Robinson Clears the Air About His Rushing-Happy Image : Analysis: Coach says his teams would have been throwing years ago if he had had a quarterback like Everett.
The last time John Robinson had a Ram team in the NFC championship game, his offense didn’t have a name, it had a number. Twenty-nine. Eric Dickerson right, Eric Dickerson left, Eric Dickerson until hell or Chicago freezes over, whichever happens last.
The Rams lost that 1985 title game to the Bears, 24-0, but worse than that, they lost their grip on the NFC West. Whereas the Rams continued to wallow in the mud on third and six, their rivals from San Francisco chose to soar, if not with Eagles, then with Dolphins, Broncos and other post-modern types who saw air travel as the way of the future.
So the 49ers passed and passed and passed the Rams in the standings. San Francisco’s 1986 division championship was the first of four straight, a streak that continues still, and after a while, even the Rams had to notice.
Today, the Rams own a virtual clone of the San Francisco system. Jim Everett is their Joe Montana, Flipper Anderson their Jerry Rice, Henry Ellard their John Taylor. Right now, after 18 games, they’re closing in on 5,000 yards passing and, as a result, closing in on the 49ers, whom they will play Sunday for the right to move on to the Super Bowl.
Still, old impressions die hard and the lasting perception of Robinson is of the USC coach who once sent Ricky Bell through the Washington State line 51 times in a single game.
Robinson is the man who loved tailbacks, who accompanied Dickerson on his 2,105-yard odyssey in 1984, who kept Charles White around like a tattered photo of an old girlfriend. The Rams have had Everett for 3 1/2 seasons, but the national view of Robinson as Mr. Off-Tackle persists.
Tuesday, at his weekly press luncheon, Robinson was asked if he was finally at ease with Ernie Zampese’s pass-first offensive program.
Robinson jumped on the question as if it were a plant from the audience.
“At ease? I guess that infers that at some point, I wasn’t at ease with it,” Robinson began. “I think the perception that I would sooner run than pass has always been a misperception. I think that’s always been wrong.
“In the days when we were sitting here and talking about it, I would say it was wrong and you all thought I was a dumb . . . and I was lying to you. But I wasn’t. I just didn’t have a good quarterback.
“(Including) the days at USC, I’ve coached 14 years now and this is only the second time I’ve had the same quarterback for more than one year. The years at USC, I only had a quarterback for two years one time--and that was Paul McDonald. He was All-American, All-Pac-10, the highest-rated passer in the nation. We passed a lot and we were really good at it. We had a big-time offense.
“One year, I had Vince Evans, who was the MVP of the Pac-10, and we passed then, too. The years when I haven’t had a good quarterback, I don’t pass. I go to the run. And I’ve had a lot of those years.”
OK, let’s break out the rosters.
At USC, Robinson’s starting quarterbacks were Evans in 1976, Rob Hertel in ‘77, McDonald in 1978-79, Gordon Adams in ‘80, John Mazur in ‘81, and Sean Salisbury in ‘82, until he got hurt.
With the Rams, Robinson’s regular quarterbacks, pre-Everett, were Vince Ferragamo in 1983, Jeff Kemp in ‘84, Dieter Brock in ‘85, and Steve Bartkowski and Steve Dils in 1986.
OK, the coach has a point.
“There were times when I was defending the quarterbacks that we had and the system we ran (because) I was scared to death about our passing game,” Robinson said. “I had to fight to keep the run going because the pass-type offense seemed so seductive. Outstanding. Like San Diego and how fabulous that offense was.”
It was envy from afar, Robinson insists. While the San Diego attack was being charged by Dan Fouts, Robinson had Dieter Brock flinging wild pitches all over Anaheim.
Given the choice, Robinson asks, wouldn’t you give the ball to Dickerson?
But now, the age of Zampese and Everett is upon us. Robinson finally has a real quarterback and, believe it or not, says he’s getting a real thrill out of it.
“I’m not very persuasive in getting anybody to believe me, but I’ve been comfortable with this offense from the day we started,” Robinson said. “There is no kind of rivalry between Ernie and me.
“I remember reading somewhere, ‘What are they going to--Ernie’s offense or Robinson’s offense?’ That was ridiculous at that time--and it still is.
“I fight hard on the practice field to make sure the run works and Ernie has the responsibility to make the pass successful. . . . I think the cooperation over what we’re trying to do with our offense has been fabulous.”
It is a peaceful coexistence and, simply, something that had to be done. Keeping up with the Montanas requires a strong arm and an open mind.
As long as there’s a Super Bowl, and 49ers in the running for it, the forward pass is the only way to fly.