For John Robinson and Rams, There’s Joy in a Challenge

Here’s John Robinson, arriving for work. It’s very early and very chilly, but the Ram coach walks across the parking lot with a definite spring in his step.

As he nears his office, he is whistling.

Settling into his large, leather chair, Robinson leans back and props up his feet on his desktop.

Clearly, the pressure of running a 7-0 football team is taking its toll on the old coach.

These are times of acute stress, after all, and Robinson should be reflecting that situation. The critics are going over his offense the way your boss goes over your expense account. The fans are worried sick about the offense, and so are the players.

And then there’s the perfect record, which is the worst pressure of all. As Oklahoma Coach Barry Switzer said in genuine distress when told that his team was ranked No. 1 in the nation: “Why us?”

According to the coach’s manual, this should be ulcer time, life and death on the gridiron.

Obviously, John Robinson has lost touch with reality, because he’s saying:

“Sometimes you look at professional athletes and think of them as guys who have got to the point where they don’t think they’re supposed to enjoy what they’re doing.

“But it’s like a violin player who spends half his life practicing. Damn, it better thrill you. I don’t mean giggles or laughs, but the joy of doing, which comes from the belief that you are good at what you do.

“It’s like seeing Magic Johnson on the fast break. Who enjoys it more? Magic or the spectators? If the spectators enjoy it but Magic doesn’t, it’s over.

“I believe it, and I sell it to the players--’You better enjoy this. You’re the luckiest son of a (bleeps) in the world.’ There can’t be a better place in the world to be right now than in Anaheim, getting ready to play the 49ers. What better test? It’s like the Lakers when they played the Celtics.”

This type of attitude is admirable, I suppose, but is it realistic? Can it be maintained under constant adversity?

“I lose it sometimes,” Robinson says. “After the Tampa Bay game last year (a one-point victory for the Rams), the following Tuesday I talked to our guys about faces. I’d seen a videotape of the game. There was one close shot of me and I looked like I was headed for the gallows. It was hot at that game, and I had problems, but it stunned me.

“Then they showed a close-up of Carl Ekern. He was grinning and his eyes were wide open with excitement. It’s like watching George Brett go up to hit. You can just see it, that they love it.”

The crazy thing is, Robinson tries to sell this stuff to the players.

“Every day,” he says.

Can you believe it?

“John McKay started me on talking to the team about this,” Robinson said. “He gave a talk every year (at USC) about how you came here to play in the big games.

“I think he genuinely enjoyed the huge games. And you gotta sell the players on that, that being out there is a joy. We talk about it every day. “People have this idea that professional athletes are self-motivated, and they are. But they’re more emotionally involved than college athletes, more easily motivated. I think they need it (motivation from the coaches), if it’s from the heart.”

Sure, anything works when you’re winning . . .

“A year ago, we came home from Pittsburgh (and a 10-point loss) with a 1-2 record,” Robinson says. Vince (Ferragamo, the quarterback) was out for the year, several key players were injured, and people were saying, ‘This season is dead.’

“We started there. ‘We’re in deep (bleep), let’s figure a way to keep fighting.’ Since then, we’re 16-4 in regular-season games.”

But what about the criticism of his unoffensive offense?

“I find the criticism is useful to us,” Robinson says.

How about the restless fans demanding more points?

“I think the fan is saying, ‘Wow, I love your damn team.’ The fan is more sophisticated than the critic. Sure, they’re concerned, but you turn your TV set on with us, you’re screaming. We’re certainly no efficient damn group.”

Then why are you winning?

“We’re not without talent, but all teams that win, there’s something there that is intangible, a chemistry, commitment, togetherness, that is so much more important than whether you’re a running team or a passing team.

“In ‘72, when I was an assistant at USC, we had lost the previous two years, but boy, you could just feel the energy. It’s not much different than being in a romantic situation with a girl, meeting someone new. You can just feel it.”

I know Robinson is busy. He has an offense that needs a new play or two, like maybe a Statue of Liberty or a Heimlich Maneuver.

I thank him for his time and hurry out of his office. I don’t want to be around when he finally cracks under the pressure and breaks down sobbing.