Rams Acquire Former All-Pro Fox to Bolster Secondary

The Rams Thursday acquired former all-pro safety Tim Fox, 32, to bolster their injured secondary for Sunday’s game at Atlanta.

Starting safeties Johnnie Johnson and Nolan Cromwell have minor injuries, and backup Eric Harris was put on injured reserve with an inflamed disc. Vince Newsome is the only other reserve safety.

Fox, who played the first of his nine National Football League seasons with the New England Patriots, was released by the Chargers last summer after signing a guaranteed contract worth $291,500. The Rams will take over the payments for the last six weeks of the season.

“This is certainly the situation I’d hoped for, that a team bound for the playoffs would have trouble in the secondary and I could come in and play,” Fox said after practice. Fritz Shurmur (Ram defensive coordinator) was my coordinator at New England, and they’re using the same stuff.”

Ram Coach John Robinson said that Fox would be the seventh defensive back, to be used only if both Johnson, who has a hamstring injury, and Cromwell, who has an ankle injury, can’t play. Otherwise, Fox would be used on special teams.

“I don’t care,” Fox said. “I want to play. I’ll play anywhere.”

Fox, a communications graduate from Ohio State, was the Patriots’ first-round draft choice in 1976. He played in the 1980 Pro Bowl and has 24 interceptions.

He missed two games in ’83 and five in ’84 with a broken ankle that required three operations.

Ram Notes Coach John Robinson said quarterback Dieter Brock probably will start at Atlanta Sunday, only 13 days after surgery to remove a kidney stone. . . . Mike Guman, tight end in motion, may be activated today after having missed eight games with a knee injury. Rookie guard Duval Love, who has a neck injury, probably will be put on injured reserve to clear a spot on the roster. . . . The Rams are scheduled to fly to Atlanta this afternoon. Rain is forecast for game day, but temperatures are expected to be mild.