RAMS : Robinson to Put Offense Back on the Run
If there was any more evidence necessary to prove the pass-happy, Jim Everett-driven, Air Robinson days of 1989 are grounded for good, the past two days should just about do it.
On Sunday, Everett completed only six passes and was mauled by a New Orleans Saints defense primed to crash the pass. The Rams surrendered five sacks and their sense of offensive dignity in a 24-7 loss.
On Monday, John Robinson explained that to get better, the 1-2 Rams and their tattered offensive line must get simpler.
In the past two weeks (one victory, one loss), an off-kilter Everett has completed only 13 passes for 154 yards and no touchdowns. The Rams are the only NFL team without a touchdown pass through three games.
Also, the Rams, a perennial top-10 passing team, are 27th in the 28-team league in pass yardage, and have completed only one pass to a starting receiver in the past two weeks.
As a result, Robinson wants to send his offense in a direction where it does not depend on the quarterback.
That means back to a time before 1989, before the Rams opened it up and at least temporarily discovered that throwing the ball 40 times could be a fun and positive thing.
“I think we’ve allowed ourselves to be inconsistent. . . . with a little too much anticipation of getting a wheeling, dealing type of offense going,” Robinson said.
“The solution is part (Everett) being in better rhythm, maybe us doing a better job of having our expectations offensively fit what we can do. The overall scope of what we do has to be looked at and we may be attempting to do too many things.”
Because of a serious wave of injuries and the changes the team made in training camp, the Rams’ current starting offensive line is new from last year, as are Robert Delpino at tailback and Jim Price as the pass-catching tight end.
Also, Robinson said, inexperience, coupled with the Superdome noise--”it was like standing in front of a freight train,” left tackle Gerald Perry said--and the Saint rushers, spelled disaster for the Rams.
The offensive line crumbled under the Saints’ rush Sunday night, allowing Everett only the rare opportunity to get a good look downfield. By abandoning the running game, Robinson implied, the Rams played into the Saints’ hands, trying to do something they were not capable of doing.
“I think we’ve got to set our sights into saying OK, these are the things we can do,” Robinson said. “We’re hurting at a couple of places, these are the things we can do and we need to limit ourselves to the point where our expectations and our ability to achieve those expectations coincide.”
Translation: Run the ball more behind a developing line that is much more comfortable run-blocking than pass-blocking.
More translation: Don’t press Everett when he is clearly struggling.
After the game, Everett suggested that perhaps the Rams could have adjusted their game plan better to the Saints’ rush, that maybe the offense was too predictable.
“If he’s in a temporary slump, then that’s common for most players,” Robinson said. “If the slump isn’t temporary, that’s of real concern. Our analysis of it is we will start making strides forward in that area.
“I think every quarterback has some problems, he had some.”
Everett was considered one of the league’s young elite quarterbacks after his 4,310-yard, 29-touchdown year of 1989. Last year, he wobbled like the entire team, completing only 55.4% of his passes and throwing for only 23 scores. This year, he has often appeared skittish and not very confident in his protection.
But Robinson said Everett’s fundamentals are fine.
“I don’t sense him panicking,” Robinson said. “We all looked at the film and everybody who watched that film came out with the same conclusion. . . . This guy is screwing up this play, that guy is screwing up. You haven’t seen, for example, (fullback) Buford McGee drop two passes over the middle like that.
“You haven’t seen Jim throw behind the receiver a couple times. . . . Those are all things we can solve. I don’t look there and see anything we can’t solve.”
Two seasons removed from his 90.6 quarterback rating, Everett currently has a bottom-of-the-barrel rating of 57.5. Under his leadership, the offense has scored only three touchdowns in three games. Is he gone from the list of elite quarterbacks?
“If we win six out of the last eight games and he takes us back into the playoffs, then he’ll be (considered) back on track,” Robinson said. “If we get into the third week of the playoffs, and he has a bad game, he’ll be off the track. And then next year he’ll be back on the track.
“If you look (with) perspective, you would make that same track for Dan Marino, John Elway, most of them. Jim Kelly, remember two years ago when everybody on the team hated him, he was having a bad year?
“So they go through those things. It’s like anybody else, they go through bad years.”
Robinson said he is not ready to blame himself for making so many offensive changes in the preseason, not yet at least.
The Rams accepted the holdout of 1990 left tackle Irv Pankey, then traded him. Left guard Tom Newberry is now the starting center. Center Doug Smith is on the bench. Right guard Duval Love is the replacement right tackle. And right tackle Jackie Slater is nursing a shoulder injury.
Too much changes to expect consistency?
“I think you should ask me that in December,” Robinson said. “Right now, you may be right. I can’t accept that. I can accept that things are temporarily not so good. . . . But I think we have to push through with what we’re doing.”
RAM NUMBERS HIGHLIGHT
CRAIG HEYWARD
If you were to “build” the ideal pro football running back, you wouldn’t put 290 pounds on a five-foot, 10-inch frame. Even New Orleans Saints Coach Jim Mora would agree with that assumption and has, until he’s been blue in the face, it seems, reminded Craig Heyward of it. But, the fourth-year pro out of Pittsburgh, not only proved Mora wrong last season when he led the Saints in rushing--599 yards for a 4.6 average, but again Sunday when his 72 yards and two touchdowns powered New Orleans to a 24-7 win over the Rams. Heyward’s deceptive speed, quick moves and pure power proved too much for a game, but weary Ram defense. Ram Numbers SEASON TO DATE Three-Game Totals (Record: 1-2) First Downs RAMS: 4 OPP: 49 Rushing Yards RAMS: 319 OPP: 338 Passing Yards RAMS: 393 OPP: 482 Punts/Average RAMS: 167/36.6 OPP: 14/44.5 Rushing RAMS ATT.: 79 AVG.: 4.0 TDs: 3 OPP: ATT.: 98 AVG.: 3.4 TDs: 4 Passing RAMS ATT.: 68 CP: 38 TDs: 0 OPP: ATT: 78 AVG: 41 TDs: 2 Penalties/Yards RAMS: 18/153 OPP: 15/112 Fumbles/Lost RAMS: 8/6 OPP: 6/2 Interceptions/Yds RAMS: 2/81 OPP: 3/21 Possession Time RAMS: 27:18 OPP: 32:42 Scoring by Quarters
1 2 3 4 OT TOTAL RAMS 0 17 17 6 0 40 OPP 21 13 7 20 0 61