Ram Notebook : Slater Studies Hard in Hopes of Giving Howie Long a Hard Time

Get ready for a Sunday jolt that will shake your rafters, rattle your pans and roll you right out of your chair.

The Big One is coming all right. But don’t worry, this one will only be Jackie Slater brushing up against Howie Long at the Coliseum.

It’s possibly the best matchup of Sunday’s game between the Rams and Raiders. Slater is the Rams’ right tackle, Long the Raiders’ left end. Together, they’re 12-feet 4-inches tall, 545 pounds and have been in nine Pro Bowls.

For Slater, it doesn’t get much better than this.

“I get excited about whomever I play,” he said. “But when you play against someone like Howie, or other good players in the league, it can be a humbling experience if you don’t prepare yourself properly.”

The two met once before, in 1985, with the Raiders beating the Rams, 16-6, at Anaheim Stadium.

So who got the best of that one?

“Howie Long is not the type of guy you’re going to dominate,” Slater said. “He’s not the type of guy your going to have 100% success rate against. You have to bring your best ball out and play. He’s going to do the same thing.”

In other words, Slater did OK. And Slater isn’t going to have to attack Long alone on every play. Long jumps around the line of scrimmage a lot, at which time Slater will seek assistance.

“There’s a good chance everyone’s going to get a couple of snaps to block him,” he said.

Oh boy. Slater said Long isn’t the type of player you just show up and play against. This is a week you do your homework or serve detention on the field. Roll out those Howie Long clips.

“It’s a combination of physical and mental,” Slater said of the preparation. “There are a lot of things he does that are exclusive Howie Long moves--vintage moves that no one else has fashioned. They are unique. You study them and try to come up with some solution that will halfway combat him.”

Anyway, there’s no looking past Sunday this week. Plus, people are saying that Howie Long looks better than ever this year. As if you needed to tell Jackie Slater.

“Howie looks fantastic,” he said. “I’ve never seen him when he didn’t look fantastic. He’s a great, great football player.”

Injuries, injuries: It’s true the Raiders are really hurting this week, with all those players out--Terry McDaniel (broken leg), Lionel Washington (groin), Don Mosebar (ankle). Still, Ram Coach John Robinson is almost sure the Raiders will play the game anyway.

“Injuries to the other guys don’t affect you,” he said. “The new guy comes in a lot of times and plays real good. Detroit could have said, ‘Without Charlie White they (the Rams) can’t run.’ ”

Greg Bell, of course, stepped in and rushed for 139 yards.

“It happens all the time,” Robinson said. “Injuries are a factor. But we clearly have a number of injuries--starting tailback (White), fullback (Mike Guman), starting punter (Dale Hatcher), starting nose man (Greg Meisner), starting linebacker (Jim Collins), third corner (Cliff Hicks).”

Be patient, Gaston: Robinson said he spoke with Gaston Green after Sunday’s game to explain why he only carried the ball once against Detroit. Robinson had promised a much larger role, but reneged when Bell started rolling up yardage.

Robinson: “I told him after game, ‘I want you to understand me. When you become the man around here, and you’re having a good day, there’s no way you’re coming out. I’m not going to share when you’re in a position to dominate the field. That’s what I always try to do.’ ”

New Robinson prediction: “I expect Gaston to have some games where he has 20 to 30 carries. And I expect him to have some like the other one (against Detroit).”

Ram Notes

As expected, tailback Keith Jones cleared league waivers Wednesday and was re-signed by the Rams. Jones, the team’s sixth-round pick from Nebraska, had been on injured reserve with an ankle injury until his release last Sunday. Jones and nose tackle Greg Meisner probably will end up on this week’s inactive list, though Meisner (knee) returned to practice Wednesday. Coach John Robinson still sees Jones as a long-term project. “He has real good speed, good acceleration and good running instincts,” he said. “If he can improve his pass receiving in the next year or two, he can be that quick guy that helps teams win.”

In another roster move, the Rams released linebacker Doug Bartlett, who started the season on injured reserve with an elbow injury. Like Jones, Bartlett had to be waived once healthy because he was initially placed on minor-injured reserve. Unlike Jones, the Rams have no immediate plans to reclaim Bartlett, the team’s fourth-round pick in 1987. . . . Guard Duval Love, who sprained an ankle late in Sunday’s game, is listed as probable for the Raider game. The Rams continue to work out unemployed quarterbacks. Wednesday, it was David Archer, formerly of the Atlanta Falcons and Miami Dolphins. The team is basically looking for phone numbers should the unspeakable happen to starting quarterback Jim Everett. . . . Cornerback Mickey Sutton leads the NFC in punt returns with a 17.3 average. . . . Ram linebacker Mike Wilcher was named the NFC’s defensive player of the week for his performance in Sunday’s 17-10 victory over the Lions. Wilcher had 1 1/2 sacks in the game and was credited with six solo tackles.