Rams’ Gary Green Expected to Be Out for Rest of Season
Ram All-Pro cornerback Gary Green will likely be lost for the remainder of the season because of a bulging disc in the back of his neck, it was learned Monday.
The Rams released no official statement on Green’s status, but the determination was made after Green was examined Monday by Dr. Robert Watkins, the Rams’ back and neck specialist.
Ram Coach John Robinson confirmed Monday night that he was told that Watkins had spoken to team physician, Dr. Robert Kerlan, and informed him that Green could be out for as long as six months.
Green, a 10-year veteran from Baylor who is regarded as one of the best pass defenders in the National Football League, has been bothered by the disc problem in past seasons but said that the pain usually subsides during the off-season.
That wasn’t the case this season, as Green has been hampered with the disc problem since the beginning of training camp.
Green tried to downplay the seriousness of the injury when reached on Monday, saying he wanted to wait a couple of days before commenting on his future.
“I’m just gathering all the evidence and reviewing all the possibilities,” he said.
Later, though, Green said that Watkins warned him of the dangers of trying to play with the injury.
“The real danger is taking a lick on it,” Green said. “It’s just a nagging disc that’s protruding some, and the chances of it getting better are slim if I keep playing.”
Green said that surgery is not a consideration, since the disc is neither ruptured or is it causing any nerve damage.
He said the only thing he can do now is try to exercise and strengthen the muscles around the disc in the hope that it will help ease the pain.
The loss of Green is a blow to the Ram secondary, which has already had its share of injuries this season. Safety Eric Harris was forced into retirement because of a recurring back problem. Safety Johnnie Johnson is recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery, and cornerback LeRoy Irvin has been nursing a sore ankle.
Green came to the Rams in a 1984 trade with the Kansas City Chiefs and has been a key part of the Ram secondary ever since. He was named to the Pro Bowl three times while with the Chiefs and once since joining the Rams.
The Rams tied up some more loose ends when they signed their No. 1 draft choice, offensive tackle, Mike Schad, to a four-year contract, ending one of the least dramatic holdouts in team history.
Terms of the contract were not disclosed, but a source close to the deal said it was worth slightly more than $1 million.
Schad, from Queen’s University in Canada, was seeking a contract comparable to players drafted around him.
Schad was the 23rd player selected in the first round. The player taken before him, Mike Haight, an offensive tackle from Iowa, signed with the Jets for $1.3 million. The 24th pick, defensive end Bob Buczkowski from Pitt, signed with the Raiders for $1.2 million.
Initially, the Rams were believed to be offering Schad $900,000.
Schad boarded a plane in Canada and arrived in Orange County late Sunday night, but not before losing his luggage in Dallas. He signed a little after noon Monday and suited up for afternoon practice, though he won’t play in tonight’s exhibition opener against Houston.
“I would have liked to have been here a lot earlier,” Schad said. “But a lot of those things were not in my power.”
Schad, 6-5 and 290 pounds, said he’s been working out twice daily with his brother in Canada and has spent hours browsing through his own personal copy of the Rams’ playbook.
Schad said he was anxious to see what effect his holdout had on his teammates.
“I worry a lot about how they feel,” he said. “But I know a lot of players here have gone through some contract things, so I hope they understand.”
Schad’s signing leaves the Rams with only three remaining holdouts: wide receiver Henry Ellard, defensive end Doug Reed and linebacker Mel Owens.
Ram Notes United States Football League owners decided to postpone their upcoming season for at least one year, seemingly stripping Ram receiver Henry Ellard of his trump card. Ellard, who made $145,000 in 1985 and is holding out for more, had threatened to jump to the USFL’s Arizona Outlaws, who were reportedly offering him a four-year contract worth $1.6 million. Ellard, the NFC’s best punt returner last season and the Rams’ leading receiver, reportedly is asking for a $500,000-per-year deal from the Rams, who are offering $1.2 million for four. As for how Monday’s USFL decision might affect Ellard’s negotiations with the Rams, you’d have to ask his Stockton-based agent, Mike Blatt. “It doesn’t bother my player at all,” Blatt said of the USFL’s decision. Blatt said he talked with the Outlaws owner, Bill Tatham, last week and was assured the team was still interested in Ellard, regardless of what happened at Monday’s USFL meeting. “Henry might just sit out a year,” Blatt said. “They’d be paying him for three years what the Rams are offering for four.” Blatt said he hasn’t heard for the Rams in a month. . . . The Rams signed free-agent wide receiver Allen Pitts, who played for Gene Murphy at Cal State Fullerton. Pitts is 6-3 and 200 pounds. . . . Because of a conflict of schedules with the Angels, tonight’s Rams exhibition game against the Houston Oilers will be broadcast on KRTH (930 AM), not the team’s flagship station, KMPC. . . . In case you missed it, the Oilers’ head coach is now Jerry Glanville, who took over as interim coach when Hugh Campbell was fired with two games remaining last season.
