RAM NOTEBOOK / T.J. SIMERS : Quarterback Picture Left Muddled
Ted Tollner, who has agreed to become San Diego State’s head football coach next season, won’t be here to work with the Rams’ starting quarterback in 1994.
But who will that be?
Tollner and Coach Chuck Knox turned a cold shoulder to Jim Everett Sunday despite a struggling T.J. Rubley and a 15-3 deficit.
“I think the jury’s out,” said Tollner, assessing Rubley’s performance. “He does some things that kind of encourage you and then he doesn’t make some plays that have to be made. At this level, there isn’t a lot of room for mistakes.
“He’s extremely inconsistent. Sometimes it’s his fault and sometimes it’s not. If you’re going to win a close game, though, he’s got to make some plays that he didn’t make at times (on Sunday).”
Rubley completed 11 of 24 passes for 107 yards. Did Sunday’s results swing on his inability to make big plays?
“I won’t agree with that,” Tollner said. “He contributed by not making some plays, but there are a lot more things that happened out there.
“In my own mind, and this is hard to say because I’m not going to be here next year, I’m not sure which way it’s going to go there (at the quarterback position) next year.”
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Hello, anyone home? At his post-game press conference, Knox was asked, “Hasn’t it become apparent that Rubley isn’t making enough plays to get the job done?”
Knox’s reply: “You be the judge of that.”
But, he was asked, what does the head coach of the Rams think?
“He made some plays today and some other plays he didn’t make, in all honesty,” Knox said. “I think a lot of that comes with maturity, too.
“When you’re running like that (Jerome Bettis gained 124 yards), you should be able to hit some passes with the threat of him hitting up in there.”
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Minor injury: Defensive tackle Sean Gilbert left the game late after injuring his knee. Gilbert limped off the field, but said later the injury was not serious.
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Flat performance: Derrick Fenner and Harold Green never looked so good--at least not this season.
Fenner and Green ran for season-highs--Fenner rushing 15 times for 89 yards and a one-yard touchdown, and Green, who has asked to be traded, running 18 times for 76 yards.
“We didn’t tackle well today,” Ram safety Anthony Newman said. “They (the Bengals) were killing themselves with mistakes out there and they still beat us. It’s ridiculous.
“The game last week against New Orleans doesn’t mean anything now because we lost to Cincinnati. Overall we just played terrible.”
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Flipper MIA: For the second consecutive week, the Rams’ No. 1 deep threat was missing in action. Wide receiver Flipper Anderson has caught one pass for 19 yards in the past three games.
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What happened? Tight end Pat Carter had a chance to catch an eight-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter, but he failed to make the grab.
“I just flat dropped it,” Carter said. “No excuses. I should have caught the ball.”
Knox expressed unhappiness after the game and pointed to the fact the Rams had dropped three probable touchdown passes in the past three weeks. Besides Sunday’s dropped pass, Ernie Jones dropped a ball in the end zone last week, and Knox counts a fastball thrown past tight end Troy Drayton as a touchdown possibility. He had little chance for the grab.
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Time to party: With 1:32 remaining in Sunday’s 15-3 victory over the Rams, Bengal fans were treated to Guns ‘n Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle.”
The fans in the stadium came to their feet and delivered their loudest cheer of the day.
The song had been the Bengals’ theme song a few years ago when they were advancing to the playoffs on a regular basis. The Bengals have won only twice this season, and 10 times in their last 46 games.
During that span, the Rams have compiled a 13-33 record.