Picking Opposing Teams’ Pockets Is Just a Job for the Ram Defense

Any team playing the Rams these days is advised to watch those shifty-eyed guys on the other side of the line.

At the coin toss, make sure one of them doesn’t slip it into his pocket. And when you shake hands after the game, don’t worry about your wristbands because they’ll already be gone.

Most of all, don’t leave any valuables lying around. Like the football.

These light-fingered Louies lead the National Football League in picking foes’ pockets, 33 times in 9 games--12 fumbles and 21 interceptions. They play the game with blood in their eyes and larceny in their hearts.

Fagan to this band of Oliver Twists is Fritz Shurmur, the defensive coordinator, who approaches his job with criminal intent.

“You can look at turnovers two ways,” he said. “As gifts, or you gotta make ‘em happen. We’ve adopted the philosophy that we’re gonna make ‘em happen.

“We don’t have any incentives. We don’t pay any money for it. We look at it as our job, (which is) to keep ‘em out of the end zone and turn the ball over for the offense in as good a field position as we can--we stress that--and also if we can score on defense.”

Defensive backs LeRoy Irvin and Johnnie Johnson, and linebacker Carl Ekern have returned interceptions for touchdowns--the ultimate score.

They well deserve to have that know the strong’st and surest way to get.

--SHAKESPEARE.

Takeaways can’t really be coached, the coaches and players say--not directly, anyway.

Steve Shafer, who coaches the Ram secondary, said: “The first thing you’ve got to do is get yourself in position to make a play. Then you make a decision on whether you’ve got a chance for the football or you’ve got to strip the football to make it an incomplete pass.

“Once we get position on the receiver, we look for the football, and then we play the football just like the receiver does.”

Before this season, the NFL issued a new interpretation of its pass interference rule, giving defenders virtually equal rights to a pass, as long as they look for it so that the officials will know they are playing the ball.

“On the deep pass, it has definitely enabled the defensive back to become more aggressive and (to think), ‘Hey, I am the receiver,’” Shafer said. “ ‘It’s my ball, just as much as it is his.’ ”

Irvin agreed. “It is our ball,” he said.

But the part Shafer likes best is that the Rams have been called for only two interference penalties all season. Irvin alone used to get that many in an afternoon.

“Oh, gosh, he was probably leading the league,” Shafer said.

“We believe turnovers can make the difference in winning and losing, so we’re always thinking that. It’s the idea of swarming the football with 11 guys. When the ball’s on the ground, if you’re all there, your chances increase of you getting it.”

Thieves are never rogues among themselves.

--CERVANTES.

The Rams’ attitude is to share their booty equally and unselfishly.

“The singlemost factor is our defensive line,” Irvin said. “We’ve had some big hits from the linebackers to force fumbles, but the pressure on the quarterbacks has been the big thing.”

End Gary Jeter lusts for sacks as much as any lineman but said: “A hurry that causes an interception is definitely better than a sack.”

Owens has recovered two fumbles, safety Nolan Cromwell three. Inevitably, there is a tangled, thrashing pile of players involved.

“You’ve gotta hang onto it because everybody’s trying to pull it away from you,” Owens said. “Tons of weight on top of you. You just have to wait until the referee pulls everybody off.”

Cromwell added: “I don’t think there’s a whole lot of planning. Very few fumbles are ever caused by the guy coming straight in and making the tackle. It’s always the guy coming from the side that he doesn’t see, getting his hand in there or getting his helmet on the ball.

“If somebody else has hit him first and you’re coming in and the ball is there, you’re gonna try to knock it out or strip it.”

Let him take who take can.

--RABELAIS.

The impact of having the ball taken away can be devastating to an offense.

Ram Coach John Robinson said: “It’s terribly demoralizing. It really hurts. Interceptions seem to be quite painful, but they’re really costly if they’re in your territory. If you fumble the ball in your territory, it’s usually points.”

That’s how the New Orleans Saints scored all of their points against the Rams last week in a bit of turnabout.

“It gave them some hope for a while,” Robinson said.

But overall, the Rams are plus-11 in turnovers, second to the Chicago Bears, who are plus-12.

“It’s a state of mind,” Robinson said.

In other words, think theft.