Terrell Sees a Chance to Make an Impact : Rams: The hard hitter has been left to be all he can be at free safety.

They are throwing every other position in the Rams’ defense wide open to competition, moving experienced players into new jobs without blinking and experimenting with almost every alignment their vivid imaginations can devise.

But Pat Terrell they leave free, safely locked into the free safety slot in their new defense. Pat Terrell they aren’t messing with.

They assume stardom, a multitude of concussive hits and about a dozen interceptions a season are sure to follow.

“He can be a star,” said defensive coordinator Jeff Fisher, whose attack-style defense is designed to give the free safety freedom to roam the field, dispensing disruptive force where necessary.

“And if there’s any doubt in anybody’s mind, the first pass that went down the middle in the (pass drill) here when we started camp, he had a tremendous collision with Derrick Faison.

“Pat has been waiting for that opportunity to turn the pads loose, and he’s done it. That’s the part of the game that he likes.”

As a rookie second-round draft choice out of Notre Dame last season, Terrell excelled on the special teams and saw spot action in Fritz Shurmur’s soft zone defense, gradually supplanting veteran Vince Newsome as the team’s No. 1 free safety.

But in that defense, his pure athletic ability was constricted and he was never quite free to skate to the ball whenever he felt like it. Terrell has wide-receiver speed and high-impact hitting ability, but was always stuck on one side of the field in the zone.

When Fisher and the new defensive staff arrived, they built their secondary, and much of their defensive concept, around the idea of Terrell as a Pro Bowl-quality free safety.

“I think in this defense you need a safety that has some range,” Terrell said during a recent break at the Rams’ training camp. “There’s a lot of man-to-man coverage, so the cornerbacks are counting on their free safety for some help--help in the post area, help on the top routes--and I think (those are) some of my good points.”

Terrell knows that this is his chance to stand or fall, be a cornerstone of the Rams’ developing defense or watch as it crumbles.

He also knows, as a free safety, he will be responsible for making all of the complicated defensive signal calls when the middle linebacker is out of the game in some passing situations.

“I know some big things are expected,” Terrell said, “and I’m just trying to work hard and be able to come through.

“I can play in this defense. Since day one, back in the minicamps, I’ve been excited by this defense, because I feel this is the type of safety I am.”

Secondary coach Tom Bettis, who has worked with all-pro free safeties in Kansas City--from Gary Barbaro to Deron Cherry--compares Terrell favorably with anybody he has coached.

“I saw that from the beginning, and it’s just a matter of working with him and (his) understanding our system and getting a grasp of the system,” Bettis said. “He will come up and put a tap on you. I’ll tell you, he’s an excellent safety prospect.”

Bettis also said Terrell’s signal-calling progress has been “a pleasant surprise.”

In the Rams’ high-risk defense, the secondary has a major burden.

“It’s a win-lose situation, it’s big play or touchdown,” Terrell said. “The defensive line makes a mistake, they move the chains (for a first down). A defensive back makes a mistake, they change the scoreboard. Not a lot of room there for errors.”

But Terrell knows there will be room to shine.

“I don’t want to undersell myself and I don’t want it to look like I’m setting my goals too high,” Terrell said. “But I expect to get plenty of picks (interceptions). Plenty of picks this year.”