best when it's about more than just yourself. We've tried to embody that in everything we do."The Rams responded by taking

THOUSAND OAKS Womens John Johnson Jersey , Calif. (AP) — Johnny Hekker, Greg Zuerlein and Jake McQuaide have a ritual during the Los Angeles Rams‘ flights home from road victories. While their teammates celebrate up front in the first-class section, the Rams’ punter, kicker and long snapper stay out of the way by retreating to the front row of the coach cabin.The modesty is admirable, but those big guys living it up in the large seats realize what they owe to the specialists in the back — and to the coach whose pursuit of special-teams perfection and trickery has been a huge asset to the Rams on their way to the Super Bowl.John Fassel’s fingerprints were all over the Rams’ NFC championship game victory. From the flawless fake punt to the winning 57-yard overtime field goal, the players coached by Los Angeles’ formidable special teams coordinator made a major impact on that 26-23 win in New Orleans.“It’s a big boost,” coach Sean McVay said. “It enables you to be more aggressive because of the confidence you have.”Fassel, the Rams’ interim head coach for three games in 2016, strives to make sure the entire team is invested in the success of the Rams’ special teams. He is eagerly backed by McVay, who kept Fassel on staff two years ago after replacing him in the top job.“It’s a super-big source of pride for me, because it’s my job, but I also love it,” Fassel said. “I just try to let them know it’s professional football, but it’s still a lot of fun, and you are important.”Fassel doesn’t know whether the Rams have more trick plays in their special-teams repertoire than other teams, or whether they’re simply just better at executing those deceptive game-changers. He smiles Josh Reynolds Jersey , but refuses to say whether the Rams will cook up anything special for the Super Bowl.“Our repertoire of fakes depends on the game, really,” Fassel said. “You could have none in, you could have four in. It depends.”The Rams’ specialists are among the NFL’s best groups, with Zuerlein’s booming leg particularly standing out. Hekker, Zuerlein and McQuaide all made the Pro Bowl last season.But Los Angeles’ capacity for trick plays largely depends on Hekker, a former high school quarterback with a strong passing arm. His ability opens up a world of possibilities for Fassel — and the whole world got a look at that creativity early in the second quarter in New Orleans.Los Angeles was down 13-0 with a stagnant offense at the Superdome before Hekker threw a pass to cornerback Sam Shields for a first down on a perfect fake punt, prolonging the Rams’ first scoring drive.“It’s just our mindset that we have,” Hekker said. “By any means, we’re going to try and get something going. Sean saw an opportunity. We had a great matchup, Sam with a person one-on-one guarding him. Sam can stop on a dime, and we’ve practiced that all year, so it was just a great moment for us to call that.”Hekker is no ordinary punter: He led Bothell High in suburban Seattle to the state championship game before walking on at Oregon State as a punter. He is also Zuerlein’s holder, which means Hekker has been able to sling passes on fake punts or fake kicks since 2012 — the same year Fassel and Zuerlein arrived in St. Louis.Hekker’s career regular-season passing numbers would be a pretty solid half for Jared Goff: He is 11 of 19 for 156 yards and a 102.1 passer rating, including one touchdown. His pass in New Orleans was his first in a playoff game, but his fifth already this season.“If you didn’t know any better http://www.theramslockerroom.com/authentic-samson-ebukam-jersey , he looks like a quarterback,” McVay said. “He’s got a nice, natural (throwing) stroke. He can make big-time plays. He can do a variety of different things with that athleticism, not exclusive to throwing it, but also being able to run.”The Rams’ special teams culture permeates the entire roster and even affects veterans.Cory Littleton first caught the coaches’ eye with strong special teams play, and he has continued to contribute this season even after becoming a starting linebacker. Littleton is the Rams’ leading tackler, but he earned a Pro Bowl selection this season as a special teams performer.Shields, who joined the Rams this season after nearly two years out of football due to concussions, has eagerly accepted roles on special teams. That’s how Shields ended up essentially as a receiver — the position he played in college at Miami before carving out a Pro Bowl career as a cornerback.“A lot of guys in here just want to do anything they can to help this team win,” Shields said. “If that’s on special teams, that’s great. Let’s do it.”Hekker, Zuerlein and McQuaide stuck to their tradition on the flight home from New Orleans. They gathered in the extended-legroom seats in coach, quietly enjoying the success while their teammates lived it up in first class.