Vick isn't Rams' only concern

ATLANTA - For all the talk that St. Louis is obsessed with stopping Falcons quarterback Michael Vick in tonight's second-round NFC playoff game, the Rams will be just as concerned about Rod Coleman.

They should be. In a 34-17 loss at the Georgia Dome in Week 2, Coleman's name barely registered on the post-game statistics: two tackles, one quarterback pressure.

The defensive tackle's impact, however, was profound.

Just ask him.

"Nothing," Coleman said with a wide smile this week. "I did absolute, 100 percent nothing. OK, well, maybe a little bit, but that was just routine pressure. You see that every day."

A mock attempt at modesty hardly changes the perception of the performance Coleman gave in his first regular-season game for Atlanta.

Consistently drawing double- and sometimes triple-team blockers, Coleman showed why Falcons president and general manager Rich McKay designated him as the club's No. 1 goal in free agency last season.

Perhaps defensive coordinator Ed Donatell put it best when he described Coleman as having "a lot of upper-body violence."

Six months after Atlanta owner Arthur Blank gave him a $10 million signing bonus to leave the Oakland Raiders, Coleman made the afternoon miserable for center Andy McCollum and right guard Adam Timmerman, stalwarts of St. Louis' offensive line for nearly all of the past six years.

Pressure from Coleman and the rest of his teammates on the line contributed dramatically to the Rams' 30 measly yards rushing, the third-worst single-game performance by an Atlanta opponent.

Jasper joined defensive ends Patrick Kerney and Brady Smith and strong safety Bryan Scott for a combined five sacks of St. Louis quarterback Marc Bulger.

Add that to the number of plays in which the Falcons knocked him down or caused him to make a hurried throw, and it's no wonder Bulger hoped he wouldn't see these guys again.

"We don't know if it's going to be easier," Bulger said this week "We know Atlanta, that's one of their strengths is against the run. It's crucial in the playoffs.

"We've got to hold the ball a little bit; we can't just go back, throw the ball every down. It's going to be critical to us to get some more yards."

Falcons vs. Rams

What: NFL divisional playoffs

When: 8 p.m. today

Where: Georgia Dome, Atlanta

Television: Fox-Ch.54