Dirty Job, but Boutte Is Cleaning Up at It : Football: He plays alongside more renowned Gilbert, a fellow Ram rookie, but not in his shadow.

From the moment Sean Gilbert arrived at Rams Park, he got the attention, the starting job, the $3.2-million signing bonus and the expectation that he would dominate in the NFL.

All Marc Boutte got was a ribbing from the large, loud guy sitting behind him. The large, loud and rich guy behind him.

“I remember when we came into minicamp, he was sitting right in back of me talking about my haircut,” Boutte said Wednesday. “And I didn’t realize he was Sean Gilbert, and he didn’t know who I was.”

Boutte, who has grabbed a share of the spotlight with impressive outings in the Rams’ first two games, was about the only one who didn’t come to that first minicamp obsessed with Gilbert, the No. 1 pick Coach Chuck Knox called the cornerstone tackle of the Rams’ new defense.

Gilbert’s uncertainty was a lot more understandable. Who was Marc Boutte (pronounced boo-TAY) anyway?

A Louisiana State product taken in the third round of this year’s draft, the 57th pick overall, Boutte was a longer-range defensive-tackle prospect, another 6-foot-4, 300-pounder--but without Gilbert’s billing or multimillion-dollar combination of footwork and power.

But with the ranks of young, talented defensive linemen being thin, Gilbert, 22, and Boutte, 23, hooked up in that first minicamp and have become practically inseparable. “We hit it off from Day 1,” Boutte said. “I think we’re similar. We’re about the same size, play the same position and we’re both young guys. We have the same problems.”

But Boutte does not have to deal with the expectations placed on Gilbert, who has already displayed impatience with the media demands of being the No. 1 pick.

Gilbert’s battles with ankle injuries have been detailed daily. Boutte has been injury-free and out of the headlines.

“It makes it a lot easier on me,” Boutte said. “I mean, Sean goes to the bathroom, people want to talk to him. I just want to show up and do what I have to do.

“But he’s a great player. He deserves it.”

Last Sunday, the Rams carried that kinship over to the field, inserting Boutte ahead of schedule into since-waived Alvin Wright’s former spot at left tackle, next to Gilbert.

Boutte earned the spot by, among other things, tipping a pass by Jim Kelly that resulted in an interception by safety Anthony Newman, perhaps the defense’s sole bright spot in the Week 1 embarrassment against the Buffalo Bills.

In his first NFL start last week, Boutte deflected or knocked down three more passes, and together with Gilbert, caused enough chaos inside to free up the outside rushers for seven sacks against the New England Patriots.

Suddenly, the Rams, for so long undersized and overmatched on the defensive line, are starting 600-plus pounds of athletic rookie talent at the two tackle spots.

“It really didn’t sink in until about game time that I was in the starting lineup,” Boutte said. “Then it sunk in. I said, ‘Hey, I’m starting in the NFL now. I’ve got to go out and do what I can.’

“I think I’m rather quick for my size. I’m young. I don’t have too many strengths right now. But I’m trying to develop the ones I have--my speed and my strength.”

With four tipped or batted passes to his credit, Boutte said he isn’t sure if he can keep up the pace.

“I wouldn’t say it was luck. It was just something that happened this week,” Boutte said. “I don’t think I’ll be tipping the ball every game, but I’ll try to.

“I think it’s more timing than anything--you see the quarterback release the ball, so you stick your hand up and try to get into the path of the ball. It’s 100% timing.”

For the Rams, Boutte’s quick ascent from unknown rookie to productive starter has been made with impeccable timing.

“It feels kind of good because you see a guy that got here the same time I did going through the same things I’m going through,” Boutte said. “We’re going through it together.”

Gilbert declined to comment on Boutte on Wednesday, saying the questions were best answered by Boutte himself.

But if things go as planned, Boutte and Gilbert, two linemen the likes of which the Rams have not seen in years, will be the foundation of a very young defense.

“It’s a good place to start,” defensive coordinator George Dyers said. “They both have a long, long way to go, but they’re working hard and trying.

“(Boutte)’s got pretty good run-playing techniques. He’s not bad on the run, and his pass rush came along a little bit. We started seeing a little bit of action in the pocket. And I think that helped him as much as anything.”

And while Gilbert dislikes discussing how big a part of the Rams’ future he is, Boutte freely talks about how much he and Gilbert could mean to the team for many years to come.

“I look at the Philadelphia defensive line. I see those guys playing together. I hope one day we could be like that--established, big-time players,” Boutte said. “I hope we can be like that.

“I think there’s a big sense of responsibility. So much depends on the middle. You have guys that rush from the outside, but if we don’t get the pressure inside, the quarterback is going to have time to throw the ball (so) they don’t get the sacks.

“It’s a lot of dirty work in there. You have two guys (and) you’re just trying to push into the quarterback’s face. It’s dirty work, but I like it.”