So you want to pick the winner of the NFC?

Here are your choices: (a) Minnesota Vikings; (b) Green Bay Packers; (c) Tampa Bay Buccaneers; or (d) St. Louis Rams.

St. Louis Rams, you say? Final answer?

Correct!

Someone is going to become a millionaire off of this, and not just Kurt Warner. Had you been in Las Vegas before the season started, you could have put yourself in position to make a million for the low, low price of $8,333.34. (And who among us doesn't have a spare $8,333.34?) That's all it would have taken if wagered on the Rams to go to the Super Bowl, according to the odds posted on one of the many sportsbook Web sites available on the Internet.

(You have to love the 'Net. Not only can you do all of your Christmas shopping on-line, but you can indulge in various vices from the privacy of your own home. God bless America!)

The odds of the Rams winning the NFC championship are considerably better than 120-1 now. I'd say they have to be considered the favorites.

Now, before you label me a front-runner -- or, worse, one who states the obvious -- let me point out that picking St. Louis to play in Super Bowl XXXIV is hardly a majority opinion, even though the Rams have the best record in their conference.

Despite their dominance, the Rams have as many doubters as they do points. (At last check, their per-game average was somewhere in the neighborhood of 8,333.34.) Many view these Rams as fraudulent, pointing to their schedule, which is softer than silk sheets. But you know what that slate is going to do for the Rams? It's going to give them home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. And that just might be the biggest factor in the fight to face the AFC rep, either Miami or Jacksonville.

Sure, Green Bay has wicked wintry winds and its famed frozen tundra. Minnesota has noise booming from strategically situated speakers. Tampa Bay has that scary pirate ship. But St. Louis has the fast track to accentuate its terrific team speed.

I'm no fan of artificial turf, but if I were a Rams fan, I might be. The fake stuff at the Trans World Dome is fertile ground for speedsters such as Marshall Faulk, Isaac Bruce and Az-Zahir Hakim. I know the 49ers have a wretched secondary, but did you see how much separation Rams receivers gained on 49ers defensive backs during their Week Five matchup in St. Louis? Instead of the usual five yards San Francisco's defenders trail by, the Rams were getting 10, even 15. It was ridiculous. The players were beyond separated; they were divorced.

Besides home-field advantage, the Rams will have hunger on their side. It starts with Warner, their story-of-the-century quarterback. You know this guy has more than enough want-to. You don't go from Iowa Barnstormer to NFL passer-rating god without heaps of heart and desire. As for the notion that Warner will wilt under the intense heat of the postseason spotlight, I point to his accomplishments to date. It has been a much longer road from Iowa to St. Louis than it will be from St. Louis to Atlanta. If he has made it this far, who's to say he can't go all the way?

Warner owes a debt of gratitude to Faulk, who has made his quarterback's life easier while changing the perception many people had of him. In Indianapolis, his former home, Faulk at times was viewed as a me-first player. There was a school of thought that he wouldn't be the same game-breaker once he signed for the big bucks.

The reverse has been true. Faulk has run like a man possessed. Remember his TD catch against the Titans in Week Eight? Just for a second, I could have sworn that shifty, fluid runner was Gale Sayers. Tennessee had an extra week to prepare for Faulk, and he still gained 184 yards from scrimmage.

I know what you're thinking: The Rams lost that game. And the next one, too, to the Lions. But I would argue that those losses didn't hurt the Rams; they merely made them stronger.

St. Louis gained respect in defeat. In both losses, the Rams trailed by more than one score against very good teams in hostile road environments yet put themselves in position to either win or tie in the fourth quarter. In both games, the Rams faced adversity and dealt with it. They'll know how to finish the job next time.

Not that they'll be in a close game any time soon. Their remaining schedule consists of the Panthers, Saints and Eagles on the road, and the Giants and Bears at home. According to my math (always to be double-checked), that adds up to 14-2 or, at worst, 13-3. The former would match the mark of 1998's NFC West darlings, the Falcons, who made it to the Super Bowl the hard way -- through Minnesota. Not only is the Rams' road easier -- since they'll be playing at home, they needn't pack so much as a duffel bag -- their squad is superior. Assuming everyone stays healthy, the '99 Rams have more weapons than the '98 Falcons. St. Louis' defense is at least on par, certainly good enough in the watered-down NFC.

Let's review the other options. The Vikings? No defense. Inconsistent running game. Questionable leadership in Jeff George, who still must prove he can get it done in crunch time.

The Packers? Always in the running because of Brett Favre, but a team in decline. Transition may be a better word. The offensive and defensive lines aren't what they were. Ron Wolf will rebuild them, but it will take time.

The Buccaneers sneak into the team photo ahead of the Lions and Redskins because of their defense. But it goes beyond personnel. It's personal.

Before the season, a certain columnist predicted the Bucs would win the NFC. It pains me to pick against them now. Yet I can't help but think they're no longer the right answer. In the NFC's final two, perhaps, but no match for these Rams.

It's enough to make Dick Vermeil cry. Then again, what isn't?

Material from Pro Football Weekly.
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