NFC PLAYOFF NOTEBOOK : Rams, 49ers Show Respect for Each Other

Just exactly what is it that familiarity breeds?

If you believe what the Rams and 49ers are saying these days, it’s respect.

Ram Coach John Robinson says the 49ers are “the best team of the decade and this may be the best of all those good 49er teams.” Joe Montana says the 49ers “always felt that somewhere down the line” they would play the Rams a third time this season.

They have butted heads enough to know physical strengths and weaknesses. But what about strategy?

“I’m sure there will be some trickery,” Ram quarterback Jim Everett said. “Both sides will for the jugular.”

Robinson describes it as more of a chess game.

“You tend to get a sense of how the other team reacts to you,” he said. “In the first two games, you plot out certain ideas and you know the next time they’ll take them away. So you do something slightly different . . . (but) it would be foolish for either of us try and alter our style of offense.”

Meanwhile, the defenses try to come up with ways to confuse the quarterbacks.

“It’s harder for you to surprise them,” said Fritz Shurmur, Ram defensive coordinator. “Even if you do something new, it will be out of your basic defense, and so those things are not so hard for them to adjust to.

“You’d like to get yourself into a situation where Joe’s rhythm is somewhat disturbed. If you can do that and limit the big plays, then you’ve got a chance to beat them.”

The Rams certainly don’t want to become any more familiar with the “five-yard pass and mile-and-a-half run” as Robinson calls 49er receiver John Taylor’s touchdowns of 92 and 95 yards in the Rams’ 30-27 loss Dec. 11.

They’re even practicing adjusting their angle of attack against the short slant pass.

“What these people (Taylor and Jerry Rice) do is that when they catch short passes, they become backs running through the secondary very quickly,” Robinson said. “Most receivers running the slant pause and gather themselves to prepare to absorb the hit. For a fraction of a second, anyway, they’re kind of stationary targets.

“But both of these guys are instantaneously moving through the secondary.”

Montana scoffs at the notion that the 49ers are out to prove they can win a Super Bowl without the guidance of Bill Walsh. But the 49er quarterback does think the coaching change has had positive residual effects on the team.

“It’s made everyone spend a lot more time in the (play) book,” Montana said. “There’s been a lot more mental preparation. There have been just enough subtle changes to make everyone have to buckle down a little bit.”

Everett thinks the Rams are a better team because of their loss to the 49ers.

“I think that game burned our nerves a little bit,” he said. “It made us tougher, gave us a stronger will to win.”

Robinson said safety Vince Newsome probably will not test his sprained ankle until Sunday before the game.

“He looks good standing and watching practice, but there’s a question of whether or not he can run,” Robinson said.

Sunday’s game will be a case of friendly rivalry for 49er wide receiver Mike Sherrard and Ram receiver Flipper Anderson, who went to UCLA together.

“It’s going to be tough. I enjoy watching him and I want him to do well when he’s not playing us,” Sherrard said. “He’s a good receiver. He didn’t start last year because of politics. He was a second-round pick and Aaron Cox was a first-round and you have to give him the nod, regardless. He’s really done well. He’s playing hard and you can really tell he’s focused in.”

Sherrard, a walk-on at UCLA who set school records with 124 receptions and 1,937 receiving yards, caught 41 passes for 744 yards as a rookie with the Cowboys in 1986 but has missed the past three seasons because of recurring leg fractures. The 26-year-old wide receiver, who was activated from the physically unable to perform list Jan. 5, played against Minnesota last week but did not make any receptions.

Times staff writer Helene Elliott contributed to this story.