Rams : Jeter Hauls Off Weekly Award With His 5 Sacks

Gary Jeter’s week just keeps getting better and better. Wednesday, he was named the National Football Conference’s defensive player of the week for his 5-sack performance against the Raiders last Sunday.

Jeter, 33, became the second Ram player in as many weeks to win the award, following linebacker Mike Wilcher in Week 2. It’s the first time Jeter has been so honored.

“It’s nice to do it at the end versus the beginning (of his career),” said Jeter, an 11-year veteran who leads the NFL in sacks with 6 1/2. “It’s a great honor, but as I’ve said often, the other 10 guys are playing so well, it’s like on any given week, anybody can be the player of the week. Like last week, it was Mike Wilcher. Good things are happening because everyone’s coming to play. As long as we play unselfishly, then good things are going to continue to happen.”

Now for some Ram defenders who haven’t won awards but are probably deserving. How about linebackers Mel Owens or Kevin Greene, who have 4 sacks each after 3 games?

Lawrence Taylor, the New York Giants’ All-Pro linebacker, will miss Sunday’s game against the Rams as he sits out the final game of his 30-day suspension for substance abuse.

Of course, how he’s spending his time these days has been the subject of much controversy. Many in New York have claimed that Taylor is doing more golfing than rehabilitating, a charge Giants’ Coach Bill Parcells answered loudly on Wednesday.

“That’s the New York press,” Parcells said. “That’s not true. What’s a guy supposed to do, go to a cloister? The guy is so visible he gets credit for being 14 or 15 places a day--really. It’s really ludicrous, some of the things that have been written about him. To the best of my knowledge, and I can’t say this is firsthand, he is doing exactly what he was directed to do by the NFL drug adviser (Forest Tennant). I know our team is complying to the directive issued by the NFL drug adviser to the letter.”

Attention trade watchers: The Indianapolis Colts are 6-7 since acquiring Eric Dickerson from the Rams last November? That figure includes a playoff loss to the Cleveland Browns.

The Rams’ twin D’s, Damone and Duval, have been pretty much thrown to the NFL wolves this season. Tight end Damone Johnson, 26, was asked to replace veteran David Hill, and guard Duval Love, 24, replaced the legendary Dennis Harrah.

So how are they doing? Well, Johnson is the team’s reception leader with 12 catches for 90 yards. As for Love, he spent much of last Sunday blocking Raider All-Pro Howie Long.

“Howie didn’t dominate the field, did he?” Robinson said. “The responsibility phase of going from a part-time player to a full-time player is always a question. It’s the same thing you’d ask about Damone Johnson--can you handle the responsibility of playing? They both seem to be doing it quite well so far. They’re playing with more consistency and more confidence as they go on.”

Dallas Cowboys’ President Tex Schramm has been an ardent supporter of the NFL’s instant-replay system, so it seemed a little ironic when the system let him down last Sunday.

The benefactors were the New York Giants, who were credited with a safety on the opening kickoff when returner Darryl Clack fumbled the kick into the end zone. He was tackled trying to bring the ball out.

It wasn’t until the fourth quarter that replay official Armen Terzian admitted that the play was a “muff” and should have been reviewed and called a touchback, not a safety.

No big deal, unless you lose, 12-10.

Parcells, the winning coach in last week’s game, was quick to note that none of us are without fault.

“The game is not without human error,” he said. “We all make mistakes, I’ve made a bunch of them, officials make them once in awhile. I think Chuck Knox put it best. He said mistakes even out, provided you get to coach long enough to allow them to.”

Tex Schramm didn’t take it as well.

Ram Notes

Cornerback LeRoy Irvin (calf) and guard Duval Love (ankle) didn’t practice Wednesday, though Love said he might be in uniform today. Irvin wasn’t so sure. ‘I want to be optimistic,” he said. “I want to play, but I don’t want to compromise our team concept. . . . I’ll wait till Friday or Saturday. If I can sprint, I’ll go.” Nose tackle Al Wright also missed practice with a bruised knee. . . . The Rams’ top two receivers this year are tight ends Damone Johnson (12 catches) and Pete Holohan (10). . . . Greg Bell is the NFL’s third-leading rusher with 273 yards in 57 carries, a 4.8 average. He trails only Eric Dickerson (321 yards, 4.6 average) and Herschel Walker (306 yards, 4.6 average). . . . Bell leads the NFL in touchdowns with 4. . . . Who would have believed it? After 3 games, the Rams have outsacked the Giants, 21-6. . . . Quarterback Jim Everett is the NFC’s fourth-leading passer with a 91.9 rating.