Rams Will Play Catch as Catch Can in Denver : With Few Tight Ends, L.A. Might Be Better Off Passing Up Tonight’s Game
Tight end or no tight end, the Rams will meet their scheduled exhibition appointment with the Denver Broncos tonight at 6 at Mile High Stadium.
What’s the use? Well, the game’s on the schedule and there’s really no turning back. That’s not to say one team wouldn’t like to. The Rams, reeling from Tokyo jet-lag and the loss of key position players, could have used the time to sleep or place want-ads.
As it stands, tonight’s starter at tight end will be he who limps less, Richard Ashe, who has a bad leg, or Gary Knudson, victim of a bad ankle. Both were signed as free agents to begin with. This is all because starter Damone Johnson is out with a contract problem, and knee injuries have sidelined Pete Holohan and rookie Vernon Kirk.
If either Ashe or Knudson crumbles on impact, the Rams would turn to free-agent center Rodney Lossow, who would shuffle over to tight end.
Coach John Robinson has joked about a gadget play that has the center rolling the ball down the line of scrimmage to Lossow, who snaps it to a man in motion.
Expect the Rams to use plenty of sets with three wide receivers.
“There’s plenty of things to do,” said Robinson, who has been known to take a sad song and make it better. “I don’t feel restricted. I’d be very nervous if we were on the line in a regular-season game.”
Ram starters, at least what’s left of them, are scheduled to go the first half, with rookie quarterback Jeff Carlson making his pro debut at the start of the third quarter.
“I’m trying to keep him out of garbage time,” Robinson said.
The coach has been intrigued by his fourth-round pick, a left-hander from Weber State. Carlson has shown in practice to be equally adept at making a great pass or dropping the snap from center.
“Initially, I was thoroughly . . . at him,” Robinson said. “Because he screwed up our drills. But he can throw.”
Ram Notes
Tonight’s game will be televised on Channel 2 at 6 p.m., with Vern Lundquist and Dan Jiggetts doing the play-by-play and color commentary. . . . Out of the game with injuries are linebacker Fred Strickland (knee); tight ends Pete Holohan (knee) and Vernon Kirk (knee); defensive backs Anthony Newman (leg), Darryl Henley (ankle) and Louis Brock (knee); wide receiver Aaron Cox (hamstring). Tight end Richard Ashe was upgraded to probable Friday afternoon, meaning he’ll probably start. Nose tackle Alvin Wright (ankle) and linebacker Larry Kelm (thigh) are questionable.
Byron Darby, picked up from the Colts in Plan B free agency, will start for Strickland at inside linebacker. . . . After missing last week’s game with a back injury, receiver Henry Ellard returns to the lineup tonight. . . . The Broncos finished 8-8 last season, prompting the firing of defensive coordinator Joe Collier and his entire staff. “A lot of people seem to be writing us off but I certainly don’t share that view,” Denver Coach Dan Reeves said this week. . . . Like the Rams, the Broncos have been hit hard by injury. Tailback Tony Dorsett and veteran center Bill Bryan have been lost for the season with knee injuries, and cornerback Mark Haynes is out for four weeks with a broken bone in his back.
Also lost for tonight’s game are nose tackles Andrew Provence (dislocated hip) and Kevin Brooks (kneecap), linebacker Bruce Klostermann (knee) and cornerback Dennis Woodberry (groin). Former Ram receiver Michael Young, who signed with the Broncos in the off-season as a Plan B free agent, is the team’s fourth wide receiver behind amigos Vance Johnson, Mark Jackson and Ricky Nattiel.