“We had a lot of great conversations, just reliving the moments together,” Hekker said. “But we ended up dying down and watching movies by the end of it.” ATLANTA (AP) — The tenets of Sean McVay's coaching philosophy are never far from sight at the Los Angeles Rams‘ training complex."We Not Me" is emblazoned everywhere from the Rams' playbooks to huge wall signs in the locker room. "The Standard Is the Standard" adorns T-shirts."Trust the Process" isn't a sarcastic joke in Thousand Oaks, as it became among basketball lovers in Philadelphia. It earnestly greets every player in large letters when they cross the Rams' facility for team meetings. "I think what football really represents is there's something special about being part of something bigger than yourself Womens C.J. Anderson Jersey ," McVay said this week in Atlanta. "The star of the team is the team, however you want to say it. But words are words. You've got to really live it."In just two years in charge, the 33-year-old McVay has utterly changed — or perhaps created — the identity of a franchise that had 13 consecutive non-winning seasons before his arrival. Though they're years away from having the success necessary to finish it, the foundation is set for a culture that could someday emulate the best parts of the "Patriot Way," the unofficial name for coach Bill Belichick's ability to unite his franchise under his core principles.On their way to the Super Bowl on Sunday, the Rams navigated a trying regular season at home, with a mass shooting and two wildfires all occurring near their training complex in Thousand Oaks, California.According to players and coaches, that adversity and the franchise's response to it cemented the rightness of McVay's methods — and through it all, the Rams kept winning."Sean has implemented an unbelievable culture," Rams general manager Les Snead said. "We always say around here that we're not collecting talent. We're building a team, and there's more to a team than just a skillset on a football field."McVay never claimed to invent his motivational phrases, which mean exactly what an outsider would presume. "We Not Me" isn't Shakespeare, but the NFL isn't English lit class.McVay's cutting-edge offensive acumen and coordinator Wade Phillips' defensive know-how are the pillars beneath this Super Bowl team, but the Rams believe McVay's commitment to simple, direct communication is another key component.The players know what McVay means because he repeats his messages constantly Dominique Easley Jersey , and then he shows them with his actions. His players have responded in kind, and the result is a tight-knit group of disparate personalities that could win a championship this weekend just two years after many of the same players went 4-12."When (McVay) got here, it was all about buying into what he was talking about," defensive tackle Michael Brockers said. "Buying into character, and buying into the ‘We Not Me' mentality. Ever since we've done that, and this team has carried that on our shoulders, we've been winning. For a man to come in here and just change it like that, I have to show my respect to him. It started with him."Brockers joined the Rams in St. Louis in 2012, and he endured five straight losing seasons before McVay arrived. When asked to name the biggest changes during his Rams tenure, he can't stop: "The leadership we have. The coaches we have. How confident we are in our game plan. How confidently we go into each game.""I've just seen the changes over these years, and it's beautiful," Brockers added. "It makes me emotional, because things like this don't happen in a short amount of time, and I've watched it grow. Like they say, Rome wasn't built in a day. And I'm seeing it in its beauty right now."The results are indeed beautiful: The Rams have won 26 of their 35 games since McVay took over. Los Angeles is 15-3 this season and on the brink of a championship despite a tumultuous autumn.Twelve people were killed less than five miles from the Rams' training complex on Nov. 7 at the Borderline Bar and Grill. Later in the month, wildfires forced dozens of Rams employees http://www.theramslockerroom.com/authentic-ndamukong-suh-jersey , including Phillips, and their families to evacuate their homes."We've had a lot of different challenges we've had to rise up to this season, and I'm so proud of our guys for how they handled it," said left tackle Andrew Whitworth, a locker room leader and spokesman. "But to me, life in general is lived best when it's about more than just yourself. We've tried to embody that in everything we do."The Rams responded by taking care of their work and then striving to improve others' lives. Along with extensive charity fundraising efforts fronted by quarterback Jared Goff, the team welcomed thousands of victims and first responders to their Monday night home game against Kansas City before Thanksgiving, an epic 54-51 victory."I had so many people tell me that the game gave them some respite from what they had been going through, and that's the best feeling," said Whitworth, who donated one of his paychecks to relief efforts. "It's not a burden. It's an opportunity to inspire a whole lot of people."