NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME : THE PLAYERS VIEWS : Everett Masters His Option Offense : Rams: A fleet of diverse receivers and a special quarterback have turned team into one of NFL’s final four.
The first time the Rams and 49ers played this season, Jim Everett came of age as a quarterback. He took the Rams 72 yards in less than three minutes, setting up Mike Lansford’s game-winning, 26-yard field goal with five seconds remaining.
The drive was a classic example of how best to use offensive coordinator Ernie Zampese’s multi-faceted, take-what-they’re-giving passing attack.
Everett completed a pass for six yards to tight end Damone Johnson. On third-and-four, he found deep threat Flipper Anderson open for a 19-yard gain. On the next play, he went over the middle to slotback Pete Holohan, who rambled for 31 yards.
Everett went back into the heart of the 49er secondary on third-and-13. Holohan made the catch for a first down at the San Francisco 11-yard line. Twelve seconds later, the Rams had a 13-12 victory.
“Any time you can have five, six or more different variables, it’s going to cause some confusion in the defense,” Everett said. “It can really put a defense on their heels. And any time you put the defense on their heels, you have a good chance of being successful.”
Everett says that all you have to do is take a quick look at the Rams’ pass-catching personnel to see the diversity inherent in the game plan.
“When Ernie brought this offense here, he obviously anticipated some things,” Everett said, smiling.
Why not smile? Every time Everett drops back to pass, it’s like a hungry guy with a meal ticket at a smorgasbord.
You want variety? How about Bobby Delpino, a running back who runs routes so well he’s sometimes used as a wide receiver? Or Buford McGee, a sure-handed fullback who spent his first three years in the league learning the Zampese offense in San Diego?
Then there’s Holohan, another former Charger, who might have the best hands in the NFL. And Johnson, who doesn’t attract much attention from defenses and has 11 touchdown catches in two years to prove it.
At wide receiver, there are Henry Ellard, a three-time Pro Bowl player whose two-season total of 2,796 yards says it all, and Flipper Anderson, who has become one of the game’s most dangerous big-play receivers. Aaron Cox is the No. 3 wide receiver, for the moment, making the most of his limited playing time with three touchdowns and an average of 17 yards a catch in 20 receptions.
If you’re named defensive coordinator for a day, whom do you double-cover? Let’s say it’s third-and-seven and you figure the Rams are probably going to go to Holohan. You may be right and you could make sure he doesn’t catch the ball. But that doesn’t mean they won’t get the first down some other way.
“Sure, there are situations where the odds are higher that I’ll go to Pete if we need seven yards,” Everett said. “But Ernie calls a play because of the probability of a certain defense. If they give us a different defense, Ernie has me prepared to know where the second and third guy is.
“And, if we need to take a little dump-off pass and have the running back work for the extra yards, then I’m prepared to do that.”
Maybe that is why Coach John Robinson says, “At times, we appear unstoppable.”
The Rams have evolved into one of the best teams in the NFL because the offense has meshed so well. Everett is getting ample protection. He’s making his reads and the right decisions more often than not. Both quarterback and receivers are simultaneously recognizing blitzes and making defenses pay dearly when they gamble.
As the season progressed, so did the cohesiveness and efficiency of the passing game.
“I’m feeling more and more confident with guys like Flipper Anderson and Bobby Delpino,” Everett said. “Those are the types of guys who start making a difference. I just know they’re going to catch the ball. It was a feeling that started with Henry and Pete. When a quarterback can feel confident with so many guys, it makes his job much easier.
“I mention Flipper and Bobby because they’re not household names. Everyone knows that Henry Ellard is a fabulous receiver and I think Aaron Cox will turn into one soon, too. But just being able to use all the different guys in all different situations allows you to become an offense that can attack defenses.”
There were times a couple of years ago that Everett wasn’t so sure this complicated, timing-oriented passing scheme was such a great idea. He wasn’t sure if Zampese was a genius or a madman.
“I got really frustrated right after Eric Dickerson left in my second year,” Everett said. “It was a big change for me, like going from writing right-handed to left-handed. Ernie kept saying, ‘This will work, this will work.’ But it wasn’t working and we weren’t winning.
“It’s not only believing in yourself, it’s believing in your receivers. When I have to throw the ball right at a defender, I have to believe the receiver will get there first. Ernie would say, ‘Let it go,’ and my instincts would say, ‘Don’t let it go.’ It’s been a tough battle, but I guess you can say I believe now. And the guys on the receiving end do, too.”
The Rams have made a lot of believers since the last time they played the 49ers, coming through with the necessary four consecutive victories to make it to the rematch in Sunday’s NFC championship game.
“We could feel the heat of the bricks on the wall at our backs,” Everett said. “But we never doubted we could do it.”
They accomplished it with a confidence born on an October Sunday in San Francisco, when they put together that last-minute drive that won the first game in Candlestick Park.
“That was huge,” Everett said. “It was certainly a turning point for myself. After that game, we knew we could get it done. We weren’t successful in those situations before that. We achieved the mental toughness you need to deal with those situations.
“I remember saying (in the huddle), ‘We’re on national TV with a chance to win. Let’s go get it.’ I remember seeing the gleam in everyone’s eyes.”
Maybe that was because every player eligible to catch a pass knew he had a chance of making the big play. It’s an offensive democracy, loaded with loyal, true believers.
“It all comes down to trust,” Everett says. “They have to trust that I’ll get my job done and I have trust they’ll get their job done. That’s really the basis of our offense.
“Without that, we’d never be where we are today.”