Ram Notebook : Saints Owner Does Dance Again; This Time <i> After </i> Game Is Over

Saints owner Tom Benson took a lot of heat in the local media after he began celebrating on the sidelines with two minutes left in last week’s 23-10 win over San Francisco.

One local television station called his little dance the “Benson Boogie” and conducted man-on-the-street interviews concerning Benson’s antics.

New Orleans Coach Jim Mora, a man best described as stoic, didn’t openly criticize his boss, but he didn’t look too happy when he was being hugged by Benson before the game was over.

Sunday, the fans began cheering, “We want Benson. We want Benson,” in the final seconds of the Saints’ win over the Rams.

But this time, the native New Orleanian car dealer who bought the team in 1985, waited until the final gun to bounce out on the field and twirl around with his hands in the air.

In the last six games, only one team has rushed for more than 100 yards against the Saints.

“I said all week that nobody gets 100 yards against us from here on out,” linebacker Rickey Jackson said. “We’re really getting used to Coach Mora’s new system and now that we’ve adjusted, not a whole lot of teams will be able to rush the ball against us.

“The Rams are a great team, but today they realized they were up against a great team.”

The Saints have not allowed a point in the last six quarters.

Adding Insult to Injury Dept.: Free safety Frank Wattelet had just separated Ram receiver Ron Brown from the ball--and nearly his head--late in the fourth quarter and Brown was lying semiconscious on the turf.

As Brown was being helped from the field, the Superdome message board flashed this graphic under the picture of the wobbly-kneed receiver:

“Ron Brown--No catches today.”

Brown suffered a mild concussion.

Getting a Kick Out of the ‘Dome: Punters Brian Hansen of New Orleans and Dale Hatcher of the Rams like to ply their trade in the great indoors of the Superdome, and Sunday’s statistics showed why.

Hansen, who made the Pro Bowl as a rookie in 1984, punted seven times for 303 yards (an average of 43.3), including a 59-yarder.

Hatcher, who made the Pro Bowl as a rookie last season, punted seven times for 293 yards (an average of 41.9), including a 52-yarder.

Follow the Bouncing Ball: There were seven fumbles and four interceptions. Five of the fumbles and three of the interceptions came in the first half.

Injury report: Running back Mike Guman severely bruised his ribs after fumbling late in the second quarter. . . . Linebacker Mike Wilcher aggravated a knee injury suffered in Monday night’s game against the Bears.

Bourbon Street Blues? Tight end David Hill said the week in New Orleans had no adverse effect on the Rams’ play against the Saints.

“I didn’t see anything in New Orleans that is more exciting than Los Angeles,” Hill said. “We’re from a pretty exciting city ourselves, you know.”

Nawlins’ Noise--Ram quarterback Steve Dils was not able to change any plays at the line of scrimmage because of the crowd noise at the Superdome.

“It was pretty tough to hear,” Dils said.

No doubt, there are a few plays he would have liked to change.