St. Louis ? Until a few weeks ago, Joe Vitt was a typical lifer NFL assistant coach.

Taking charge of the St. Louis Rams with Mike Martz sidelined for the rest of the season by a heart infection isn’t going to change his demeanor or put a strut in his walk. Vitt has already run the show for two games while Martz held out hope for a return, and his profile remains low.

“He hasn’t changed at all,” safety Mike Furrey said. “There’s nothing extra, you’re going to get straightforward shots and what you see is what you’re getting from him.”

That’s probably to be expected for a coach in his 27th NFL season, all as a behind-the-scenes guy. He’s also coached for the Chiefs, Packers, Eagles, Seahawks and Colts after ending his career as a linebacker at Towson State.

In short, it appears he’s always been a coach.

“This is what I do, if I didn’t love it I’d do something else,” Vitt said. “I can’t sing or dance, so this is what I do. I’ve done it all my life and I’m blessed.”

Most important, he served as assistant head coach and defensive backs coach under Chuck Knox with the Los Angeles Rams from 1992-94. Martz was on that staff, first as an unpaid offensive assistant and then as quarterbacks coach, and the two became fast friends.

Martz hired him as linebackers coach and assistant head coach last season. That made Vitt, 51, the natural choice to serve as the interim coach while Martz recuperates from endocarditis at his home.

The Rams lost their first game without the head man, squandering an early 17-point lead in a 45-28 loss to the powerhouse Colts. Vitt led them to victory last week, beating the Saints without quarterback Marc Bulger, both starting wide receivers and standout defensive end Leonard Little.

“What a remarkable man he is, and he really deserves to be a head coach in his own right,” Martz said. “He’s just done an outstanding job, and the way the players and coaching staff have rallied to this point is remarkable, so that’s a relief for me.

“It would really hurt if this team wasn’t going to be in such good hands.”

Vitt can relate to Martz’s medical situation because he’s a survivor, having recovered from two bouts of testicular cancer, the last nearly 20 years ago. With game day looming, all that is of no interest to him.

His first day on the field as the undisputed boss felt no different, either, even with a front-office squabble putting some doubt on Martz’s eventual return. Martz has long feuded with Jay Zygmunt, president of football operations, and Charlie Armey, the general manager.

“I don’t read the papers and I am not a tabloid guy,” Vitt said. “It’s my job to prepare our football team to win a big game. We had a good practice today, we’ll have a better practice and we’re going to prepare to win the game.”

Vitt’s game plan is Martz’s game plan. He’s overseeing the operation, while Larry Marmie remains the defensive coordinator and offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild calls plays.