Ellard in No Hurry to Sign With Rams : He’s Waiting for a Better Deal, Working Out at His Alma Mater

Henry Ellard’s holdout has reached its 33rd day, with the ending apparently nowhere in sight.

No problem, he says. While Mike Blatt, Ellard’s agent, and Rams representatives John Shaw and Jay Zygmunt have apparently reached an impasse in Ellard’s contract negotiations, the Rams’ leading receiver last season has been spending time with his family here and working on his golf game.

“I’m in no hurry,” Ellard said.

Ellard has also been using some of his free time working out at Fresno State--his alma mater--with Bulldog quarterback Kevin Sweeney. After one such session Tuesday night, Ellard was asked to reflect on Monday’s meeting between Blatt and Ram management and on the salary dispute that has kept him on the golf courses of Fresno instead of the practice fields of Fullerton and Anaheim.

Among his conclusions:

--He has complete faith in Blatt, who has represented him since he was the Rams’ second-round draft choice in 1983.

--The Rams are “playing hardball” with him.

--Two can play at that game.

Ellard said he encountered similar problems in 1983, when he and Blatt tried to negotiate a contract for his rookie season. Then, they decided to compromise, figuring that Ellard would need to establish himself before he could begin making demands. Ellard caught 54 passes last season--the most by a Ram receiver in 20 years--and led the National Football Conference in punt returns for a third straight year. Now, he said, it’s time to be compensated.

“I guess I’m tired of being taken advantage of, more than anything else, and I think that’s what they’re trying to do,” he said. “They got us the first time, but we’re not gonna let it happen again.”

Blatt said Monday that he would settle for a one- or two-year contract calling for about $400,000. The Rams have stood by an offer reported to be $1.2 million for four years.

Ellard admitted that he didn’t think the negotiations would reach this point but said he’s prepared to wait as long as he has to. Could that mean sitting out the forthcoming season and signing with another team next year?

“It’s still too early to tell,” he said. “But the way things are going, it’s heading in that direction because of the fact that they haven’t changed their offer. They don’t seem to be too serious about having me there.”