It’s Fright Night for Rams, Despite the Falcons’ Futility : Pro football: Facing a winless team ranked last in defense but talented and full of incentive is ‘scary,’ they say.
The Falcons are winless, and the Rams are concerned.
“It’s scary,” said Jackie Slater, Ram tackle. “They have a lot of talented players.”
Scary? The Falcons are winless in five games as they prepare to take on the Rams (2-3) tonight in the Georgia Dome. Atlanta has not won since Dec. 13, 1992, and that was over Tampa Bay.
Scary? The Falcons rank last in the NFL in defense and have surrendered more points than any other team in the league.
How scary can a team be when it is forced to start Billy Joe Tolliver at quarterback?
“If you were coaching a team that was 0-5, would you like to be playing at home?” Ram Coach Chuck Knox said. “Would you like to be playing on national TV? This is a tremendous incentive for them to show everybody they are the football team that everybody thought they were going to be when the season started.”
The Falcons had a similar opportunity to redeem themselves at home a few weeks ago on Monday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers, routed by the Rams, 27-0, beat the Falcons, 45-17.
“They are a good, quality football team,” said Joe Vitt, Ram assistant head coach. “I mean, they have great people at the skill positions. We said this before we played Houston: ‘Who scares us more? Houston’s receivers or Atlanta’s receivers?’ And, to a man, these receivers concern us more.
“Yeah, they’re 0-5, but the worst thing you can do is look at their record because they can jump up and really bite you in the back.”
The Falcons employ the run-and-shoot, as do the Oilers, and feature wide receivers Andre Rison (29 catches), Michael Haynes (28) and Mike Pritchard (27). Atlanta, however, places more emphasis on running than the Oilers.
Erric Pegram, a sixth-round pick from North Texas State in 1991, has averaged 5.3 yards per carry as the Falcons’ featured back. Pegram, 5 feet 9 and 188 pounds, ran for 192 yards against the San Francisco 49ers this season.
“He’s an excellent running back, and we’re going to have to get off blocks and tackle,” Knox said. “The whole key to what they want to do is to see how many men you put in the box (line of scrimmage) and then audible to a pass or run based on that.”
The Rams have their own plan to quash a Falcon uprising, and it centers on the running of rookie Jerome Bettis, who will start in place of Cleveland Gary. If Bettis can run effectively against the Falcons, the Ram coaching staff believes it will set up Atlanta’s defense and allow for several big passing plays.
The Falcons’ defense has given up a league-high 4.9 yards per rush, which bodes well for Bettis, who has averaged 4.1 yards per carry.
If the Rams run well, the Falcons are going to have to bring more defenders to the line of scrimmage, thereby putting more pressure on their cornerbacks to hang tough with wide receivers Flipper Anderson and Henry Ellard.
“They’ve got some good players, but not having (cornerback) Deion Sanders affects them,” said Ernie Zampese, Ram offensive coordinator. “That’s the best cover guy in football.”
Quarterback Jim Everett, coming off a shaky performance against the New Orleans Saints, will be matched against a defense that has a league-low five sacks and a league-low two interceptions.
“I think their record is misleading,” Everett said. “They can bring pressure, they play good bump-and-run, and hopefully we’ll be ready.”
Like the Rams, who have struggled to score, the Falcons have done little in recent weeks to cause excitement. The Falcons’ offense hasn’t produced a touchdown since Sept. 19 against San Francisco.
Starting quarterback Chris Miller is sidelined for the season because of a knee injury, and backup Bobby Hebert has been unable to throw for the last 10 days because of elbow tendinitis.
“I’m ready if they need me,” said Tolliver, who has an 11-15 career mark as a starting quarterback with San Diego and Atlanta. “I’ve just got to find a way to light the fire to the dynamite.”
Tolliver relieved an injured Miller in the fourth quarter of last year’s game against the Rams in the Georgia Dome and threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Michael Haynes, leading the Falcons to a 30-28 victory.
“Right now, Billy Joe Tolliver knows this offense better than Hebert,” Vitt said. “He’s got his downfield reads, he doesn’t hold the football, and he’s positive with his decision making. He’s proven he can win in this league, and he’s got a great arm. He scares me to death.”
RAMS TONIGHT’S GAME * Opponent: Atlanta Falcons. * Site: Georgia Dome. * Time: 4:30 PDT. * Records: Rams 2-3, Falcons 0-5. * Radio: KMPC (710). * TV: Channel 9, TNT. * Rosters: C10.