Rams Will Finally Meet Their Opposite : San Francisco, L.A. Share Similar Numbers (5 and 1), Only in Different Order
It’s been just one of those years for the Rams (1-5) and the San Francisco 49ers (5-1), longtime rivals and new bookends for the National Football League’s Western Division standings.
Everything that has gone wrong for the Rams has gone right for the 49ers, the Rams’ opponent today at Anaheim Stadium.
A week before the strike, for instance, the 49ers pulled out a victory over Cincinnati because Bengal Coach Sam Wyche “mismanaged” the game’s final seconds. Mismanaged here is a coaching euphemism for butchered, mangled or bungled.
Then came the strike, from which the 49ers emerged in fine shape--a perfect 3-0 in fact--largely because quarterback Joe Montana and some of the boys decided to cross picket lines a few weeks earlier than the rest of the league.
Which brings us to last week and San Francisco’s 24-22 squeaker over New Orleans. In that one, with a chance to win the game, Saint Coach Jim Mora went to his inch-worm offense in the final seconds, setting kicker Morten Andersen up for a potential game-winning, 52-yard field goal.
Gee, Andersen missed. And look who came out on top?
“We’ve been very fortunate,” 49er Coach Bill Walsh admitted.
Oh, and that’s totally forgetting that the 49ers didn’t even have to play the real New York Giants on Oct. 5, instead getting the Ants in the strike game and winning, 41-21.
Of course, some would say you make your own luck. As for the Rams, if it weren’t for bad luck . . .
Theirs is fast becoming a sad story. They started the season as Super Bowl contenders but have since done a nose-dive of classic proportions.
The Rams lost their first two games after blowing leads in the fourth quarter. Then they lost two of three strike games. Then they returned and lost their offense. Then they lost their star tailback, Eric Dickerson, who was traded to the Indianapolis Colts Saturday after a contract dispute with Ram management. Finally, Saturday, they placed cornerback LeRoy Irvin on the disabled list.
Other than those setbacks, the Rams are no different. Ask Bill Walsh.
“They’re the same team,” he said. “They got off to a rocky start because of the strike and other reasons. But they’re still capable of making the playoffs and if they are, they’re capable of being in the Super Bowl. You know, a number of San Francisco writers, one in particular, who supposedly is all knowing, has picked the Rams to win the Super Bowl.”
And the absence of Dickerson does little to keep Walsh, a constant worrier no matter the odds, from chewing his fingernails.
This week he recalled a time when new Ram starter Charles White ran all over Walsh while he was coaching at Stanford and White was running for USC. White, who’ll play today despite a broken finger on his right hand and a sprained left, found humor in the comparison.
“Those days are long gone,” White said. “I’m fortunate to get to play against the 49ers, to see how good I really am. Walsh could just be blowing smoke.”
Really? Walsh?
It can’t be denied that White, with his 384 yards, is the NFC’s rushing leader after six games. Of course, some big strike games bloated those numbers. It remains to be seen whether the banged-up, former Heisman Trophy winner, can withstand four quarters of punishment.
Because of the break, White’s index and middle fingers will be taped together, forcing White to change his grip on the ball. It may mean more fumbles and it almost certainly takes White out of the passing game, though he’s not a good receiver with two good hands.
It puts even more pressure on the Rams’ passing game, which isn’t exactly setting any records these days.
The Rams are quickly learning that you don’t learn offensive coordinator Ernie Zampese’s scheme in a day.
“It’s a different offense,” wide receiver Henry Ellard said. “It’s more sophisticated. Last year, we were basic. I could put my brother in there and he could learn it. That’s what the hold-back has been. We were hoping that everything would explode.”
In a way, it has. Right in the Rams’ faces.
Yet there remain a few eternal optimists. One is a quarterback who’ll be looking for his first touchdown pass of the season.
“If you’re going to turn your TV sets off, go ahead,” Jim Everett said. “I’m going to salvage every game I can. If you don’t believe it, don’t watch the Rams.”
Ram Notes
It’s not that 49er Coach Bill Walsh is trying to comfort the Rams after the loss of Eric Dickerson or anything, but he remembers a time when one of his star players deserted his team, too. The player was All-Pro safety Dwight Hicks, who didn’t show up for a game against the Rams in 1983. “He decided through his agent that he wasn’t receiving enough money and took a hike on us,” Walsh said. “We went ahead and played the game and moved Ronnie Lott to free safety. He played exceptionally well. Later, (Hicks) kind of self-destructed over the same kind of tactics. Obviously, management can only take so much of this kind of thing.” . . . The 49er offensive line is hurting. Guard Guy McIntyre will miss today’s game with a foot injury, and tackles Keith Fahnhorst (neck) and Bubba Paris (calf) are listed as questionable. . . . Ram linebacker Kevin Greene (shoulder) and defensive end Shawn Miller (ankle) are still listed as doubtful.. . . The 49ers have won 8 of the 11 games Joe Montana has started against the Rams. In those games, he s averaged 289 yards passing.
