Knox Has a Ball in Upset Over Cowboys : Rams: Players say his attitude was responsible for victory and present him with souvenir.
The players, experienced Knox-ologists by now, noticed it early--the rise in Coach Chuck Knox’s voice when he talked about the Dallas Cowboys.
On the heels of their 20-14 defeat by the Phoenix Cardinals, their fourth in five games, the Rams said they sensed a clear uptick in Knox’s demands upon them in practice, and a growing frustration about how this season was unfolding.
So many close losses, so many weeks in a row. . . .
Nobody really wanted to know what Knox would do if they lost again and dropped to 3-7, even if it was in Dallas, against a team with an 8-1 record favored to beat them by two touchdowns.
“He was pretty fired up all week to get a win,” said guard Tom Newberry. “We’ve let so many close ones get away. We’re not playing bad, but at the end we’re making mistakes and giving games away.
“This week, everybody felt the pressure. We had to have it.”
In the locker room Sunday, after wringing out the 27-23 victory over the Cowboys, those same players, in what was by all accounts one of the most emotional moments of their season, awarded Knox the game ball.
The Rams saw how involved he was on the sidelines, roaring encouragement and blistering officials. And they saw the happiness in Knox’s eyes when they finally pulled it out by denying Dallas’ last two desperate shots at the end zone.
“He was very pleased,” cornerback Robert Bailey said. “What does it mean for him? It means hope. It means a lot of hope.
“I think our loss last week (to Phoenix) even had the coaches kind of thinking. They needed something to start rebuilding their hope.”
Monday, Knox had the satisfied look of a man still savoring his team’s biggest victory.
Asked what he thought of being awarded the game ball, Knox leaned back in his chair and beamed.
“It’s special because of the things that have been happening to us,” Knox said, “and the way that they played the game. We were a decided underdog.
“It wasn’t something I was looking for or anything, but I was glad they felt that way about it, and I appreciated it. It’ll have a little special meaning to me, simply because of everything that went on, the way the game unfolded.”
Knox didn’t deny that, after losing four of their previous five games by a total of 14 points, the Rams had to make a stand against Dallas. And when they did, he said the celebration was worth it.
“That was a special feeling in that locker room afterward,” Knox said. “There was a lot of excitement in there. That’s the way it should be. You play the game, you play it to win, and when you win a big game, you’re able to hold together.
“It should be special.”
Which is exactly what Knox had been telling his players all week long. They said he didn’t sugar-coat the situation, only presented them with the only way out--beat the Cowboys, a big-time team, on the road or be losers for another week.
“They’re probably the best football team in the NFL, got the No. 1-rated defense,” said tackle Jackie Slater, who presented Knox with the ball. “And our leader, Chuck Knox, wasn’t about to let us come in here with our heads down, thinking we had no chance. All week, everything was positive.
“He wasn’t about to let our football team feel like we didn’t have a chance to win this game.
“Some people might have a tendency to just show up, play hard on occasion and get this thing over. But Chuck wouldn’t let that happen. We had to confront (that) we were playing against the best team in pro football. From Day 1 of our preparation, we knew what we were up against. . . .
“I think that early awakening really made a difference for us.”
RAM NUMBERS
HIGHLIGHT: TED TOLLNER
One of the biggest tasks facing Chuck Knox, returning for his second tour of duty as Rams’ coach, was to get Jim Everett on track after two subpar seasons. Knox turned to former USC Coach Ted Tollner, installing him as quarterback coach. Everett has responded by completing 61.2 per cent of his passes--172 of 281--for 2,061 yards and 14 touchdowns. Tollner: “I think what’s allowed him (Everett) to have the success he’s had is that we have been able to run the football, he’s getting some time to throw the football and guys are making the plays. I think focus is the appropriate word regarding Jim. Focus on the detail of setting up right, making good read decisions, getting the ball off on time, being as accurate as he can, and playing his position and not worrying about the other areas.” SEASON TO DATE Nine-Game Totals (Record: 4-6) First Downs RAMS: 170 OPP: 195 Rushing Yards RAMS: 1,019 OPP: 1,389 Passing Yards RAMS: 1,930 OPP: 1,944 Punts/Average RAMS: 47/41.5 OPP: 39/42.8 Rushing RAMS: ATT: 247 AVG: 4.1 TDs: 9 OPP: ATT: 280 AVG: 5.0 TDs: 13 Passing RAMS: ATT: 284 CP: 173 TDs: 14 OPP: ATT: 327 CP: 194 TDs: 7 Penalties/Yards RAMS: 52/365 OPP: 74/573 Fumbles/Lost RAMS: 17/10 OPP: 14/6 Interceptions/Yds RAMS: 12/207 OPP: 10/196 Scoring by Quarters
1 2 3 4 OT TOTAL RAMS 14 64 52 60 0 190 OPP 68 52 33 53 0 206
Possession Time RAMS: 28:17 OPP: 31:43
