RAM NOTEBOOK : Bears Claim Victory in Rookie Cornerback’s Battle With Ellard

Ram receiver Henry Ellard caught five passes for 100 yards Sunday, but to hear the Bears talk, you would have thought he had been shut out.

In a new twist, Ellard found himself accompanied on all pass routes by Bear rookie cornerback Donnell Woolford. According to Ellard, it was the first time this season that a team has tried this strategy.

It worked--sort of.

Ellard failed to score, but he did manage to sneak behind Woolford and the rest of the secondary on numerous occasions.

Still, safety Dave Duerson, a four-time Pro Bowl selection, was quick to announce that Woolford had done well.

“(He) played one of the finest games I’ve seen by a corner,” Duerson said.

Ellard wasn’t quite as impressed.

“He did all right,” Ellard said. “(Quarterback Jim Everett) missed a couple times, but Donnell did a good job. He’s definitely a good corner who’s going to get better by playing more and more.”

Said Woolford: “I knew (Ellard) was going to catch his share of passes. He got some and I had an interception.”

Woolford also had an interference call on the second play of the game. He tackled Ellard, which would have been fine, except Ellard hadn’t touched the pass.

“I thought I had a chance to (score),” Ellard said. “The safety was across the field and everyone else was saying I had six points.”

Greg Bell doesn’t fumble often--only twice this season--but they seem to have come at the absolute worst times.

Sunday against the Bears, in a game tied, 3-3, Bell had the ball poked from his grasp by defensive lineman William Perry. Richard Dent recovered, and not long after, the Bears had a seven-point lead.

“I was trying so hard, my arms were pumping,” Bell said. “I’m sure if you look at the film you’ll see both my arms were up. I saw (Perry) at the last minute, but . . .

“He made a great defensive play. Give him credit.”

Bell had no fumbles in his first 100 carries this season. In his past 42 rushing attempts, he’s fumbled twice.

His earlier fumble this season came Oct. 16 against Buffalo. It led to a first-quarter field goal to cut the Rams’ lead to 7-3 in a game they eventually lost, 23-20. They haven’t won since.

Brad Muster was the Bears’ first-round draft choice in 1988, but the former Stanford fullback hadn’t played like it until Sunday.

Some in Chicago wondered whether the Bears blew the pick, but Muster seemed to prove some doubters wrong at Soldier Field in the Bears’ 20-10 victory.

Muster carried nine times for 33 yards and a touchdown and had four receptions for 44 yards.

In 1988, Muster was the Bears’ version of Gaston Green, carrying only 44 times all season for 197 yards.

“I’m just happy to be getting the ball each week,” Muster said after Sunday’s game. “With the different plays, I get a few more opportunities to run. I really don’t listen to the critics. I just do what I can.”

So what’s wrong with the Bears’ defense? Apparently nothing that a game against the Rams couldn’t cure. Chicago had the league’s 26th-ranked defense entering Sunday’s game, but held the Rams to 252 net yards.

“Our defense played with the tenacity that the Bears are noted for and I’m proud of them,” Coach Mike Ditka said. “I’m proud of every one of them. They played as hard as they can out there. Of course, the addition of Richard Dent seemed to make a big difference. The pressure was good, our coverage was good.”

So is this the same Ram team that opened the season 5-0?

“It’s the same team,” offensive tackle Jackie Slater said. “We just have some problems.” There had been talk all week that Jim Harbaugh might replace Mike Tomczak as the Bears’ quarterback, so it wasn’t much of a surprise when Harbaugh entered Sunday’s game in the second quarter.

“Every week I try to visualize some way of getting into the game,” Harbaugh said. “Because, when you’re the backup QB, the starter can get hurt. A lot of things can happen. I’m just going to prepare like I’m going to play.”

The Rams, remember, suffered a four-game losing streak last season and still finished 10-6.

“We’ll have to keep fighting, same as last year,” Ellard said. “I don’t think we’re necessarily worried about it. Last year, we got a little panicky. This year, I don’t think that will happen.”