Ram Notebook : Colt Owner Charges Owens With Attempting to Injure Trudeau

The Colts announced that they will ask the National Football League to review tapes of the play that sent their rookie quarterback, Jack Trudeau, to the sidelines with a twisted knee in the third quarter of Sunday’s 24-7 loss to the Rams.

Ram linebacker Mel Owens sacked Trudeau, and Indianapolis owner Robert Irsay reportedly felt that Owens was trying to injure his quarterback.

No one else--including Trudeau--seemed to feel that way, though.

Owens was flabbergasted when informed of Irsay’s intentions and was still upset when Coach John Robinson stopped by his locker to inform him that the Rams had viewed the replay and felt that he had done nothing wrong.

“I didn’t do anything ,” Owens kept repeating.

“When I grabbed him, he was still standing up. I couldn’t tell where his feet were. I wasn’t trying to hurt him.”

Trudeau also seemed surprised when he heard about it.

“I dropped back and somebody rolled underneath me,” he said. “I was trying to stay up when somebody else (Owens) grabbed me and spun me around. My leg was stuck and had nowhere to go.

“It happened pretty fast, but I can’t say it was flagrant. After all, I was still standing up.”

One Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words: Considering that all but three of the points scored came within 17 minutes of the opening kickoff, the game left a bit to be desired in the drama department.

The ultimate testimony of that came late in the game when the scoreboard screen focused on one fan . . . who was sound asleep.

Exercises in Futility: Blair Kiel, who replaced Trudeau (who replaced Gary Hogeboom last week), became the sixth Colt quarterback in the last 19 games.

Understandably, the Colts are 9-26 since moving to Indianapolis from Baltimore.

Vicious Circle Department: Running back George Wonsley, who scored Indianapolis’ only touchdown on a 10-yard run in the first quarter, thinks he knows why the Colts’ running game netted just 55 yards after they gained 23 on the first three plays of the game.

“The Rams realized we had a young quarterback and they did everything they could to stop the run and force us to throw,” he said. “They gave Jack (Trudeau) some problems, and when we couldn’t throw the ball they knew we were going to try to run, so we couldn’t do a whole lot with the running game.”

Makes sense.

Injury report: Linebacker Carl Ekern pulled a groin muscle and Robinson said he might miss Sunday’s game against the Eagles in Philadelphia.

Guard Dennis Harrah twisted his left knee early in the third quarter but returned later in the game.

“I tweaked it quite a bit,” Harrah said. “I screamed like a little girl but that was about it.”

The reviews on rookie guard Tom Newberry’s first NFL start are in, and they’re all good.

“Newberry is going to be a great football player,” Ram quarterback Steve Bartkowski said.

Newberry is replacing five-time Pro Bowler Kent Hill at left guard. Hill, of course, was traded to the Houston Oilers Thursday in a package deal that earned the Rams the rights to quarterback Jim Everett.

With time running out in the first half, the Colts frantically lined up for a 60-yard field goal attempt by Dean Biasucci.

It might have been good from 30. Maybe. The ball bounced at the eight-yard line and rolled into the end zone.