RAMS : Robinson Still Shopping for Insurance
The Rams are leaning toward signing an extra kicker as insurance should Mike Lansford further injure his leg during Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Lansford hurt a muscle in his lower right leg Sunday on the opening kickoff, kicked off only one more time but continued the kicking chores without major difficulties. Although his leg is still aching, Lansford almost certainly will be counted on to do at least as much on Sunday.
“I think Mike will be able to kick field goals fine,” Coach John Robinson said Wednesday, discounting speculation that Lansford could be deactivated Sunday. “If we get down to the end of the game and need a field goal, I want Mike kicking it. I don’t want him standing next to me dressed in a Sears suit.
“Our anticipation is Mike will be in the game, and whether Mike’s range is shorter or not, I don’t know.”
But Robinson did say he probably will sign one of three kickers--former Patriot Teddy Garcia, Notre Dame graduate John Carney or David Browndyke, formerly of Louisiana State.
Garcia and Carney survived Tuesday’s eight-kicker group workout, and Browndyke was brought in Wednesday. Garcia is the most likely to be signed because he has been showing the strongest leg for kickoffs.
Punter Keith English, to rather dismal results, had to kick off after Lansford hurt his leg. English, Robinson insists, is not the guy he wants doing that again.
“The one scenario that I don’t want to have happen, that I’m worried about, is Mike saying, ‘Hey, I feel great, kicking the first kick, (then) say, ‘Oh, I’m out,’ and then I’ve got English kicking again,” Robinson said. “Now that, I don’t want, so I’ve got to have a backup.”
Robinson said a final decision about who the Rams might sign for Sunday will probably be made Friday. If a kicker is signed as insurance, it would give the Rams the odd situation of holding two kickers on their 45-man active roster.
“I understand why he would want to do that, and unfortunately that takes a job away from somebody else,” Lansford said. “I think that I can do the job. I know I’m effective on field goals, and on kickoffs, I don’t think I’ll lose too much distance. I think I can hang the ball, spot it anywhere he wants it, certainly better than Keith English.”
Lansford took about 10 kicks Wednesday and said he had no problems.
In a surprise move, Eagles’ Pro Bowl tight end Keith Jackson ended his two-month holdout Wednesday and returned to the team--just in time to prepare to play against the Rams.
Jackson, who caught 144 passes and was the NFC’s starting tight end in the Pro Bowl in his first two NFL seasons, had said he would not report to the team until the final two years of his original contract were reworked. He got no such reworking, but came in anyway.
Can he be effective Sunday after missing all of training camp and getting only a few days of practice time?
“Yeah, I think so,” Robinson said. “I think if he gets a couple of days in, he can be somewhat effective.
“It’s probably a plus for the quarterback (Randall Cunningham). I think Jackson’s his buddy . . . That will be a positive thing for him, ‘Boy, I’ve got my guy back. I can start making progress.’ ”
Ram defensive coordinator Fritz Shurmur said even though he hadn’t heard officially that Jackson would be activated, he was definitely planning on having to defend against him.
“Today, when I started talking about their personnel, I had him in a little different-colored letters, but they were in there,” Shurmur said.
“We had three (long holdouts) come in against Green Bay (in Week 1) that way, you know, come in that week and play. Kevin Greene came in and played, Doug Reed came in and played and (Michael) Stewart came in and played, and played pretty effectively.
“I think those highly skilled great players like that can come in and be pretty darned effective. And you know, he and Randall have worked together on a large scale for a long time. It’s like riding a bike with those two guys, once you know how to do it, it’s not too hard to jump on and start pedaling.”
In the latest NFL statistical rankings, the Rams are sitting at the top as the No. 1 offense with an average of 398 yards through two weeks.
“That’s where it should be,” said Jim Everett, who also happens to be the NFL’s top-rated quarterback. “It’s a nice stat to have. I think it definitely portrays what kind of talent we have on this team.
“But again, we’re 1-1. I wish we were 2-0 and (ranked) 28th.”
Injury report: The Rams have no serious injuries listed for Sunday’s game.
Meanwhile, the Eagles have lost one starter--defensive tackle Mike Pitts was placed on injured reserve this week--and three other key players are listed as questionable. They are starting left tackle Matt Darwin (knee), right defensive end Clyde Simmons (ankle) and strong safety Andre Waters (knee).
There is tenseness in the Philadelphia air lately, all tied to the Eagles’ unexpected 0-2 start this season and dramatically heightened by the team’s loss to Phoenix last week at home.
“Some of us were embarrassed,” Cunningham said Wednesday. “But we’re not having any luck on our team right now. Last year, we had some situations where we got some lucky breaks and they helped us.”
The Eagles are clearly fighting to save their season--and very possibly the job of Buddy Ryan, who is in the last year of his original five-year contract and has a strained relationship with Norman Braman, the Eagles’ owner. Braman has said he expects the Eagles to make the “quantum leap” into Super Bowl contention this year.
“I think we can salvage the season,” Ryan said. “I’ve been 1-3 before, so it’s a possibility.”
But, after two first-round losses in the playoffs and now two losses to start the season, isn’t Ryan feeling some heat?
“Nope, I think heat’s something you put on yourself,” Ryan said. “I’m doing a good job. Nobody’s done a better job in this league than I have over the last four or five years, so I don’t worry about it.
“I’ve got a good-enough team to be in the playoffs, so all we’ve got to do is start winning.”