Robinson, Rams Not at a Loss : Despite Defeat, Team Is in Good Shape in NFC West
A heartbreaking loss to the Philadelphia Eagles wasn’t enough to turn those Ram smiles upside down on Monday, not with 6 weeks to go and so much to play for.
In fact, the loss did little to change the Rams’ place in the world.
“If you stopped the league today and started the playoffs, I guess we’d be the division champions,” Coach John Robinson said.
And he’s right, thanks to a division that, like water, is seeking its own level.
All three of the NFC West contenders lost Sunday, leaving the Rams and New Orleans Saints tied for first at 7-3, with San Francisco close behind at 6-4. The Rams have already beaten the Saints once, on the road, and eagerly await Sunday’s rematch at Anaheim Stadium.
“We’ve got every opportunity imaginable,” Robinson said. “In the whole group, there’s no proven juggernaut. . . . We’re kind of like that last race in the Breeders’ Cup; we’re all coming down the stretch. There’s no reason why it can’t be us.”
No reason at all, though there are some reasons why it may not happen.
Sift through the glitter of a passing attack and comeback power and the Rams are still left with some questions:
--Has anybody seen the running game? The Rams have been held under 100 yards rushing in 3 of their last 4 games. Not a Ram, but the Rams, plural. The team that used to spit 100-yard rushers out for breakfast can’t get that many yards as a team lately. Sunday, they rushed for 69 yards in 23 attempts, a paltry 3-yard average.
Greg Bell had 20 yards in 10 carries against the Eagles; Charles White 18 in 6. Gaston Green, the first-round choice, did not play Sunday. With Ron Brown back, Green doesn’t even return kicks anymore.
--Is something wrong with Kevin Greene? The Ram linebacker, who had 10 sacks in his first 6 games, has been shut out in the last 4.
“He’s saving it for the stretch,” Robinson said. “He has gone through health problems (flu), but he was playing at an unbelievable rate there. It’s like a guy hitting .450 and now hitting .290. . . . He’s playing good football. I don’t want to get on him for hitting .290.”
Robinson said that at his request, the league is reviewing Eagle safety Andre Waters’ rolling block of quarterback Jim Everett on a safety blitz in Sunday’s fourth quarter. Robinson said the league is reviewing it.
After all, this is the only Jim Everett the Rams have. Plus, they couldn’t help but notice the coincidence, seeing as how it was Waters who essentially ended Steve Bartkowski’s career in 1986 with a helmet shot to Bartkowski’s right knee, which was shot to begin with.
Waters wasn’t assessed a penalty then or on Sunday.
The Rams, however, were hit with a 15-yard call for roughing the passer when Carl Ekern brushed Randall Cunningham after a pass.
“Something clearly needs to be addressed when that hit is not a penalty and our player gets called for a 15-yard penalty while leaping in the air trying to block a rollout, sprinting quarterback,” Robinson said. “There’s such a difference.”
Ram Notes
Linebacker Mel Owens, who has missed the last two games with a sprained ankle, was scheduled to have more X-rays taken. “We just want to make sure we’re not missing something there,” John Robinson said. . . . After 2 weeks on the road, Robinson gave the team a day off Monday. “They’re just tired,” he said. “We’ve got a big charge coming. These are 6 huge weeks, boy, and when you’re on the road 2 weeks in a row, a lot of things get set back in your life. You don’t go to the cleaners, you don’t pay your bills, all those things that happen can become stressful in a way.”
Big-quarter back: Just in the fourth quarter Sunday, Jim Everett completed 15 of 24 passes for 215 yards with 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. That used to be a good month for some Ram quarterbacks. . . . Wide receiver Henry Ellard is having a sensational year. With 7 catches for 166 yards against the Eagles, Ellard has 837 total yards, already surpassing his career best (811 yards in 1985). With 51 receptions, he needs just 3 more to tie his career best of 54, also achieved in 1985.
It’s a longshot, sure, but the Rams’ record for a single season is 84 catches by Tom Fears in 1950. Ellard would need to average 5.5 catches for the last 6 games to tie the mark. Of course, Ellard is playing a 16-game schedule. Fears did it in 12. . . . It might have been the biggest mismatch of the year, but yes, the Rams assigned cornerback Mickey Sutton to Eagle tight end Keith Jackson on Sunday. Sutton is 5 feet 8 inches and 165 pounds, the rookie Jackson is 6-2, 250.
