Rams Go Back to Basics, Lose
The Rams, who have had some success with their wild, new passing offense, decided to go back to basics Friday night.
You remember the old Rams--run here, run there; point here, point there.
Well, that was the plan against the Denver Broncos. No more of these fancy touchdown passes so early in the game that it ruins the whole image of your franchise.
But in Denver’s 19-10 exhibition win before a crowd of 71,737 at Mile High Stadium, the Rams learned a lot of things--namely that you can’t just turn a great running attack on and off like a kitchen faucet.
They also learned that the assumed problems in the secondary are for real, conceding that it’s generaly not a good sign when the opposing quarterback throws for 275 yards in the first half and takes the rest of the night off.
Nor is it encouraging when your starting free safety can only describe what he just witnessed as “a nightmare,” as Ram Vince Newsome did.
Between now and Sept. 7, when they open the National Football League season at St. Louis, the Rams will hope to find some middle ground on which to rest.
It was easy to discount this loss for all the reasons you discount exhibition games.
The Broncos, of course, entered the game with fire in their boots, just itching to get at the Raiders next week in the opener.
“Denver gave us a full load,” Ram Coach John Robinson said of the Broncos’ exotic game plan.
The Rams were tired, having beaten up one another all week in practice.
Three of their offensive starters--quarterback Steve Bartkowski and linemen Dennis Harrah and Irv Pankey--were out with injuries, taking the ooomph out of the offense.
“If we had had a full group, I’d be alarmed if we would have that happen again,” Robinson said.
Still, when Eric Dickerson averages 2.9 yards a carry, you probably should look at the films again.
“It’s preseason,” said Dickerson, who finished with 53 yards. “Next week we’ll play harder. And I’ll play the whole game.”
That the Rams, after punting four times and gaining 73 total yards in the first half, had a chance to win the game in the fourth quarter should be a testimony to something, though no one is really sure what.
After cornerback Mickey Sutton’s 34-yard interception return for a touchdown cut the Denver lead to 16-10, the Rams got the ball back on the Bronco 35 with 9:10 remaining. But it was a backward drive after that, as Bronco linebacker Rick Dennison slammed quarterback Steve Dils for a six-yard loss on second down, forcing another of Dale Hatcher’s 10 punts.
The Broncos then drove for the game-clinching field goal, a 21-yarder by Rich Karlis with 1:24 remaining.
Although the Rams’ offense was sputtering, it was their defense that seemed shell-shocked afterward.
The Rams slowed the Denver offense after two quick scores, then they had the second-half luxury of defending passes thrown by Scott Stankavage, John Elway’s caddy.
Elway was scheduled to play most of the game, but there seemed no sense in it after he squeezed a great performance into one half.
Elway, who completed 17 of 23 passes for 275 yards and 2 touchdowns, played a session of catch with Vance Johnson during the first half, with few disturbances.
Three plays into the game, Elway found Johnson open down the middle for a 61-yard touchdown play.
Elway connected for a 50-yard pass play to Johnson on the next series, and only a fine sack and fumble recovery by Ram linebacker Mike Wilcher stopped that drive.
“When you can stand back there like I did, and have Vance running around out there, you can have fun,” Elway said.
Before he was finished, Elway threw to Steve Sewell on a 20-yard touchdown pass play in the second quarter.
Johnson had 9 catches for 182 yards in the first half alone.
For guys like Ram Jerry Gray, who is learning to play cornerback as he goes along, seeing San Diego’s Dan Fouts last week and then Denver’s Elway was an experience.
“It can bring you down,” Gray said. “Elway and Fouts are two of the best. After you play against them, you know where you stand and what you have to work on.”
And what did Gray learn?
“I need to work on a lot,” he said.
Ram Notes
The Rams went 2-2 in their exhibition games, while the Broncos finished at 1-3. . . . The Ram injury list: Barry Redden (hip pointer), Alvin Wright (knee), Damone Johnson (shoulder), Duval Love (calf), Tim Fox (hamstring). Only Fox’s injury is considered serious. Ram quarterback Steve Dils, who played the entire game, completed only 7 of 20 passes for 86 yards (no touchdowns, one interception).
