Another Ram Exhibition, Another Night Off for Injured Gary
Last year, the Rams drafted a running back from the University of Miami who was going to make fans forget about Gaston Green who, remember, was going to make fans forget about Eric Dickerson.
Turns out, fans are wondering whatever happened to Cleveland Gary.
Gary, a first-round choice in 1989 and once the inside favorite to win this summer’s tailback battle, will sit out another exhibition tonight when the Rams play the Phoenix Cardinals at 7 p.m. in Anaheim Stadium.
It will be the eighth consecutive exhibition Gary has sat out since joining the team last summer. While that sort of streak might make some NFL veterans proud, it doesn’t do much for a young runner who needs the work.
Gary’s pro career has become a series of setbacks. He sat out the entire 1989 exhibition season in a contract dispute, not signing until Sept. 7, three days before the regular-season opener.
A week later in Florida, Gary was involved in an auto accident on a brief trip home to collect his gear, setting his debut back further. He appeared in only eight games and was never a factor.
This summer was going to be different. With Green reportedly on the trading block, Gary was supposed to learn with the help of veteran Curt Warner and steadily increase his playing time until becoming the starter.
But Gary suffered a strained back during midweek workouts in Berlin before the first exhibition. He tried working out the next day and felt the muscles tugging in his back.
He said it was “like pulling the reins back on a horse.”
That was followed by an 18-hour return flight from West Germany that included a five-hour plane delay in Shannon, Ireland.
“The plane ride didn’t help,” Gary said.
He hasn’t practiced much since then. He was encouraged by his Thursday workout and said he could play in tonight’s game, but added that Coach John Robinson apparently won’t let him.
If Gary doesn’t play, it will leave him with only one remaining exhibition before the season opener against Green Bay.
Asked if Gary could still be a factor against the Packers, Robinson said: “Oh sure, in a part-time role. Of the three tailbacks, it’s reasonable to think maybe we’ll have two healthy all the time and one of them kind of up and down. We haven’t forgotten about him. We feel strongly about him.”
If the starter is to be determined on the basis of summer production, the clear leader heading into tonight’s game is the longshot, Green, who has rushed for 186 yards while averaging 5.3 yards per carry in two games.
Warner will be given a chance to close the gap this week and next, and then a decision must be made. The Rams still list Warner first on the depth chart.
Gary has every right to be frustrated by his latest setback, but he claims he isn’t.
“I’m not frustrated,” he said. “There are certain things that none of us have control over. Nobody. When those things happen, you have to deal with it. I’m grateful I’m here, that I went through camp. I’m happy about my progress. I want to be back. I want to be behind that offensive line. I want to contribute. I want to do all of those things. Hopefully, my body will tell me soon I can go.”
Tonight’s game won’t be much of a gauge for the Rams’ defense, which remains riddled because of injuries--to defensive end Brian Smith, cornerback Darryl Henley, linebackers Fred Strickland and Mel Owens and nose tackle Sean Smith--and because of holdouts by linebacker Kevin Greene and defensive end Doug Reed.
The priorities on offense are to complete a pass to a starting receiver before the summer is over. Henry Ellard and Flipper Anderson are looking for their first receptions. Anderson, nursing a sore right hamstring, might have to wait until next week for another chance.
“Offensively, we’re pretty much intact, so I would be disappointed if we don’t make progress from an offensive standpoint,” Robinson said. “Last game, we were just about nonexistent offensively, so we’ve got to make some progress. Defensively, there are so many people that are missing that it’s kind of patchwork.”
Ram Notes
New Phoenix Coach Joe Bugel is still looking for his first victory, the Cardinals having lost their first two exhibitions. The team’s first draft choice, tailback Anthony Thompson, signed this week and might play tonight. “I’m hoping to get him in a game as soon as possible,” Bugel said. In Thompson’s place, rookie Johnny Johnson, a seventh-round pick from San Jose State, has gained 121 yards in 23 carries and has become a Bugel favorite.
The Rams will play their final exhibition Friday night in Washington against the Redskins. . . . Coach John Robinson said this week that linebacker Mel Owens, 31, might be sidelined for at least three weeks because of a bad back. “I don’t think it’s career-ending, if it doesn’t become chronic,” Robinson said.
Timm Rosenbach has started both exhibitions at quarterback for the Cardinals. Tom Tupa and Gary Hogeboom have played in the second half. . . . Punter Rich Camarillo, released by the Rams in 1988 after Dale Hatcher recovered from a training camp injury, is alive and kicking in Phoenix. The Rams continue a not-so-rousing punting competition between Hank Ilesic and Kent Elmore.
