When the St. Louis Rams take the field Sunday, strong safety and former ASU football star Adam Archuleta will make his NFL playoff debut after a roller coaster of a rookie year.
Archuleta, ASU's vicious outside linebacker from 1997-2000, changed positions this year and in the process, helped transform the Rams' defense. A struggling St. Louis defense allowed 471 points last season, the seventh-worst all-time mark in the NFL. This year, Archuleta and seven other new starters helped revamp the Rams' defense, which finished third in the league, cutting its points against total down to 273.
"Adam is a verbal leader and a leader by example," former Archuleta teammate and current ASU senior safety Willie Daniel said. "He has an agenda and a goal, and he goes after them."
Archuleta has recorded three sacks and racked up 56 tackles in 13 games this season, ranking sixth on the squad. ASU junior linebacker Solomon Bates, who was also Archuleta's teammate two years ago, said the guy is a machine.
"He's into it mentally and physically," Bates said. "His goal is to dominate."
Although it hasn't been an easy road for the Chandler native. Archuleta was forced to miss three games earlier in the year due to injury. A sprained ankle at the end of November sidelined him for two games, including one against division rival Atlanta.
He then suffered two concussions in a three-game span in December that caused him to sit out the Monday Night game versus New Orleans. Archuleta also pulled his hamstring in early September and played with a broken thumb in mid-October. However, Daniel said Archuleta can come back strong from injury.
"Injuries are part of the game, but he bounces back," Daniel said. "He's a competitor."
Archuleta charged back ferociously in the last three games of the season, making 20 tackles, including a season-high 10 on Dec. 23 against Carolina. Bates is confident that Archuleta will improve in the future.
"Regardless of whether he has one or 100 tackles, he will improve his game every year," Bates said.
Archuleta and the Rams are scheduled to face the Packers on Sunday in the NFC Divisional playoffs. Even though Archuleta played in two bowl games during his collegiate career, none of them will compare to the atmosphere he will experience in St. Louis this weekend.
In four seasons at ASU, Archuleta tallied 330 tackles, improving his per-season total every year. He led the Pac-10 in tackles for a loss in 1999 with 21, and ranks fifth all-time at ASU with 53 career tackles for a loss.
"Archuleta has the gift of instinct," Daniel said. "It's un-coachable and un-teachable. He anticipates well and is an intelligent player."
Reach the reporter at casey.pritchard@asu.edu.
