Rams Expecting Few Blessings From the Packers : Pro football: Addition of Reggie White has made Green Bay a contender to win NFC Central title.
The Rams have indicated that they will show up in Milwaukee County Stadium today, even though the battle of expectations for 1993, which began with off-season maneuvers, has already been won by the Green Bay Packers.
The Packers have defensive lineman Reggie White, free agency’s grand prize, and they have added one of the game’s best offensive linemen, Harry Galbreath. In addition, they have cornerback Terrell Buckley and quarterback Brett Favre, who will be passing to Sterling Sharpe and Mark Clayton.
They have been picked by many to win the NFC Central Division title.
The Rams have an 0-4 exhibition record, a struggling Jim Everett at quarterback and three consecutive seasons of losing football.
“The Packers are coming off a great season, and they acquired some new, great athletes, including the best pass rusher in the National Football League,” Everett said. “We’re just the Rams; we’ve got a lot of work to do to compete with these guys.”
Everett said of White: “You’ve got to know where he’s at all the time. We’ve got to watch him, and I know this, I just don’t want him smelling me.”
If Sean Gilbert and the rest of the Ram defensive line shuts down the Packers’ running game, the Rams’ defense figures to keep the game close and perhaps spring an upset.
“It’s a must,” Gilbert said. “It’s imperative that we stop the run.”
Gilbert is starting only his second season, but he has the potential to be a standout. The Rams hold him in such high regard that they made him their “transitional player” under the new collective bargaining agreement, thereby securing his services even though his contract doesn’t expire until 1996.
Gilbert, meanwhile, holds White in high esteem.
“Every Sunday he comes to preach,” Gilbert said of the man known as “the Reverend.”
“I believe he is always going to leave you with something that sticks in your mind as being positive.
“He has a bad game, and it’s still a good game. You look at players like Reggie White and say, ‘I want to be better than him because he’s the best.’ ”
The Rams use a 4-3 defense, and Gilbert controls the middle along with Marc Boutte. White, however, is granted the freedom to line up over any one of the Rams’ five offensive linemen.
The Rams finished 27th in the league a year ago in stopping the run, and then signed free-agent linebacker Shane Conlan. For Conlan to be effective, however, Gilbert must dominate the Packers’ offensive line.
“They have to block two guys on him,” Conlan said. “I’m really excited about this defense. We’ve got a lot of speed, and from what I judge good defenses on by watching film, I see everyone going to the ball.”
The Packers will run former Patriot John Stephens and second-year fullback Edgar Bennett at the Rams.
In exhibition play, Favre completed 65% of his passes. Sharpe and Clayton start at wide receiver, and Jackie Harris, who caught 55 passes last season, returns at tight end.
“The expectations for Brett are high,” Packer Coach Mike Holmgren said. “He had a remarkable year for a young quarterback. I think he’s a special guy. There’s no reason to think he won’t have a long career as an outstanding quarterback in this league.”
That’s what was being said about Everett a few years ago, after he had thrown 60 touchdown passes in two seasons. Now he is being called a skittish quarterback leading an ineffective offense.
“Jim Everett is an outstanding quarterback,” Coach Chuck Knox said. “You can’t judge him by what happened during this preseason (when Everett failed to throw a scoring pass). He didn’t have his receiving corps working--we were banged up there. . . . I think we have to wait with him.
“I think if we can give him the protection up front, run the football and keep defenses honest and get that receiving corps tied up, he can make the plays for us.”
The Rams will try to keep the heat off Everett by running Cleveland Gary and, on occasion, rookie Jerome Bettis. Gary led the Rams in rushing and receiving a year ago, and although he arrived late to training camp, he has had a solid week of practice.
“We’re better off, better prepared with the system and better off from a talent standpoint than last year,” Knox said. “Now we’ll just have to see what happens.”
Ram Notes
Linebacker Tony Bennett, the Packer leader in sacks a year ago with 13.5, remains a holdout. . . . With the wind chill at minus-15 degrees, the Packers defeated the Rams in Green Bay last season, 28-13. The temperature at game time today is expected to be in the mid-70s. . . . Jim Everett needs 118 yards passing to overtake Roman Gabriel as the Rams’ all-time leader. Gabriel threw for 22,223.