11 people are supposed to be
on every play."
That skill jumped out quickly at coach Mike Martz. "We've thrown him into a
role since he was a rookie, in terms of leadership and making plays and being
an impact player, that's way too much to ask of any rookie," Martz explained.
"But we did that with him, and he responded very well. . . . . The passion and
the love for playing this game and his competitiveness is just hard to find. As
good as everybody else is in the National Football League, guys like Adam are
just truly unique."
Individually, the next step is a Pro Bowl spot. But more important, Archuleta
emphasized, is advancing as a team so that he never again has to witness
another gut-wrenching scene like the one in January at the dome.
"That game is an example of how difficult it is in the NFL to go all the way,"
he said. The Rams have such promise again this year, he said.
"We have the makings of a great football team," Archuleta said. "We've got to
let the personality of our team develop throughout the season, but you look at
it on paper, we're where we want to be."
Of the Post-Dispatch
Friday, Aug. 27 2004
Rams strong safety Adam Archuleta watched forlornly from the middle of the
field on Jan. 10 as the No. 89 on the back of Carolina wideout Steve Smith
streaked toward the end zone.
Just like that, the season was over, snuffed by the Panthers' 29-23
double-overtime victory at Edward Jones Dome in the second round of the
playoffs. It wasn't supposed to happen that way.
The Rams were the NFC West champions, and their 12-4 record included an 8-0
sweep at the Dome that extended their home winning streak to 14 games. They
were favored over the Panthers, yet their hopes of reaching a third Super Bowl
in five years were quashed by the 69-yard pass play - quarterback Jake Delhomme
to Smith - that split the Rams defense and fractured their psyche.
That vision lingered, Archuleta acknowledged. But not for long.
"You can't dwell on stuff," he said. "Every time something bad happens in your
life, you've got to look at it, examine it, figure out why it happened, how you
can change it, and then you've got to move on with your life. Because no
progress is made by looking at the past."
Such has been the mantra for Archuleta since he joined the Arizona State squad
as a walk-on, developed into a two-time All-Pacific 10 Conference linebacker,
and became the Rams' first-round draft choice (No. 20 overall) in 2001: No
looking back, no second-guessing, no regrets.
"There are very few things in life that get me down," said Archuleta. "I've
been blessed to be able to have that attitude throughout life. ... You've just
got to live, wake up every day and do what you feel like, and let the chips
fall where they may."
As low key as Archuleta seems - and truly is, according to close pal Rich
Coady, a fellow Rams safety - away from the game, his on-field demeanor
provides a direct contrast. He flies to the ball with vengeance and hits with
ferocity.
"It's an explosion," said free safety Aeneas Williams, a future Hall of Famer
who is heading into his 14th NFL season. "He gets to the ball fast, he plays in
space well, and he's a very good blitzer. He's a tackling machine as well."
Archuleta maintains his physical skills through an unusual workout regimen -
developed by fellow Chandler, Ariz., resident Jay Schroeder - that he's been
following for nearly a decade. The routine, designed to control muscle response
and increase explosiveness, has helped the 215-pound Archuleta add about 40
pounds of muscle to his 6-foot frame, increase his bench press to more than 500
pounds, and lower his 40-yard time to just under 4.4 seconds from 4.9.
"That's what got me here, and as long as I'm playing in the NFL, that's what
I'm going to be doing," Archuleta said. "I don't think there's any other way to
work out. I'd regress as a player if I didn't."
Archuleta, who has started 41 of the 42 games in which he's appeared over three
seasons, collected 81 tackles as a rookie, a team-high 149 in 2002 and 101 last
year, when he missed three games with an ankle injury. "He's doing nothing but
continually getting better," Williams said. "His potential is off the charts."
Individual progress is high on Archuleta's list of priorities. "You just want
to keep advancing your game," he said. "You never want to be the same, you
don't want to be complacent. Whatever you've been able to do in the past, you
try to build on that and just expand yourself as a player."
Part of that process encompasses his increasing role as a leader on a defensive
unit that is under new leadership, with Larry Marmie having succeeded Lovie
Smith as coordinator. "That's a responsibility of mine, and that's my role on
this team," Archuleta said. "It's something that I'll progress into as the
season goes on and as my career goes on."
A walk-on success
As an All-Valley linebacker and running back at Chandler High, Archuleta
expected to have a nice assortment of college offers from which to choose.
Instead, he had none.
"At the time, I was shocked. It was a letdown," he said. "But that was just the
path that I had to take. As I look back on it, that made me a better football
player. It's allowed me to welcome adversity in my life and not to shy away
from it, and understand that if things don't work out in your favor, you've got
to have the perseverance and the vision to fight through it."
Archuleta could have gone to a small school, or even junior college. He chose
to walk on at Arizona State, just down the road in Tempe. Now well into his
work with Schroeder, Archuleta used a redshirt season to create enough of an
impression to earn a scholarship. He played in every game the next year and was
a starter his last three seasons.
"I was actually blessed to be a walk-on," he said. "It made me have that focus,
and it really tested my fortitude, to see if I could really go through it and
see if I had what it takes to get to this level. A lot of character
development, a lot of development as a player, work ethic, discipline -
everything that has to go into it - helped me become the player that I am
today."
Brains and brawn
That player, according to Coady, is one who deftly applies his obvious physical
ability with a cerebral dexterity that might not be so evident to casual
observers.
"He's very intelligent out there," Coady said. "He understands the game of
football, understands the defense. A lot of guys really home in on their
specific position, but he can tell you where all 11 people are supposed to be
on every play."
That skill jumped out quickly at coach Mike Martz. "We've thrown him into a
role since he was a rookie, in terms of leadership and making plays and being
an impact player, that's way too much to ask of any rookie," Martz explained.
"But we did that with him, and he responded very well. . . . . The passion and
the love for playing this game and his competitiveness is just hard to find. As
good as everybody else is in the National Football League, guys like Adam are
just truly unique."
Individually, the next step is a Pro Bowl spot. But more important, Archuleta
emphasized, is advancing as a team so that he never again has to witness
another gut-wrenching scene like the one in January at the dome.
"That game is an example of how difficult it is in the NFL to go all the way,"
he said. The Rams have such promise again this year, he said.
"We have the makings of a great football team," Archuleta said. "We've got to
let the personality of our team develop throughout the season, but you look at
it on paper, we're where we want to be."
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