Ex-NFL Star Takeo Spikes -- Rachel McAdams Movies ... Pumped Me Up Before Games

Former NFL linebacker Takeo Spikes says he had a secret routine before he would take the field on Sundays ... he'd fire up a Rachel McAdams movie.

Spikes -- who played 15 seasons in the NFL -- says McAdams flicks like "The Notebook," "Wedding Crashers" and "The Time Traveler's Wife" would get his mind right before a game.

"[Her movies take] me to a place where I'm very confident in myself," Spikes said ... "It's kinda like the calm before the storm."