Thursday, Aug. 06, 2009

Atogwe eager to take on bigger role

Free safety believes team's young secondary could be a strong point

ST. LOUIS -- Free safety Oshiomogho Atogwe handled being designated as the St. Louis Rams' franchise player much differently than a lot of other players who have been hit with that dreaded tag.

Instead of skipping team activities such as minicamps and Organized Team Activities, Atogwe participated even though he was technically not under contract.

And, instead of holding out of training camp, Atogwe signed the $6.3 million franchise tender, and reported on time.

"I believe, as I have been taught, that having a reputation of good character is worth more than wealth or riches and chasing after money,'' Atogwe said. "If I was going to be a part of this team this year, it was important, imperative that I was here through the offseason just to show my teammates that I am committed to them, and I am committed to what we have going on.

"Regardless of my contract situation, I am committed to what the team is doing and what Coach Spags (Steve Spagnuolo) is doing.''

Atogwe said he felt a need to take part in offseason activities as a show of solidarity under Spagnuolo.

"Some of the younger guys and some of the vets need to see loyalty and faithfulness from the guys that have already been here,'' Atogwe said. "That's going to carry over to the locker room, where you build a team that is focused on one goal, one purpose.''

Spagnuolo said he appreciated Atogwe attending the offseason activities.

"An awful lot,'' Spagnuolo said. "And, I've told him a number of times how classy I think he has handled everything. That's a quality person right there. Forget about the football talent.

"And, I sensed that the first time when I first got here, I visited with him in my office, and you could see that right away.''

Atogwe was voted by his teammates as the Rams' Most Valuable Player last season. He had a career-high 109 tackles and led the team in interceptions with five and forced fumbles with eight.

Entering his fifth season in the NFL, Atogwe said he's ready to assume more of a leadership role for the Rams.

"I believe leaders lead by example first,'' Atogwe said. "That means being a professional in what you are doing, knowing your job and doing your job. And from there, other guys will raise their level of play to do exactly what you are doing.''

Asked if he did anything special to get ready for this season, Atogwe joked, "Yeah, I didn't sleep at all. I didn't sleep one minute. I just worked out 24 hours a day. We'll see how that works.''

Asked if he was tired from not sleeping, Atogwe said, "What's tired have to do with this? Plays have to be made.''

Atogwe said the Rams' defense, which ranked 28th overall in the NFL last season, is starting to gel as a unit in Spagnuolo's aggressive scheme.

"Slowly, but surely,'' Atogwe said. "One thing about playing defense, a lot of it has to do with your attitude, demeanor and how you approach the game.

"Jogging in and out of the huddle, getting lined up quickly, sets a tempo and a tone within yourself even before the ball is snapped, even before you play a down. It gives you a sense of urgency: Let's get after somebody.''

Atogwe also is getting more comfortable playing along side new strong safety James Butler.

"It's a process,'' Atogwe said of developing a camaraderie with Butler. "You don't want to force anything overnight because then it's not real. Once you let it happen organically, naturally through a duration of time, that's when it's going to be sustainable. I think we're developing that right now.''

Atogwe said he thinks the Rams' young secondary could be a strong suit for the team this season.

"I believe we can be as good as we believe,'' Atogwe said. "I think we have nothing but talent back there. Speed, aggressiveness, tackling -- we have everything we need to have a great secondary.

"Now it's just: Are you willing to pay the price and sacrifice necessary to attain that goal.''

The Rams haven't had a winning season since 2003, and they haven't earned a playoff berth since the 2004 season, but Atogwe feels this year's squad is capable of surprising people.

"I expect for our team to be successful,'' Atogwe said. "I came back this year to play for the Rams so we could achieve something that we haven't done in a while. I expect and believe that we are really capable of doing that, that we can surprise some people this year and make a run for it.''