A long way from the Ruins: Rams cornerback and leader Aeneas Williams is one win away from completing an improbable NFL journey.

According to an interpretation of Greek mythology, Aeneas was a Trojan warrior who, after the fall of Troy, escaped carrying his aged father on his back and wandered for years before founding a territory that later became Rome.

Aeneas Williams knows all about long journeys. While he played in six Pro Bowls during his 10 seasons with the Cardinals, his team ambled aimlessly in the Arizona desert, registering only one winning record during that span.

Then, last April 21, he escaped. He was traded to the Rams and became the final addition to a rehabbed defense that had given up an alarming 471 points in the 2000 season.

A new coordinator. Four new assistant coaches. Eight new starters. But if the contributions to the rebirth of the Rams' defense could be represented in a pie chart, Williams would have the single biggest slice.

Not unlike his Trojan namesake, Williams hoisted the Rams on his back late Sunday afternoon and carried them into football's Promised Land. With St. Louis protecting a tenuous 29-24 lead late in the NFC championship game against the Eagles, Williams knifed in front of a Donovan McNabb pass intended for wide receiver Freddie Mitchell and made his third interception in two playoff games. It sealed the victory and sent the Rams on the way to New Orleans and a Super Bowl showdown against the improbable Patriots.

"It's been a tremendous journey" Williams says, reflecting back on his NFL career. "For the Lord to bless me in this sort of way, later on in my career, I couldn't have written a better script."

The high-powered, multi-weaponed offense usually gets the lion's share of credit for the success of the Rams' 16 wins in 18 games. But it was the defense that changed the course of the team this season. It allowed 198 fewer points and 64 fewer yards per game--ranking third overall and first in the NFC--than it did in 2000.