A Nearly Forgotten Sensation

Todd Lyght can dream, can’t he?

He says: “I want to shut out everybody .”

That’s one way for the Rams to win.

Too bad they can’t play New England every week.

Too bad everybody can’t.

Lyght wouldn’t mind.

He was 0-9 as an NFL starter before Sunday’s game.

He was beginning to wonder: “Is it me?”

In games Lyght started at left cornerback, the Rams gave up 24, 27, 21, 33, 27, 31, 20, 23 and 40 points.

We are not exactly talking Orange Curtain here.

But suddenly, look who pitched a shutout.

And look who intercepted twice as many passes in one game--two--as he did all last season.

And look who made more tackles--eight--than anybody on the field.

Lyght finally had his day.

Finally had one he could go home and not try to forget. One he could sit through again without closing his eyes.

“Oh, man, it feels so good,” he said.

Especially after that Buffalo stampede last week.

“I was watching TV and this guy said no team ever went to the Super Bowl that was 0-2,” Lyght said.

Like we said, Lyght can dream.

He isn’t used to losing.

At Notre Dame, a football player becomes accustomed to winning.

(Or tying.)

Lyght couldn’t imagine losing 11 games in a row, as the Rams did before the New England Patriots hit town.

Then again, he couldn’t imagine going through an entire season with one interception.

During his senior year at Luke M. Powers Catholic High in Flint, Mich., Lyght didn’t intercept one pass. He didn’t intercept two passes.

He intercepted 19.

And at Notre Dame, he was such an outstanding defensive back that he became the fifth pick in the entire 1991 NFL draft.

Lyght was drafted ahead of New England’s Leonard Russell, who rushed for nearly 1,000 yards. He was drafted ahead of Kansas City’s Harvey Williams, another running back of note. He was drafted ahead of Todd Marinovich, a quarterback whose name might sound familiar.

That wasn’t the kind of back the Rams felt they needed.

They needed a cornerback, one who wouldn’t let a Joe Montana or a Jim Kelly or a Dan Marino pick the Ram secondary apart.

But Lyght didn’t do the Rams any favors as a rookie. He reported late. He skipped most of training camp. Then he got hurt.

His leg was messed up, and so were the Rams. Not until halfway through the season did Lyght take his place in the starting lineup.

And not once did they win with him in there.

“Last year was very much a learning experience,” Lyght says. “This year, I know I need to make a lot of plays.”

In the season opener, about all the Rams’ defensive backs did was watch Buffalo players spike the ball in the end zone.

“What can I tell you?” Lyght tells you. “We ran into a buzz saw.”

But then they ran into New England, which isn’t even a hacksaw.

Covering Irving Fryar--not the NFL’s easiest job--Lyght intercepted a Hugh Millen pass at the Ram 30 during the third quarter. The score was 7-0.

Then, late in the fourth quarter, Lyght made off with one in Patriot territory. His 23-yard runback put the ball on the New England 11. Two plays later, the Rams scored.

There is room for improvement--Fryar did catch seven passes--but at least the Rams finally did something right.

“There were only two ways we could go, and we definitely wanted to go up,” Light said, not clarifying which other way there was to go.

“We were able to play better on defense today because we had such good field position. That lets you play your different packages, show some different looks out there. Our team was in such a rut. But Chuck Knox knows how to win ballgames.”

The same has been said for Lou Holtz at Notre Dame--but not Saturday.

Lyght sneaked peeks at Notre Dame’s 17-17 tie with Michigan while doing some yard work outside the house. At one point he took a quick look at the TV, saw Michigan’s field position and said to himself: “Guess we lose.”

Then Wolverine quarterback Elvis Grbac threw Todd Lyght’s favorite thing--an interception.

“I love Elvis Grbac,” Lyght said, tongue in cheek. “He made me very happy.”

And Holtz’s coaching? Did that make him happy?

“Oh, Lou Holtz is a great coach,” Lyght said. “I would never second-guess him.”

Besides, any day without a loss is a good day.