Rams’ Camp to Open in Experimental Mode
Finding themselves submerged in a dynasty not their own, the Rams will open a training camp for rookies today knowing that all good things and teams must end. So is this the year or will San Francisco party again?
More anxious than even Steve Young for quarterback Joe Montana to retire, the Rams are rebounding from their championship game knockout last January to presume again that the best days of the 49ers too shall pass, preferably against someone else’s defensive secondary.
The Rams were quite the compliment collectors after last season’s entertaining title run, emerging as possibly the NFL’s second-best team--small consolation.
For sanity’s sake, the Rams pretend not to notice their northern rivals in July, prefering self-examination.
“I don’t think they’re the issue,” Coach John Robinson said of the 49ers, resurrecting a familiar training camp tone. “I think they’re the issue for external people, not for us.
“We’ve got to start this year--and win the championship this year--against all of the teams that we play. What we’re striving to do is become a championship-level football team, not just focus on beating one team.”
Come December, though, the teams are inevitably linked because of their distinct rivalry and a divisional title they seek each season.
Robinson, in fact, calculates precisely a San Francisco mean streak that has produced consecutive Super Bowl titles. He notes accurately that the 49ers have won 24 of their last 27 games since a midseason slump in 1988.
“And we’re two of those losses,” he adds. “And certainly there was another one of those we could have won. We’ve played them four times (during the regular season) in that period and won twice. And it’s been a phenomenal period, but it won’t go on. But we cannot spend our time looking at someone else. We must spend our time looking at ourselves and improving ourselves.”
Still, each measure of self-improvement is always in part a response to the maneuverings of the 49ers. The difference is that the Rams play their game of chess with limited funds, looking for garage-sale bargains while the 49ers spend money from their owner’s fancy shopping malls.
This past off-season, the Rams signed free-agent quarterback Chuck Long, a former sore-armed, first-round draft choice of the Detroit Lions who never panned out. If Long pays off in Anaheim, he’s the insurance policy answer to Young, San Francisco’s talented backup. Young earns $1 million a season; Long, $400,000.
Next, Robinson reached into the Plan B market, plucking tailback Curt Warner from Seattle, where he gained only 631 yards last season. At his best, Warner was among the game’s elite runners. At 29, he battles doubts and leg injuries.
Robinson is hoping that Warner, a passionate player and leader, will replace the emotionless statistical offerings of Greg Bell, who gained few yards in the clubhouse diplomacy game. Robinson sent Bell to the Raiders.
The Warner experiment, too, was cost-effective. They’ll pay him less than $800,000 for the chance he’ll bring to the Rams what veteran John Riggins brought to Washington after a late-career trade from the New York Jets.
“It could be a mistake,” Robinson said of the Warner deal. “But I don’t think it’s a gamble. It didn’t cost us anything. We didn’t pay anything. We didn’t give away a draft choice. Sports has millions of outstanding players who somebody said they’re careers were over. Then, they make a move and there’s an immediate resurgence. One could say that the jury’s out. But it’s not ill-conceived. It has a chance for some real success.”
If Warner fails or is injured, the running load is plopped into the lap of inexperience. Cleveland Gary’s rookie season was a wash in 1989 after he reported to camp less than a week before the opener. Gaston Green’s career has been a wash since the Rams made him their top pick in 1988.
Robinson insists that Green has matured as a runner and will get a shot this summer. But time is running out on this costly investment.
“For us it is,” Robinson admitted. “I don’t mean that as any kind of threat or anything. We’ve either got to use him or find a way for him to get somewhere where he can use his strengths. No question, he is physically different now than when he came. He wants desperately to play, (and) we’re going to try to give him that opportunity. . . .
“We’re just going to have to wait and see. Who knows about injuries? There’s some question about Curt. Some people say he’s all washed up. You don’t know. There are three guys. I have three tailbacks all trying to prove themselves this year. So we will have some healthy competition.”
Nothing on offense compares to the competition on defense, where waves of young talent fight for a few positions. The Rams ranked 21st overall on defense and 28th against the pass, although serious and numerous injuries last season muddled the true picture a bit. The Rams played the title game without six top defenders, but vast improvement on defense remains a must if the Rams wish to contend. In short, the wealth of talent acquired in the drafts of 1988 and ’89 must soon produce. The Rams were fortunate last season to get quality time from free-agent linebacker Brett Faryniarz and seventh-round linebacker George Bethune.
Some of the young defenders on the hot-seat this season are linebacker Frank Stams, safety Anthony Newman and linemen Bill Hawkins and Brian Smith.
“I think we have to improve,” Robinson said. “But I like the cast of characters. There’s just a lot of unproven people. The scary thing would be to have a mediocre group and have them all back.”
Robinson envisions multiple defensive schemes and alignments this season to take advantage of all his personnel.
The Rams, for example, have a strong run defense led by nose man Alvin Wright and ends Doug Reed and Mike Piel. But that unit gets burned too often on first-down passes. Robinson hopes to improve the situation by using either one or both of his twin towers, Smith and Hawkins, on early downs. Both are 6-feet-6 and about 270 pounds. Hawkins and Smith also will team up as inside rushers on passing downs, and the hope is that the tandem will take some pressure off the secondary and the team’s only true pass-rusher, Kevin Greene.
“Our outside rush is OK,” Robinson said. “Inside is where we need the help. In Minnesota, for example, (Keith) Millard is coming at you with the pass rush all the time. We’re going to try to move in that direction.”
Ram Notes
The Rams signed their 10th-round choice, defensive end Stephen Bates, Tuesday. He and sixth-round receiver Tim Stallworth are the only draft chices to sign so far. Bates, from James Madison, may be tried at linebacker.
Safety Anthony Newman (elbow), defensive end Doug Reed (ankle), safety Vince Newsome (ankle) and defensive tackle Mike Piel (elbow) have recovered fully from injuries suffered late last season, Coach John Robinson said. Defensive tackle Bill Hawkins still isn’t 100% after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery in December, but he is expected to be practicing at full speed by Aug. 1. The news isn’t so good for third-year cornerback Cliff Hicks, who suffered knee damage last season. He is not expected back until September at the earliest.
Two roster positions open this summer are at fourth wide receiver and punter. Veteran Hank Ilesic and rookie Kent Elmore figure to battle for Dale Hatcher’s old punting job. . . . The veterans will report to training camp at UC Irvine on July 26. The Rams were forced out of Cal State Fullerton this year because construction has begun on a campus sports complex. . . . The team will spend two weeks at Rams Park before opening camp in Irvine, then leave a week later for an Aug. 11 exhibition game against the Kansas City Chiefs in Berlin.
The Rams are the first NFL team to report to camp. It might be a while before the team’s top three draft choices--Bern Brostek, Pat Terrell and Latin Berry--agree to terms. The Rams also have seven conditional free-agent veterans yet to sign, most notably Pro Bowl linebacker Kevin Greene, who has recorded 33 sacks over the last two seasons. The others are linebacker Brett Faryniarz, tight ends Pete Holohan and Damone Johnson, safety Michael Stewart, nose tackle Alvin Wright and defensive end Doug Reed.
