Rams Back to NFC West Title Chase : Pro Football: After easy victory over Phoenix, Robinson is talking about catching San Francisco.
The Rams threw a welcome back party for themselves Monday after returning from a four-game losing streak to the thick of the race in the NFC West.
Two weeks ago, Coach John Robinson was outlining his team’s chances in complicated terms of wild-card playoff spots, all but conceding the division to San Francisco. He wasn’t exactly limb-stepping then, considering the 49ers were cruising along at a Super Bowl clip while Robinson’s Rams were praying they’d never see another Hail Mary pass thrown their way again.
Trailing the 49ers by two games with five left and the Rams are in the thick of the race? OK, maybe it’s a thinner race than that, but it certainly beats their view from the Minnesota locker room a few weeks back.
The Rams already have beaten the 49ers once. Of their remaining five games, classify two as tossups: this week’s battle in New Orleans and the Dec. 11 rematch with the 49ers at Anaheim Stadium. If you don’t think you can win the other three--Dallas, New York Jets and New England--kindly remove your team from the playoffs and this discussion.
The 49ers have four tough games remaining: the New York Giants, Rams, Chicago and Buffalo. Throw in one freebie, Atlanta.
The Rams are in reasonable shape if they can stay at least two games behind the leaders until their December rematch. If the Rams beat San Francisco again and sweep the season series, they’d win any first-place ties with the 49ers, who close out the season against Chicago and Buffalo.
The Rams finish with the Jets and Patriots. Naturally, coaches never look beyond next week’s game, but Robinson’s outlook has changed from the days of defeat and dirges.
“We’ve got to be realistic,” Robinson said. “To win the division, we’ve got to win the rest of the games. Maybe you could get away with losing one. But I think we have to beat San Fransico to win the division. I could see us conceivably tying them. Then, if we beat them twice, we would be the champions.”
Aren’t we getting a little ahead of ourselves here?
“I don’t want to be led into these things about prophesying the future,” Robinson said. “I just want to try and beat New Orleans.”
And that is an imposing task in itself. Not only do are Saints just a game behind the Rams at 6-5, they’ve already beaten the Rams once, meaning a slip-up in New Orleans could wipe the Rams off the playoff map altogether.
The roads are diverse and unsettled, division champs or home for the holidays. What’s it going to be?
“The only thing realistic for us is just not worry about it,” Robinson said. “And I’m like everyone else. I go home at night and I make out all these charts, and then I lose them and can’t find them the next morning, so I have to make out a new chart.”
Jerry Gray’s great day against Phoenix--two interceptions, eight tackles, four passes defended--has convinced Robinson to switch the cornerback to his natural position, free safety, next season.
Robinson has talked about it before, but this time he’s serious. Gray has made three consecutive Pro Bowls at left cornerback, but the Rams think they’re only scratching the surface with his open-field talent.
“I should take Jerry Gray and say, ‘you’re a safety, even if I’ve got to hire you on the right corner and me on the left corner,’ ” Robinson said. “Last year we kind of wanted to do it and chickened out.”
With LeRoy Irvin’s skills slipping with age, Robinson was afraid to make the move this year and be left with two inexperienced corners, Cliff Hicks and rookie Darryl Henley.
But Hicks has recovered from a rocky start to challenge Irvin for the starting position, and it might already be Hick’s. Irvin hasn’t started the last two games because of a foot injury, and getting his job now will take some work. Gray was an All-American safety at the University of Texas, and has always prefered the safety over cornerback.
Gray plays free safety in the Rams’ pass-defense package, but next year the switch will be complete.
“I think Jerry (age 26) could play well into his 30s at that position and be very successful,” Robinson said. “And I think he will be an All-Pro at that position. . . . I think Jerry’s a ‘9’ as a safety. At corner, he’s not a ‘9’.”
Ram Notes
John Robinson said Doug Reed’s left ankle sprain would probably put him out for two weeks, although Reed was more optimistic on Monday. “I think I could probably come back pretty quick,” he said. . . . Cleveland Gary got six carries in the Rams’ victory over Phoenix on Sunday, but Robinson said it’s not his fault. “We didn’t get the ball early, and I was getting (upset),” Robinson said. “We got it and we scored. I know Cleveland Gary is a player. I thought he was before, now I know.” . . . Henry Ellard now has 5,537 career receiving yards, good for third place on the team’s all-time list. He’s five catches shy of moving ahead of Jack Snow into third place on the all-time reception list behind Tom Fears and Elroy Hirsch. “Until I’m No. 1, I can’t think too much of it,” Ellard said of his accomplishments.
THE RAMS BY THE NUMBERS
HIGHLIGHT
HENRY ELLARD
He might have had some better days in his seven-year pro career, but he has never had more fun than Sunday. He caught five passes from Jim Everett, but it was what he did with them that had Rams fans on their feet. He got two Cardinal defenders turned around in the first quarter, took a short pass from Everett and streaked 49 yards for a touchdown. His response to a 42-yard fourth-quarter TD play was an end-zone forward somersault. The 163 yards he accounted for enabled him to move into third place on the Rams’ all-time reception yardage list with 5,537.
SEASON TO DATE
Eleven-game totals
FIRST DOWNS
RAMS: 213 OPP: 209
RUSHING YARDS
RAMS: 1,285 OPP: 1,042
PASSING YARDS
RAMS: 2,609 OPP: 2,737
RUSHING
RAMS
ATT AVG TDs 324 4.0 12
OPP
ATT AVG TDs 273 3.9 11
PASSING
RAMS:
ATT CP TDs 348 204 18
OPP:
ATT CP TDs 388 236 11
PUNTS / AVERAGE
RAMS: 52/38.3 OPP: 53/42.4
PENALTIES / YARDS
RAMS: 72/569 OPP: 60/461
FUMBLES / LOST
RAMS: 17/5 OPP: 23/8
INTERCEPTIONS
RAMS: 13/220 OPP: 13/192
SCORING BY QUARTERS
1 2 3 4 OT F RAMS 81 93 40 68 0 282 OPP 36 61 62 71 2 232
POSSESSION TIME
RAMS: 30:41 OPP: 29:32
