Ram Notebook : Jets Know the Problem--No Offense--Unsure of the Answer

The Jets are 10-3 and tied with New England for the lead in the AFC East, but they haven’t scored a touchdown in eight quarters. So “What’s wrong with the offense?” was the question of the day after Sunday’s 17-3 loss to the Rams.

Here’s a sampling of the answers:

--”We’re just out of sync right now,” Coach Joe Walton said. “We’ve moved the ball the last couple of weeks but we just can’t seem to put it together. . . . We’re not moving as smoothly as we have been. It just seems like a mistake comes up at the wrong time and stalls us.”

--”We have the talent to recapture it,” receiver Al Toon said. “We have to critique ourselves, individually, and see what we’ve done wrong and correct it. We have the maturity to come back. We just have to win some games.”

--”The only thing we can do right now,” running back Freeman McNeil said, “is continue to play hard and continue to do the things that we’re capable of doing until we get back whatever it is that we lost.”

Well, that certainly clears it up.

So what are the Rams doing right these days?

“Defensively, we’re doing the exact same things we’ve been doing for the last three, four years,” safety Nolan Cromwell said. “The difference is that the offense isn’t struggling as much now.

“When Jim Everett came into the picture, we got the feeling that we’re a much more balanced football team.”

Sunday, Everett completed just 9 of 17 passes for 155 yards and 1 touchdown and was intercepted twice.

But when you’re talking about the Ram offense, a little bit of passing goes a long way.

How far? Just ask Coach John Robinson.

“Jim started off a little shaky again, but again he settled down,” Robinson said. “I think he made some huge plays in the game. He’s done a great job with pressure on him.

“They tried to come after him on third down and I thought he was damn effective.”

The swirling wind inside Giants Stadium caused problems for both quarterbacks and all the kickers.

Both of Everett’s passes that ended up in the hands of the Jets were thrown into the wind and appeared to die as they approached the intended receivers.

Jet quarterback Ken O’Brien admitted that some of his passes seemed to sail and float, although both of the Rams’ interceptions came on tipped balls.

Dave Jennings, the Jets punter, kicked one into the wind and got all of 23 yards out of what appeared to be a solid shot. The Rams’ Dale Hatcher had one punt into the wind that traveled just 30 yards in the air.

And the ball kept blowing off the tee as the teams prepared for the kickoffs, forcing both teams to use holders.

Someone suggested to cornerback Jerry Gray that the Rams’ zone defense was not very “macho.”

Gray laughed politely and then said: “You can talk (bleep) about our zone, but we’re 9-4, man.

“Macho’s great, but it don’t win you any ballgames.”

Said Robinson, when asked what the Rams would have done without Kevin House, who caught a 60-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter: “We would have won, 10-3.”

Add House: The eight-year veteran may be in the starting lineup soon. He replaced Ron Brown to open the second half. House had 2 catches for 77 yards. Brown did not have a catch.

More House: On what it’s like being on a contender after so many years in Tampa Bay. “It’s like I’ve died and gone to heaven,” House said. “Usually this time of year, I’m thinking about Christmas and buying toys.

Now, of course, he thinking about the playoffs.

One last House: On the Rams’ future: “If we peak by the playoffs, I can’t see anyone beating us.”

Eric Dickerson picked up a blitzing Jet linebacker that helped allowed Everett to complete his touchdown pass to House. “I take pride in that,” he said of his pass blocking. “Some teams just say ‘Hey he’s a runner. We’ll blitz them and beat them.”’

Dickerson on Jim Everett: “I’m glad we got him. At first I had my doubts, but now I’m glad we got him.”

Add Dickerson: His four-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter was his 55th career Ram touchdown, tying him on the all-time list with receiver Elroy Hirsch.

Jim Everett: “I’m just glad I don’t have to play against our defense.”