Giants plan to provide Rams a test on defense

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The New York Giants have wondered for years what it would be like to have a Rams-type offense to go with one of the NFL's best defenses.

This might be the year Jim Fassel and company find out, with Mike Martz and the Rams coming to Giants Stadium for today's opener.

"This is different for us," Giants receiver Amani Toomer said. "We haven't had a season going in where the expectations are really that high. It's going to be interesting."

The Giants showed promise late last season. They averaged almost 30 points in winning their final four games to make the playoffs, and they put up 38 points in the wild-card game.

While that wasn't enough to beat San Francisco, it certainly created a lot of expectations for this season.

The Rams (7-9) have just as much to prove after missing the playoffs for the first time since 1998.

While injuries to quarterback Kurt Warner, halfback Marshall Faulk and cornerback Aeneas Williams contributed to the off year, St. Louis couldn't overcome losing its first five games and 45 turnovers, including 27 passes intercepted.

"We are just looking at like last year is over and done with and now it is time to get back on track," said Warner, who was chosen by Martz over Marc Bulger for the starting job. "We want to get back to what this team is all about. We think last year was kind of an exception to the rule and what you see three years prior is what this team is all about."

St. Louis won the Super Bowl after the 1999 season and it lost the title game two years later on the final play against New England.

The key for the Rams will be their defense, particularly the secondary.

Williams, sidelined after breaking a leg in October, has moved from cornerback to safety. Relatively inexperienced Jerametrius Butler will start at left cornerback.

The Giants probably will try to exploit that with Toomer, Ike Hilliard, tight end Jeremy Shockey and halfback Tiki Barber all targets for quarterback Kerry Collins.

"I think when you play against a team like the Rams you know that they have the potential to score a lot of points," said Collins, who passed for a team-record 4,073 yards last season. "I think for us that means taking care of the ball, capitalizing on drives and not giving them a short field."

New York did that last season in beating St. Louis 26-21. The key was putting pressure on Warner and winning the turnover battle 4-1.

St. Louis strengthened its offensive line in the offseason, adding tackle Kyle Turley and center Dave Wohlabaugh, which should help Warner and Faulk.

"We've said for years that this offense only goes when the offensive line goes," Warner said. "They are the main factor in anything that we do. Obviously we are excited about where the offensive line is and the guys that we've got there this year. I definitely believe that is going to be a strong suit for us."

The Rams used the draft to add depth to an active defensive line by taking tackle Jimmy Kennedy in the first round. He joins a line led by Leonard Little, who had 12 sacks and nine forced fumbles last season.

The Giants' biggest question mark is probably their offensive line, which will have new starters at right tackle and right guard.

The biggest improvement the Giants made was the depth they added to the defensive line, which crumbled in the 39-38 loss to the 49ers in the wild-card game. Pro Bowler Michael Strahan was the only healthy starter left in that game and he could not do it by himself.

New York signed veteran Keith Washington, drafted tackle William Joseph and end Osi Umenyiora in the first two rounds, and saw tackles Keith Hamilton, Cornelius Griffin and end Kenny Holmes show up healthy this season.

Combined with the weapons on offense, the Giants are thinking about playing in the Super Bowl, much like the Rams.

"Coming off last season, even though it ended in a bad way, we realized what we can do," Strahan said. "That's a big difference as opposed to some seasons where you're hoping things work out. I think our confidence level is as high as it's ever been."