Rams ready for rowdy Arrowhead appearance -- Wagoner

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Rams ready for rowdy Arrowhead appearance
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/12949/rams-ready-for-rowdy-arrowhead-appearance

EARTH CITY, Mo. -- Playing the Kansas City Chiefs hasn't been much fun for the St. Louis Rams the last five times they've met.

Entering Sunday's meeting, the Rams have lost five in a row to their cross-state opponent (rivals isn't really accurate when they've played only five times since 1997) and their trips to Arrowhead Stadium have been especially harrowing.

In those five losses, the Rams have been outscored by an average of 37.8 to 18.8. Two of those games took place in Kansas City and the Chiefs won 54-34 (in 2000) and 49-10 (in 2002).

Those games are ancient history as it pertains to the current edition of both teams but one thing has remained the same: Through thick and thin, Arrowhead Stadium is one of the toughest places to play in the league.

To the Rams who have played at Arrowhead, it compares favorably to another venue the Rams know well: Qwest Field in Seattle.

“As y’all know they have this personal thing with the 12th man in Seattle, so they try to compete," Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. "That gives us some kind of indication of how difficult it is to play there because of the noise.”

True to his custom, Fisher hasn't done anything special to prepare his team for what figures to be a raucous Sunday afternoon. Fisher has never been a big believer in piping in crowd noise during practices though he occasionally has his team create noise for a situational drill centered on the offense being backed up near its goal line.

But in his nearly two and a half seasons in St. Louis, Fisher has never had artificial noise used for any of his practices.

"I think if you make a big deal over it, it becomes an even bigger deal," Fisher said. "We respect it by all means and we’ll address it. We have to be smart. They take advantage of it."

The Rams have no shortage of players who have played in the din of some of the league's loudest stadiums. Quarterback Austin Davis represents a notable exception, however. Davis only got his first regular-season snaps in a game just over a month ago, and though Philadelphia provided a hostile environment, it's not quite on the same level as what Seattle or Kansas City will provide.

To his credit, Davis does not seem to rattle easily and says he'll be ready to go come Sunday.

“I’ve never been there before but I’ve heard from various sources that it’s a great atmosphere, it’s very loud, it’s fun to play there," Davis said. "We’ll treat it the same as we always do on the road. We’ll use our silent cadence and plan on it not being a problem.”