Lightning Strikes : Rookie Israel May Provide a Shock to Rams’ System

You want electricity? Steve Israel had the sizzle in him for sure in a game against Southern Mississippi last season, and when he talks about that performance now, his voices crackles with the promise of more.

In that game for Pittsburgh, Israel made four solo tackles from his cornerback spot, returned a fumble 83 yards for a touchdown, returned an interception for an 81-yard touchdown and had a 71-yard punt return for a third touchdown called back because of a clipping penalty.

“I’m not a cocky guy or anything, I’m not conceited--I just played confident,” Israel said when asked about the Southern Mississippi game. “I feel as though (if) things fall right, I can do that every game.

“I wasn’t surprised or happy or shocked, I mean, that’s what I expect from myself. Stuff like that. I don’t like being average. I want to do the unheard of. . . . I’m looking to do something else.”

The Rams didn’t make Israel their second-round pick just because of one game, and they haven’t given him the chance to win a starting spot this year just because he has game-breaking ability.

But it helps.

“He has speed plus he has athletic ability,” Ram secondary coach Rod Perry said. ‘You’ve got some pure track guys that can run that have no athletic ability. He has change of direction and athletic ability.

“He’s able to play different techniques like a lot of guys, but he’s able to do it with a little more speed, so that gives you a chance to match up against those (top-quality) receivers.”

The Rams went looking for a taller, faster cornerback once they had selected defensive tackle Sean Gilbert in the first round, and Israel, from the same school as Gilbert, was their answer. Israel is a bigger-than-average cornerback at 5 feet 10, 186 pounds, and with a 40-yard dash time under 4.3 seconds, he is a faster-than-average cornerback.

According to some, Israel was the fastest man timed in this year’s draft.

The only knock mentioned with Israel physically is that sometimes he doesn’t quite hit with Ronnie Lott aggressiveness. The Rams say they’re not worried about his tackling.

“He’ll be able to tackle,” Perry said. “He can wrap up. You don’t have to be a killer out there anyway, as a corner. All we ask you to do is wrap him up, get him on the ground. He’ll be able to do that, he’s strong enough to do that.”

The extra plus with Israel for the Rams is that he can return kicks, too.

“I feel as though I’ve got punt-return ability, so I’m not trying to get 10 yards,” Israel said. “I’m trying to get into the end zone.

“As far as playing cornerback, I love the ball in my hands, so I’m going to try to get an interception every time I can. Once you get it, that’s good, you’ve given your offense the ball--but give them some points, try to get into the end zone.”

In a division loaded with top receiving talent, the new Rams’ staff was dead set on making sure they had cornerbacks who could physically match up with Jerry Rice, John Taylor and Andre Rison, receivers who have killed the Rams the past few years.

They think Todd Lyght, last year’s No. 1, is one. The other could be last year’s starter, Darryl Henley, second-year man Robert Bailey, or it could be Israel.

And Israel is the only one of that group who has ever chased down a Rocket from behind.

“Why is that always coming up?” Israel said when that particular event in his career is mentioned.

Why? Because unless some speed-blessed CFL defensive back did it last season, Israel is the only known player ever to have tackled Raghib (Rocket) Ismail in a chase from behind.

That happened two years ago, in a Pitt-Notre Dame game during Ismail’s star season and Israel’s junior year. And Israel says he’s tired of talking about it.

“All right, this is the exact play, this is what it was,” Israel said. “He was in the slot on the right side, my left, I’m playing the right-hand corner, so he was across the field.”

The Rocket ran a short pattern over the middle, caught the pass, and continued running toward Israel’s side of the field, then picked up a blocker as Israel moved in.

“At the same time he made his dip outside his lineman, that’s when I turned around and changed my direction, and it just so happened, I got on my horse,” Israel said, describing the chase.

“He has phenomenal speed, and I feel mine is a tad above average for a corner. So I just willed out, gave it everything I had. He ran out of green and he had to straighten it up, and once he straightened it up, I was just right there.

“Ask Todd,” Israel said, stopping the story as Lyght, who played for Notre Dame in that game, walks by, “do you remember when I tackled Rocket?”

“Hey,” Lyght said, “how am I going to remember your highlights?”

“See,” Israel said when Lyght walked away, “it’s no big deal.”

For Israel, the big deal was getting into position to finally show what he could do on the playing field at Pittsburgh.

He missed his freshman year because of Proposition 48. His second year was wiped out because the school decided he should be a redshirt.

His third year came to an early end when he blew out his right knee. His fourth year was hampered by the after-effects of that injury plus a shoulder injury.

Heading into his last year of eligibility, Israel was known only by draft aficionados and all they knew was that he could run and that he hadn’t played much in college.

But Israel says he knew his fifth year would be special.

“Hard work is going to bring something positive,” Israel said. “It may not come as soon as you want it, it may not be in what you want it to come as, but something positive is going to come out of it.”

In his senior campaign, Israel blew away doubts about his durability and turned in outings such as the one against Southern Mississippi that convinced NFL scouts he was a late-blooming star.

“I tried to do everything right,” Israel said of last season. “Everything from being on time picking up my girlfriend from work, to being on time in class, to taking notes every day in class instead of just a couple days, to doing my dishes. . . . I mean everything.

“Put it this way, I just took care of a lot of the things. Take care of the little things, your big things will come out positive.”

Ram Notes

The week-long mini-camp ended with a short practice Sunday morning, and the Rams will not assemble again until training camp. Training camp at UC Irvine will begin for quarterbacks, running backs, rookies and some other veterans on July 15. The rest of the veterans are scheduled to report July 22, and Coach Chuck Knox plans to have a few scrimmages with other teams in the first few weeks. The team’s first exhibition game is Aug. 6 in Seattle. . . . Knox said he expects the draft picks and some veterans to do strength and conditioning work at Rams Park in June. Sean Gilbert, the No. 1 pick, has already said he will be attending.