Phifer the All-Pro? : Rams Emphasize Much-Improved Linebacker Is Having That Type of Season

Tim Lester, a Ram fullback, pondered the question, silently rolling through his mental checklist of the NFL’s toughest linebackers he has blocked.

There was New Orleans’ Rickey Jackson. And no list would be complete without the New York Giants’ Lawrence Taylor.

But Lester’s list had one more selection.

“Oh, and on this team it’s Roman Phifer,” Lester said, recalling some of the bruising matchups they had during training camp last summer.

“He’s so strong for his size, and he has great quickness. He’s real tough, one of the toughest I’ve ever run into. I remember hitting him one time and my eyes just rolled back in my head.”

Lester learned in training camp what Ram opponents have discovered this season--Phifer is stronger, more physical and is hitting harder than ever.

After adding strength and 10 pounds in the off-season, Phifer has shaken a label that has haunted him since he played at UCLA. He was smooth and athletic but the knock on him was that he wasn’t aggressive or physical enough for a linebacker. He was tough in pass coverage but lacked the power to consistently pound offenses.

But after off-season strength training and extra time in the film room, Phifer is having his best season in three years as a pro. He leads the Rams in tackles with 108 (88 solo), 18 more than his first two seasons combined. And whispers around Rams Park promoting Phifer as a Pro Bowl candidate have grown into a roar this week.

Shane Conlan, the Rams’ middle linebacker who played in three Pro Bowls as a Buffalo Bill, lobbied for Phifer a few weeks ago. Ram Coach Chuck Knox and linebacker coach Dick Selcer seconded Conlan’s support this week.

“Shane’s a great player, and he gave Roman perhaps the highest compliment you can give another player,” Selcer said. “Your peer group is telling you that you’re a hell of a player.

“Without a doubt, he’s having a Pro Bowl-type year. You can’t measure those things in terms of wins and losses. He has made plays in all phases of the game.”

Pro Bowl selections are expected to be announced Tuesday. And Phifer is among the Rams’ best bets to make it, along with rookie tailback Jerome Bettis and defensive tackle Sean Gilbert.

Voting for Pro Bowl players this season is divided among the fans, coaches and players. With the Rams struggling to a 4-10 record, has Phifer convinced the coaches and fans that he’s one of the NFL’s top linebackers?

“I’m not one of the big-name guys,” Phifer said. “It’s not like a lot of people know who I am. I don’t get a lot of exposure to the fans. With the coaches, the films go around the league and they get a chance to see me.

“The Pro Bowl really isn’t the thing on my mind when I go out there to play. I just want to do my best and contribute to a win. If I get to go, I’ll be very happy. But if it doesn’t happen, then I know I have more work to do.

“It’s an honor that someone like Shane would say that I should be in the Pro Bowl. I think I’ve started to improve this season and get a feel for what I’ve been doing, but we didn’t have a good season as a team, and that negates any individual performance. That’s really what the bottom line is, whether anyone goes to the Pro Bowl or not.”

Two years ago, Phifer was struggling to get a spot in the Rams’ starting lineup. In 1991, he played in 11 games as a rookie, starting five, before breaking his leg against San Francisco and missing the final five games.

After struggling during training camp in 1992, he lost his spot in the opening-day lineup to veteran Paul Butcher. When Butcher suffered a foot injury in the season opener at Buffalo, Knox considered starting Scott Stephen, whom the Rams had signed off the waiver wire a week earlier.

For Phifer, the message was clear--get in gear or sit on the bench. Knox started him instead of Stephen, and Phifer responded with seven solo tackles and a fumble recovery against New England. He started 14 games last season and finished with 66 tackles, 51 solo.

After the season, Selcer met with Phifer to draw up some goals. Adding weight and strength were priorities, with Phifer, 6 feet 2, having played at 230 pounds last season.

“Getting stronger and getting more physical would help my game,” Phifer said. “I really tried to work on that in the summer. My whole idea was to put on weight, good weight, by lifting a lot and gaining strength. But size was my main objective.”

Selcer also turned Phifer into a game film junkie. Phifer studied not only his outside linebacker position but also his role as the lone linebacker in nickel packages and coverages. He has played in nearly every defensive situation this season and credits his knowledge of the defense to his film studies.

“I’ve been more of a student of the game this season,” Phifer said. “That has been something I’ve tried to improve on. It improves you athletically. It doesn’t matter if you’re fast or anything; if you don’t have any idea where you’re going or what you’re doing, you’re not very effective.

“Coach Selcer has helped me a lot with that, and I’m more comfortable on the field now.”

Phifer’s cause was also helped by the off-season acquisitions of Conlan and Henry Rolling--veteran linebackers who have taken the pressure off the younger player and helped him develop.

“Shane has been on a winning team and to three Super Bowls,” Phifer said. “He and Henry know what it takes.

“There are certain things coaches can tell you, but there are certain things that other players can help you with because they’re the ones out there. They can give you a lot more insight, and that’s what Henry, Shane and Chris Martin have done for me.”

Even Phifer’s roommate, Ram cornerback Robert Bailey, has been an influence. Phifer approaches his position much as a cornerback approaches his. Speed and agility count for everything when it comes time to make plays. And don’t forget strength.

“I always felt defensive backs are the best athletes on the field,” Phifer said. “Most of my friends are the defensive backs. They’re the guys I work out with in the off-season. I run with them and do all the drills they do. It helps me as a linebacker because it helps make me look more athletic and makes me better on pass coverage, quickness and movement.”