Randall Gay and Earthwind Moreland turn in solid performances in helping squelch the potent Rams' offensive attack.

01:00 AM EST on Monday, November 8, 2004

BY TOM E. CURRAN
Journal Sports Writer

ST. LOUIS -- They were the baby birds pushed from the nest. Either they would fly or go splat.

Randall Gay and Earthwind Moreland flew yesterday. Flew to the ball, flew around the field, flew until the game ended. And even then they didn't land. Gay, an undrafted rookie free agent from LSU, and Moreland, a practice squad player signed to the active team yesterday, were still walking on air after helping the Patriots to a 40-22 victory over the St. Louis Rams.

The two beginner cornerbacks helped squelch one of the league's most dangerous offenses yesterday. Gay was in because Pro Bowler Ty Law hurt his foot last week in Pittsburgh. Moreland was playing because Tyrone Poole is hurt and his replacement, Asante Samuel, went out on the Rams' second offensive play due to a shoulder injury.

They didn't shut down the Rams. St. Louis quarterback Marc Bulger went 23-for-33 for 285 yards and two TDs (one on Moreland), but they did a whole lot better than people would have guessed. Gay in particular played seamlessly against Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce, two of the league's most productive receivers.

Last week against the Steelers, Gay was the man on the scene when Plaxico Burress scored a 48-yard touchdown two plays after Law was hurt. It didn't reflect well on Gay, nor did it reflect how well he performed leading up to that play and immediately after it. Yesterday, under the hot lights of the Edward Jones Dome, he came up large.

Which made the head coach beam, the veteran safety grin and the rest of the team line up to offer congratulations.

"I'm the old guy back there and I feel like a big brother," said safety Rodney Harrison. "I'm so proud of those guys. Earthwind is such a humble guy and Randall . . . they worked so hard. To see them perform and feel comfortable and not nervous . . . it made me feel good because we worked hard all week."

"This is a great receiving group and Mike (Martz, the Rams head coach) and the Rams throw the ball very well," said head coach Bill Belichick. "Earthwind and Randall Gay, Troy (Brown) when he was out there, and Asante, they battled them. They hit a bunch of passes and they got a bunch of yards but we just tried to keep the points off the board as much as possible. That's what a team's about. Being prepared."

The Patriots aren't generally a team that wet-nurses its players. They expect them to be ready if and when they are summoned. And it's not coincidence that, when players have to fill in, they tend to do a decent job.

"You never know what will happen or where you'll play," said Gay. "We take an approach to getting better at practice ever day. When Asante went down, we just thought, 'Well, somebody has to step up and play.' Whether you're a rookie or free agent you have to step up and play. Coach had a good game plan and we just executed it well."

The critical nature of the situation wasn't lost on Gay, who came to the Patriots on the recommendation of LSU coach Nick Saban, a Belichick friend.

"We lost a Pro Bowl corner (Law) and another first-round corner who has been in the league for years (Poole) and we're down to me, the fourth corner," he explained. "Then Asante got hurt and Earthwind, who just got signed yesterday, is playing. But we had veterans like Rodney and Eugene (Wilson) and linebackers who talked to us."

What Brown did yesterday going from playing wide receiver for 12 seasons to playing defensive back for close to 20 plays was remarkable, but he didn't have to deal with the same butterflies the young guys had. Nor was he on the outside, singled up with Pro Bowlers like Bruce and Holt.

What Moreland and Gay did yesterday was hard to believe. Except for them and the people who are close to them.

"Coach put us out there so he has confidence in us or he'd go get somebody else," said Gay. "If we couldn't do it, we wouldn't be here."