‘That was pretty crazy’ – Rams pulled out all the stops to beat Bears, and one trick came from a former Seahawks player
The Rams found a spicy way to help them beat the Bears.
Sometimes players have to do crazy things to get ready for a football game, and Sunday’s divisional round was no different for the Los Angeles Rams.
Playing in Soldier Field in January is no easy task and can turn even the strongest of men into whiny little wimps. On Sunday, temperatures ranged from -5 to -23 degrees, factoring in wind chill, making life miserable for any fan, player, coach, or anyone braving the elements for multiple hours.
Obviously, that can present problems for Rams players hailing from not only California, but also a dome. Therefore, they came up with a pretty wild idea to help mitigate their environment.
Kam Curl says teammates poured cayenne pepper on their feet to stay warm
And it wasn’t just any pepper – it was cayenne pepper. That’s one of the hottest varieties of the fruit, and while it’s a wild idea, it’s easy to see why it would help.
“There were some guys on the team pouring cayenne pepper on their feet,” Rams safety Kam Curl told Albert Breer after beating the Chicago Bears. “That’s something I’ve never seen before. I didn’t try it this time, but they said it worked. So I’m going to think about it. But I might not do it. That was pretty crazy.”
Yeah, that’s pretty nuts. More specifically, the players mixed cayenne into foot powder and then put it in their socks. They didn’t necessarily “pour” it on their feet like Curl described. Regardless, the capsaicin in the powder widens the blood vessels in the skin when applied topically, and that allows for more blood flow/better circulation, which in turn helps keep people warm.
Poona Ford told reporters he learned the trick from former Seahawks nose tackle Al Woods, which is ironic considering the Rams play Seattle this week.
The good news on that front is that it doesn’t look like the Rams will have to use this trick on Sunday. Right now, the weather is projected to be in the mid-to-low 40s, with less than a 50% chance of rain.
We’ll see if the Rams come up with any new tricks for that one.
