Nowhere to Turn for Rams
When you consider the alternatives, it appears that Jamie Martin provides the Rams with their best opportunity to win.
Jamie who?
Never mind, the third-string quarterback has no shot at playing because, to hear Coach Chuck Knox tell it Monday after the Rams had absorbed the 10th loss in their last 14 games, he hasn’t lost faith in T.J. Rubley or Jim Everett.
That’s T.J. Rubley, who is 1-4 and averaging 9.5 completions as a starter, with one touchdown pass in his last three performances.
And that’s Jim Everett, who stood in front of a heater during Sunday’s 15-3 loss to the Bengals at Cincinnati.
The Rams need a quarterback, it appears obvious, and hasn’t it become apparent that Rubley is not the answer to what ails the Rams?
“I’m not ready to say that,” Knox said. “And I don’t think our coaches feel that way. . . . We need to continue to look at him and get that resolved.”
After the Rams had fallen behind the Bengals in the third quarter, 12-3, Rubley failed repeatedly to mount a sustained charge. And yet Knox said he never considered switching to Everett, which strongly suggests that Everett does not figure in the team’s plans.
“No, I wouldn’t say that,” Knox said. “I really wouldn’t. I just felt (Rubley) was in there and he needed an opportunity to try and get him and his team out of that situation.”
Everett wasn’t talking Monday, and although the Rams don’t make personnel decisions on Monday, offensive coordinator Ernie Zampese said, “I would assume T.J. will still be the starting quarterback this week.”
Rubley, who has averaged 81 yards passing in his last three starts, caught reporters by surprise Sunday after noting that he saw progress in the Rams’ passing attack.
“I didn’t misspeak,” Rubley said. “I said it sounded strange, but we were very close to being in the groove in our passing game.
“I know I have to be patient, and there are going to be some struggling times. But if we weather the storm, I think there will be some benefits down the road.”
The Rams, however, might never have it so good. In the last month, running back Jerome Bettis has given them 584 yards rushing, which should have done nothing but improve Rubley’s opportunity for success in the passing game.
“Certainly, any time you run the football as well as we’re running it then it does nothing but enhance your chances of throwing the ball,” Zampese said. “That’s the frustrating thing; we’re not doing a good job in the passing game.”
It comes back to the quarterback position.
Everett failed to impress this season and will undoubtedly be headed elsewhere after the season. And Rubley? Considering recent performances, if Bettis doesn’t carry the Rams into the end zone, it appears the team has no chance to win.
“I wouldn’t say that,” Zampese said. “I don’t think Chuck would be playing (Rubley) if he didn’t think he gave us a shot to win.”
What other choices does Knox have?
Jamie who?
RAMS ’93 / Season Can’t End Fast Enough
After their humiliating loss Sunday to the team with the worst record in the National Footbal League, the Rams will simply be playing out the string in the last two weeks of the season. If they had beaten the Bengals, they would have won a second consecutive game for the first time since early in the 1991 season and built a little momentum for games with Cleveland (Sunday) and Chicago (Jan. 2). But even with Jerome Bettis rushing for 124 yards, the Rams turned out to be the bumblers rather than the Bengals. This season can’t end fast enough for the players, coaches and their suffering fans.
Season to Date
Record: 4 victories; 10 losses
* Rushing
Att. Avg. TDs Rams 381 4.6 6 Opponents 395 3.8 15
* Rushing Yards Rams: 1,738 Opponents: 1,660
* Fumbles/Lost Rams: 16/10 Opponents: 26/9
* Passing
Att. Comp. TDs Rams 413 205 14 Opponents 444 265 15
* Passing Yards Rams: 2,290 Opponents: 3,273
* Interceptions/Yards Returned Rams: 10/127 Opponents: 17/287
* First Downs Rams: 231 Opponents: 271
* Punts/Average Rams: 74/41.0 Opponents: 53/41.7
* Time of Possession Rams: 27.33 Opponents: 32.27
* Scoring by Quarters
1 2 3 4 OT Total Rams 42 37 40 68 0 187 Opponents 65 85 85 84 0 319