Rams Notebook : Big Kickoff Return Winded Brown

Olympic sprinter Ron Brown had kickoff returns of 39, 38 and 37 yards in the previous two weeks and broke one Sunday that matched his number: 89 yards from a yard deep in the end zone.

“I thought I was going to go all the way,” Brown said. “Once I went through the hole, all I saw was the kicker. It’s coming, we’re getting better.”

Along the way he broke a tackle by Elvis Patterson, escaped Lawrence Taylor as he cut across the field from right to left, and ran past kicker Eric Schubert at the sideline before linebacker Andy Headen ran him down from an angle.

“I was a little out of wind,” Brown said. “I was OK, though. I’m getting closer.”

Eric Dickerson says the New York Giants have earned his respect in four games during his three seasons in the National Football League.

“They play tough on the goal line,” Dickerson said. “You think of the Giants as guys that bite trees in half.”

Ram Coach John Robinson said that if Dieter Brock can’t play at Atlanta next week, Jeff Kemp will start again.

“He competed very well,” Robinson said.

Kemp, who completed 10 of 25 passes, said he might have been rusty in his first action since last season.

“It probably would have helped if I’d been playing all along,” he said. “But I felt comfortable with what we had to do today.”

Observations by Congressman Jack Kemp (R-N.Y.), father of Jeff Kemp:

“I thought the Rams should have won. Except for two very blatant mistakes in calls (by the officials), the one against (LeRoy) Irvin--that was not pass interference. And Duckworth had a touchdown. Even (CBS commentator) Hank Stram called it a touchdown. But that happens in pro football, but you can’t let it destroy you. The Rams are in good shape. They’re 8-2 and they have almost a half a year ahead of them. I think they’ll be in the playoffs, that’s the important thing.”

As for his son, Kemp said: “I thought Jeff did a good job under the circumstances.”

Despite the many penalties the Rams received, guard Dennis Harrah said he thought Los Angeles still should have won.

“The main thing is that we didn’t execute well within the 30,” he said. “Once we got inside the 30, we didn’t look so good. You can’t go on what they call. We were not effective inside the 30. That’s what stopped us.”