RAMS : Delpino, McGee Pose Double Threat at Fullback
With three tailbacks sharing the load, the Rams might not have their traditional 1,000-yard rusher this season. They might, however, end up with the two most efficient fullbacks around.
Robert Delpino caught two passes in Sunday’s victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and now leads the team in scoring. Two catches, two touchdowns.
Buford McGee caught one pass against the Buccaneers. It was only a six-yarder over the middle, but it was worth six points.
The final score Sunday? Ram fullbacks 18, Buccaneers 14.
Fullbacks don’t pick up much rushing yardage in a John Robinson offense. These two have rushed the ball only six times this season--McGee four times for 26 yards and Delpino twice for 13--and have a combined average of 4.8 yards per carry.
Fullbacks certainly aren’t overlooked in an Ernie Zampese passing game, though. They’ve caught seven passes--McGee four for 26 yards and Delpino two totaling 62--for a combined 12.6-yard per catch average.
McGee is the starter, but Delpino certainly gets his share of the glory. There is, however, one major difference between them. McGee spends most of his time flinging his body at linebackers; Delpino seems to show up only when it’s time to dance in the end zone.
“What winds up happening is that Buford handles the routine of the fullback, the blocking and basically gets the (crap) kicked out of him,” Robinson said. “Buford’s got towels and ice packs all over him.
“Bobby can handle those same things but probably isn’t as good as Buford right now. Bobby we want to have the football and we tend to hold him until we want him.”
It’s getting to the point where the mere sight of Delpino in the huddle should send off alarms in the headsets of defensive coordinators. And that, Robinson concedes, needs to be corrected.
“We’re making a mistake if they’re saying, ‘Here comes Delpino, they’re throwing the ball.’ We planned to use him half the time (against Tampa Bay). It didn’t work out. But he’s got to play more.”
Cleveland Gary might be the tailback of the future for the Rams, but he doesn’t figure to dominate the position until he can shake off the effects of the lower back injury that has hampered him since the beginning of training camp.
He carried the ball eight times for 42 yards in the second half Sunday, but his back is still bothering him.
“It feels good to get going,” said Gary, who missed all four exhibition games and the regular-season opener, “but it’s still a little sore. I’m just not 100%. It’s been frustrating. It’s just something I have to work through.
“You get those twinges. I really don’t know how to put it into words. It’s just there. It’s getting better, slowly, but I’ll just be glad when it’s gone.”
Seven would-be kickoff specialists worked out Tuesday at Rams Park, including Vince Abbott (Cal State Fullerton and the USFL’s L.A. Express), Dave Van Steenkiste (Cal State Long Beach) and John Carney (Notre Dame). All seven have been to NFL training camps but none made the final cut.
The Rams are looking for someone to kick off in the event Mike Lansford, who has a partial tear of the muscle near the Achilles’ tendon, can only be used for field goals and extra points.
Lansford, who says it hurts more to walk than kick, thinks he’ll be able to handle all the kicking chores Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Rams are making contingency plans, anyway.
Kill the theme to Road Warriors.
The Rams have played eight of their past 10 games--counting the end of last season and this exhibition season--on the road. Sunday, they will meet the Philadelphia Eagles on the unfamiliar turf of Anaheim Stadium.
If they can find their way there.
“Our routine will be the same this week,” Robinson said, jokingly. “Friday, we’ll practice a little later than usual, then we’ll go to the airport and say ‘Oh, we’re playing at home.’ And then we’ll come back.”
The Rams have played well on the road recently--they were 7-4 including the playoffs last year--but Robinson still prefers a home game.
“I just think you wear down on the road,” he said. “I’m not quite sure what the effect is (at home), but it’s just better. We had the last four on the road last year, one in Berlin, two on the East Coast and one in the Midwest.