Rams Open Exhibition Season : Pro football: Linebacker Conlan among newcomers who will face Cardinals.
The skinny legs look as if they belong to a sprinter or dancer. Dan Fouts had twigs like this, but he was a quarterback.
These legs belong to middle linebacker Shane Conlan, and on them, as the Ram advertisements in the newspapers have suggested recently, ride the promise for a successful 1993 campaign.
Conlan, a highly regarded run-stuffer who played in the past three Super Bowls for the Buffalo Bills, received $2.35 million in guaranteed money from the Rams to stand firm in the middle for a defense that ranked 27th in the league last season.
Conlan & Co., which includes free-agent additions such as defensive end Fred Stokes and linebacker Henry Rolling, will make their first appearance together tonight in Sun Devil Stadium in an exhibition against the Phoenix Cardinals.
“I don’t really care what the Rams did last year,” Conlan said. “I’m just going to play the way I’ve played the last six years, give everything I’ve got and see what happens.”
The Rams’ opposition had its way on the ground a year ago. The Rams’ defense gave up an average gain of 4.8 yards a carry and surrendered a league-high 22 rushing touchdowns.
The team concluded in its postseason analysis that it needed a better middle linebacker than Larry Kelm and another year of experience for defensive tackles Sean Gilbert and Marc Boutte.
Coach Chuck Knox evaluated Conlan and then insisted upon having him. The Ram front office, which has been criticized in the past for being cheap, offered Conlan the opportunity to become the second-highest paid player on the team behind quarterback Jim Everett.
“I don’t feel the spotlight’s on me; I’m just a member of an 11-man defense,” Conlan said. “Obviously the money is great, and I’m happy with it, but now it’s time to forget it. I mean we’re all in this together now.
“It’s like stopping the run, it’s not just the inside three. Obviously they have something to do with it, but it’s the whole front seven. I think poor Larry got a bad rap. I watched some film on him, and he did a heck of a job. He just had some young guys in front of him who were not used to playing, and you can’t blame everything on a middle linebacker.”
The Rams’ No. 1 priority since the start of training camp has been to improve its defense against the run. Their first test comes against a team that ranked 26th in the league last year running the ball.
“I’m pretty pleased with our pass coverage and I think our pass rush will improve,” said George Dyer, Ram defensive coordinator. “In order to get people on defense, though, we have to be able to stop the run. It’s a definite objective.”
The Cardinals used their first draft choice to take Georgia’s Garrison Hearst, the best running back available in the draft, but he remains unsigned. They will start fourth-round pick Ron Moore, who played for Pittsburg State.
“You check out any NFL roster, and the third-string tailback is a great runner,” Conlan said. “It doesn’t matter who is running the ball, this is a test for us.
“For myself, I don’t feel any added pressure. There has to be a reason why they wanted me here. They had six years of film to watch, so obviously I think they got the guy they wanted. My style’s not going to change.”
Conlan injured a knee on his first day of practice with the Rams, returned to work and then injured his hip. Knox said Friday that Conlan will play against the Cardinals. But can Conlan make it through 16 regular-season games?
He played in a 3-4 alignment in Buffalo, but will now be the sole inside linebacker in the Rams’ 4-3 look. He will be responsible for shaking off pulling guards and hyperactive tackles, and while supporting himself on those skinny legs, he will have to stop the opposition’s push up the middle.
“It has nothing to do with the size, dude,” said Conlan, defending his legs and criticism that he’s injury-prone. “Sure, it’s tough in there and you see a lot of guys getting hurt. It’s the laws of physics. I’m 230 pounds and I’m hitting guys 310 pounds, so something has to give.
“But I think I have a lot of football left in me.”
The Cardinals remain undecided on the identity of their starting quarterback for this season. They will start Chris Chandler against the Rams and play former Raider Steve Beuerlein in the second half. They will reverse that rotation in next week’s exhibition against the Chicago Bears.
The Rams, 3-1 in exhibition play last season, will start Everett at quarterback and use Anthony Thompson and Tim Lester at running back. Rookie running backs Jerome Bettis and Russell White will also be given a fair share of playing time.