RAMS : Purse Strings Loosened for Anderson Contract

Just as fast as he bolts through end zone tunnels, Flipper Anderson vaulted from the depths of the league salary scale to a gentler, kinder, richer place Thursday, and made sure to warmly thank the Rams on the way up.

If he didn’t spike a football after it was over, well, give him time. Hours after signing a three-year extension believed to raise his salary average to more than $700,000 a year, Anderson looked about as pleased and surprised as a player who before Thursday was scheduled to make $220,000 this season should be.

He was pleased because he got what he wanted so quickly and surprised because it was the Rams’ management that gave it to him.

Yes, the same Rams who are consistently criticized for playing hardball at contract time, the same Rams who are currently bracing for long, potentially bitter holdouts by No. 1 pick Todd Lyght and veterans such as Tom Newberry and Irv Pankey.

A day after cornerback Jerry Gray began singing the management’s praises for his two-year contract, Anderson, now one of the top-paid receivers in the NFL, continued the tune. This, they both said, is not the same old Ram management style.

“I think they’ve lightened up a lot,” Anderson said after getting to UC Irvine just in time to miss most of the afternoon practice. “I didn’t have any problems with them.

“And they got Jerry in here on time. I think they’re trying to do the right thing for us this year; they don’t want the same situation that happened last year where they can blame it on a lot of holdouts and management and all that type of thing. Whereas if we’re here, it’s cool to play and try to get the job done.”

The Rams also signed No. 2 pick Roman Phifer and running back Robert Delpino, but appeared to be far from a deal with Newberry, Pankey and Lyght. Seven veterans remain unsigned and out of camp and only Lyght remains unsigned among the 11 draft choices.

Anderson, 26, was especially impressed because the Rams could have demanded he finish his original four-year contract.

But Anderson said there was no way he was going to play for $220,000 this year, not after posting back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons and leading the league in yards per catch the last two seasons. Last year, Anderson caught 51 passes for 1,097 yards and four touchdowns. In 1989, Anderson set the NFL single-game record for receiving yards in a game, gaining 331 yards against New Orleans.

And the Rams, who already are paying receiver Henry Ellard $800,000 this season, apparently agreed. But not without adding that if Anderson didn’t sign by Thursday, all offers were off the table.

“I’ll tell you, (vice president) Jay Zygmunt showed me something,” said Anderson’s agent, Ted Marchibroda Jr. “They showed they were committed to paying what it takes to win.”

The Rams are believed to have increased their offer significantly since proposing a three-year extension that would have paid him a signing bonus of $295,000 this year and average salaries of $600,000 from 1991 through 1994.

Although Marchibroda wouldn’t comment on specifics, he did say the Rams moved dramatically Tuesday night to finish the deal, apparently pushing the overall payout closer to $2.5 million. “I was surprised they did what they did so fast,” Anderson said. “I guess my back was to the wall and theirs was too, and they just responded. So I’m here.”

In order to get the increase now, Anderson had to accept the three-year extension, which could backfire if the going rate for deep-threat receivers skyrockets between now and 1994. Currently, the top-paid receiver is believed to be San Francisco’s Jerry Rice, who makes about $1.6 million a year.

“That’s the risk I have to take,” Anderson said. “You know, my contract wasn’t up, I didn’t have the kind of negotiating power like a lot of guys whose contracts were up. It was either do a three-year deal or nothing.

“We came to them with a few (two-year proposals), but they wouldn’t go for it, and rightfully so. The ball was in their court and I did owe them one more year. So I was happy they did what they did for me now.”

The first two-a-day practices were so bruising that some of the veteran Ram coaches were buzzing about it later. The defensive players are being urged to finish plays, to get to the ball and make sure to deliver a hit. “That was the most physical, pounding practice we’ve had in the four years I’ve been here,” said offensive coordinator Ernie Zampese. And that was before the more brutal afternoon workout.

The best evidence of the increased intensity was the airborne hit delivered by free safety Pat Terrell as receiver Derrick Faison caught a deep pass over the middle, a blow that later had defensive coaches playing a tape of it over and over again in admiration. Another sign: veterans Jackie Slater and Alvin Wright got in a minor scuffle in the afternoon workout.

Tailback Marcus Dupree practiced without a brace on his left knee for the first time since his serious injury five years ago, and said he had no problems.

“To me, he has regained his charisma, the aura of being a good runner,” Coach John Robinson said. “Those guys look different, you know? They’ve got something about them. He popped through there. The secondary was stopping the runner and he just ran over one of the secondary guys. Just ran over him.”

Robinson said it was a “near certainty” that imprisoned Ram tackle Gerald Perry would be out of jail and with the team by next week, and suggested that unsigned backup tackle Robert Cox must report soon in order to earn significant playing time.