PRO FOOTBALL / Week 7 : Ram Special Teams Bobble, Wobble to 23rd : NFL’s Best Last Season, They’ll Try to Improve Against Detroit Today
In case you haven’t noticed, the Rams’ special teams have been anything but special this season.
In fact, they are very ordinary teams these days, plummeting from the NFL’s best last season to a current ranking of 23rd.
Ram punts are coming up almost as short as Ram punt returns.
For Dale Hatcher, a sensational punter as a rookie, this has been the year of the wobble. He had the NFL’s best net average a season ago, but today only two punters in the league have worse numbers than Hatcher, who has a net average of 31.8 yards a kick.
Mickey Sutton, who replaced holdout Henry Ellard on punt returns, ranks 10th in the NFC with a 6.8 yard-a-return average.
Ron Brown, who in one game last season returned two kickoffs for touchdowns, had a 37-yard return last week against the Atlanta Falcons. It was news because it was Brown’s longest return of the season.
There are leaks and holes and gaps at every turn.
And the feeling is that if Ram punters, returners and blockers don’t turn things around in a hurry, an assumed win today against the Detroit Lions might end up being the Rams’ third loss in four weeks.
“It’s not fun,” Gil Haskell, the Rams’ special teams coach, said.
You can blame the collapse partially on attrition, which has caused a ripple effect that eventually came crashing down on the shores of the special teams.
In training camp, the Rams lost cornerback Gary Green and linebacker Jim Collins to injuries. They were replaced by Jerry Gray and Mark Jerue, two of the team’s best special teams players.
Others who moved from the special teams to starting jobs include safety Vince Newsome and nose tackle Shawn Miller.
Something had to give somewhere. Guess where?
“It’s no fun to have a good group and lose it,” Haskell said. “Your team changes but you’ve got to be good enough to react to that and get better.”
All the changes have disrupted the timing and rhythm of the whole unit.
“We’ve got a lot of new guys who have to learn,” said Hatcher, who in particular, has been affected.
He lost last season’s snapper at the end of training camp when Cincinnati surprisingly claimed Ed Brady on waivers.
The Rams tried just about everyone else, with little success, before re-signing Mike McDonald, the team’s snapper two years ago.
“When we traded Ed,” Hatcher said, “I kept wondering whether I was going to get the ball or whether I was going to have to play shortstop.”
Hatcher said the indecision has affected his kicks.
Last week, in the Rams’ loss to Atlanta, Hatcher averaged 27.4 yards a punt.
“It was the worst game I’ve had since my sophomore year at Clemson,” Hatcher said. “I’m trying to forget about it. But at home, yes I think about it. It’s my job. There’s nothing I can do but just work to get better.”
Hatcher made the Pro Bowl last season, but this has been a year of mind games.
“We’ve really messed with Dale,” Haskell said. “We’ve changed centers and haven’t protected him well. He’s trying so hard that he’s tight.”
The Rams, also, aren’t getting the coverage on punts that they did last season, when Gray and Newsome were the outside men releasing downfield toward the returner.
“Jerry was a No. 2 pick, and Vince was a No. 4,” Haskell said. “We’re now asking free agents to do what those guys were doing.”
The team’s problems on punt returns have been caused by the absence of Ellard, who is involved in a contract dispute. He was the NFC’s leading punt returner last season and, statistically, the best in NFL history with a 13.5 yards-a-return average.
“We’re going to bust one,” Haskell said. “But being compared to Henry isn’t easy for Mickey (Sutton).”
The Rams, in recent weeks, have been forced to move starters Gray and Newsome back to special teams.
“It’s not fun,” Haskell said. “You look around at the offense and defense. When they get a hole because of an injury, it gets filled. When we get a hole, it’s like, who can we get from the outside?”
Ram Notes The Lions and the Rams are both running teams, which should make for a fast game. “This could be one of the quickest games in history,” Detroit fullback James Jones said. . . .They’re calling the Lions’ backfield the James Gang these days, with fullback James Jones teaming with halfback Garry James. In Detroit’s win over Green Bay last week, Jones gained 99 yards in 29 carries, while James, the rookie from Louisiana State, gained for 140 yards in 20 carries. . . . The jinx may be over for the Lions, who lost all nine of their road games last season. This year, they already have road wins over Minnesota and Green Bay. . . . The Rams will be a man short on the roster today. . . . Friday, they placed fullback Rob Carpenter on injured reserve with a bad back. The team intended to activate defensive back Elbert Watts, but he did not clear league waivers. He was claimed by the Green Bay Packers. . . . Although the Rams have lost two of their last three games, Detroit Coach Darryl Rogers doesn’t think they’re struggling. “The Rams are better than the people we’ve played so far, including Dallas,” he said. “They’re still in the top five in the NFC.” . . . Ram inside linebacker Carl Ekern who has missed three games with a groin injury, is expected back today. . . .Eric Dickerson had the flu all week, missing one practice and part of another.
