RAMS : Elements for Rivalry With Raiders Are in Place

Isn’t this the stuff of which rivalries are made?

On one side of town, there’s the good guys. Jim Everett’s toothpaste-commercial smiles. Coach John Robinson’s eloquent analysis of the game. Owner Georgia Frontiere’s untiring devotion to charity work.

Across the tracks, there’s that gang in black. Bob Golic’s free-spirited style. Coach Art Shell’s monosyllabic retorts. Owner Al Davis’ “Just win, baby.”

Contrasting styles, to be sure, and the differences between the Rams and Raiders clearly begin at the top.

One owner sits next to an assistant during games and draws up plays. The other stands on the sidelines and kisses assistant coaches.

It’s the Hands-On Approach vs. the Hands-Across-the-Water Approach. Davis battles with players’ agents; Frontiere wrangles with travel agents. Frontiere gives millions to a long list of charities; Davis’ idea of philanthropy is when you lose a fumble inside your own 10.

All the ingredients for a great rivalry are in place. But when it comes time for the opening kickoff, it seems like any other Sunday.

OK, let’s assume Southern California sports fans are the most apathetic in the nation. Still, they’re rabid enough to make this into a decent rivalry, if only the teams met more than three times a decade. The NFL scheduling system dictates that the NFC Rams and AFC Raiders meet once every three years.

Does Robinson recall a special atmosphere at the Coliseum on Sept. 18, 1988, the last time the teams met?

“It probably wasn’t (special),” he said. “I really don’t remember.”

He should. The Rams--with nine sacks, a safety and an interception--won, 22-17.

The Rams and Raiders have faced each other just six times, with the Raiders winning four. They’ve played only three times since the Raiders moved to Los Angeles. The Raiders won, 37-31, at the Coliseum in 1982 and, 16-6, in Anaheim in ’85.

Robinson believes the teams should at least establish an annual exhibition encounter and said discussions along those lines are under way.

“We’re talking about that now,” he said. “I don’t have any further information, but I do believe both teams have expressed an interest in doing that on an annual basis.”

But why stop there?

“I think they should change the entire structure of the NFL so we’re in the same division they’re in. You know, it’s natural. I think the Rams, Raiders, Chargers and 49ers should all be in the same division.”

Dirty Work: Cornerback Jerry Gray slipped on the Anaheim Stadium infield and the Chargers scored a touchdown. What kind of home-field advantage is that?

The next time the Rams play at home, however, there will be grass covering all of the playing surface.

Groundskeepers need three weeks to ensure that the new sod will have rooted properly, and Robinson can understand that, but he would have liked to have seen the dirt area groomed to look more like a flower bed than a driveway.

“You can’t do it in two weeks, or the (new turf) flies all over,” he said. “But I was surprised that it wasn’t raked, and that there wasn’t a little more dirt. It was hard as rock and smooth.

“I don’t think anyone said, ‘Man, let’s get this ready for football.’ And I was surprised at that.”

Robinson for the Defense: San Diego Coach Dan Henning has taken a lot of heat for his decision to run wide from the Chargers’ one-yard line on the final play of the first half Sunday, resulting in a Ram safety as time expired. Robinson, however, insists there are a number of factors involved in such choices.

“There are a lot of ways you can look at that,” he said. “Most people, on Monday, have the answer. But we jammed the middle. We covered both guards and and covered the center, so running outside those people was the answer.

“They misblocked the play, and Kevin Greene was unblocked and made the play. Falling on the ball certainly would have been inappropriate because the quarterback could have easily lost yardage and ended up in the end zone, particularly when you don’t have a great quarterback-sneak guy.”

Up and Down: Punter Dale Hatcher has 10 punts inside the opponents’ 20-yard line, which is the second-most in the NFL. But he’s also kicked a couple of high, short ones when the Rams had high and long in mind.

“Dale Hatcher has had some inconsistencies,” Robinson said. “He seems to punt well when he’s punting down into their goal line, but he’s dubbed a few, too.

“I hope he hasn’t taken over Jim Everett’s slump . . . of course, if that was the only way to get Jim out of his slump, I’d be happy to volunteer that.”

Post-Slump Relief: Everett’s touchdown-pass drought ended Sunday and once again, all’s well in Ramland.

“It’s nice to see Jim with a smile on his face,” Robinson said. “He worked hard on the things that we identified as being wrong. He didn’t give up on anything. He just hung in there.”

Robinson called the process “a maturing.”

“You don’t need too many of those in your life. But if you’re going to play a long time, you’re going to have them,” he said.

Ram-Raider Connections:

--When Greene tackled San Diego’s Marion Butts in the end zone Sunday, it was the first safety for the Rams since Greene sacked Raider quarterback Steve Beuerlein in the end zone in 1988.

--The Raiders tried to convert former Ram Ron Brown into a defensive back last season and released him before this season. When Flipper Anderson was injured, the Rams re-signed Brown as a receiver. In two games with the Rams, Brown has returned three kickoffs for 71 yards, caught two passes for 31 yards and rushed twice for 11 yards.

--Raiders Ronnie Lott, Marcus Allen, Don Mosebar, Vince Evans and Riki Ellison all played for Robinson at USC.

--Robinson was a Raider assistant under John Madden in 1975.