Rams Had a Ball Beating Steelers : Pro football: Mementos all around for those who had hand in 27-0 victory.
On Sunday, the Rams wanted to set the record straight: They are not a terrible team.
On Monday, they attempted to dispel the idea that they are a cheap organization by passing out game balls--at $50 per--to just about anybody who was wearing shoulder pads in their 27-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“We gave game balls to our defensive football team for pitching a shutout,” Coach Chuck Knox announced. “And we also gave game balls to Henry Ellard, Jackie Slater, Jim Everett, Tony Zendejas. . . . They all played well; they deserved it.”
The Rams, after absorbing a 36-6 defeat by the Green Bay Packers in their opener, were given little chance of success against the Steelers, especially since they had lost three starters on defense to injuries, and Pat Carter, the team’s starting tight end.
The Rams not only won, they manhandled the Steelers.
“I’ll tell you, our guys really came to that stadium with a lot of effort,” Knox said. “They played with a lot of emotion. We talked all week about some guys having to step up.
“We made some plays, and that’s the difference between this week and last week. We knocked the ball out and we got on it. We knocked the ball out against Green Bay and we didn’t get it. For us to have a chance to win, this is the kind of football we have to play. I mean, we only had three penalties.”
The defense limited Pittsburgh to 175 yards, and held running back Barry Foster, who rushed for more than 100 yards 12 times last season, to 50 yards in 15 carries.
The Rams generated 314 yards in total offense, and while doing so allowed Everett and Ellard to regain lost luster.
“I’m sure it was very satisfying (for Everett),” Knox said.
“Henry stepped up, and I don’t know when the last time was when he had nine catches for 127 yards. But that’s a pretty good day’s work.”
The Rams’ nearly flawless performance was achieved with bit players such as Tom Homco, Deral Boykin, Chris Martin and Steve Israel playing significant roles.
“When you have that many people out, it’s not a good feeling,” Knox said. “I’m surprised in a way (how things turned out), and yet I always go in hoping and feeling if we can make some plays happen, we’ll have a chance to win. The other guy might mess it up, too.
“If someone had told me before the game that we were going to shut them out, I would have thought you must have been drinking something or have some news that I don’t know about.”
After the Rams were blasted by the Packers on the heels of four consecutive exhibition losses, their confidence might have been shaken. But Knox had the Rams practicing hard in preparation for their game against the Steelers.
“I told the squad before we went to Green Bay that we were going to be a good football team,” Knox said. “Then we go over there and get blown away. Last week I told them, ‘I still think we’re going to be a good football team.’
“We had a great week of practice before the Packer game and another one this past week. I think things were building.
“I sensed a sense of urgency on the sideline. They were in the game. . . . But if I had all the answers to why it happened I’d put it out there every week or put it in a book and make millions.”
Sunday’s victory was the 178th in Knox’s 21 years as a head coach, and there is something special about walking off the field after winning a game you were supposed to lose, he said.
“There isn’t any substitute for it,” he said. “That’s the best feeling in the world.”
RAMS ’93
The big question after two games: Which Ram team is going to show up Sunday at the Meadowlands to meet the New York Giants? The one that looked horrible in suffering a 36-6 loss to Green Bay nine days ago, or the one that blanked Pittsburgh, 27-0, Sunday? Ram fans are hopeful it’ll be the latter, for the Giants (2-0) haven’t forgotten the 38-17 beating they took from the Rams last October.
Season to Date
Record: 1 Win, 1 Loss
Rushing RAMS: Att.: 51; Avg.: 3.1; TDs: 2 OPPONENTS: Att.: 55; Avg.: 3.5; Tds: 2
Rushing Yards RAMS: 156 OPPONENTS: 193
Fumbles/Lost RAMS: 2/0 OPPONENTS: 3/2
Passing RAMS: Att.: 75; Cmp.: 38; TDs: 1 OPPONENTS: Att.: 62; Cmp.: 36; TDs: 2
Passing Yards RAMS: 386 OPPONENTS: 363 Interceptions/Yards Returned RAMS: 2/6 OPPONENTS: 4/48
First Downs RAMS: 34 OPPONENTS: 33
Time of Possession RAMS: 29:25 OPPONENTS: 30:35
Punts/Average RAMS: 9/39.7 OPPONENTS: 9/42.1
Scoring by Quarters
1 2 3 4 OT Total Rams 3 17 3 10 0 33 Opponents 9 10 14 3 0 36