RAM NOTEBOOK / MIKE REILLEY : Bettis Well on the Way to Bonus Round
Ram tailback Jerome Bettis signed a five-year, $4.625 million contract last July that included incentive clauses that he wasn’t sure he could reach in his rookie season.
But he has.
Bettis needed one Pro Bowl appearance and two 1,200 yard-rushing seasons in his first four years in order to eliminate the fifth year of his contract. After rushing for 1,283 yards so far this season, and being named to the Pro Bowl as a backup Tuesday, Bettis is now two-thirds of the way toward his goal.
Bettis made the NFC squad along with second-year defensive tackle Sean Gilbert, who was named a starter. Fans, coaches and players selected the NFC and AFC teams, which play Feb. 6 in Honolulu.
Gilbert, who leads the Rams with 9 1/2 sacks, is making his first Pro Bowl appearance. He and Bettis are the first Rams to make the NFC team since quarterback Jim Everett and offensive tackle Jackie Slater in 1990.
Bettis received a $100,000 bonus for breaking 1,200 yards, but said he didn’t believe he would get a bonus for making the Pro Bowl. He needs another 1,200-yard season to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of his fourth year.
“It’s unbelievable that they (Pro Bowl and 1,200 yards) would come so fast,” Bettis said. “A lot of people didn’t think it was a viable clause in the contract at the time, that is was far-fetched. But after everything I’ve done this year, everyone knows now that it’s a good deal and it can become a reality.”
He said he was surprised to break the 1,200-yard barrier, considering he didn’t become a full-time starter until the sixth game of the season. He rushed for 158 yards in the first four games, including 33 yards in a one-time start against the New York Giants in place of injured Cleveland Gary. But after gaining 102 yards in a backup role against New Orleans in the fifth game, Bettis was the starter for good.
“My agent asked me if I could have a 1,200-yard season (when negotiating the contract),” Bettis said, “and I calculated and figured if I could do it in 16 games. To be honest with you, I wasn’t expecting to do that my first year. We figured I would start my second year from day one, and on based on that, I figured I would get 1,200 yards.
“Now, after what has happened this year, it’s a big burden off me.”
Bettis is the first Ram rookie to make the Pro Bowl since Dale Hatcher in 1985 and the team’s first rookie tailback to make it since Eric Dickerson in 1983. Charles White was the last Ram back to make it, in 1987.
Dallas’ Emmitt Smith and injured Barry Sanders of Detroit were named the NFC starters at tailback.
Although Bettis has outgained Sanders and is challenging Smith for the league rushing title, the rookie wasn’t disappointed to be going as a reserve along with Dallas fullback Daryl Johnston. There’s still a possibility Bettis could start if Sanders isn’t healthy in time for the game.
“Once I become a household name, then I’ll be in the running for the starting position,” Bettis said. “But now, it’s an honor for me to be considered one of the best. I’m on cloud nine right now. Nothing you could say would wipe the smile off my face.”
Gilbert, the Rams’ first defensive player to make the Pro Bowl since linebacker Kevin Greene and cornerback Jerry Gray in 1989, was surprised to learn he was named a starter. Is Gilbert having a Pro Bowl-caliber season?
“No,” he said. “I was just getting worn out with double teams. I was always trying to figure out a way where I could sneak in on a single block. It got to the point where if a single block approached me, I didn’t even expect it, so I was already beat.”
Early in the season, opponents couldn’t double-team Gilbert because of the presence of defensive end Robert Young, who had seven sacks. But Young has missed nine of the past 10 games because of a knee injury and is out for the season, leaving Gilbert as the target on the line.
“Robert and I talk a lot about how many sacks we could have added to our lists if he hadn’t been injured,” Gilbert said. “We would have been adding his name to Hawaii, too.”
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Add Bettis: The rookie came in for treatment Tuesday for a scrape on his left leg, which he hurt against the Browns Sunday. Although limping when he walked, Bettis said he will practice today.
“I’m limping a little right now because of the pain,” he said. “But as I get a scab on there, it will be better.”
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Add Pro Bowl: One of the most glaring omissions for the Rams was outside linebacker Roman Phifer, who leads the team in tackles with 112. Linebacker Shane Conlan lobbied for Phifer a few weeks ago and Coach Chuck Knox and linebackers’ coach Dick Selcer added their support last week.
But the voters saw it differently. New Orleans’ Rickey Jackson and Renaldo Turnbull, and Tampa Bay’s Hardy Nickerson were named the starters, with Dallas’ Ken Norton and the injured Pat Swilling of Detroit as the backups.
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The Rams have locked four home opponents and six road opponents for the 1994 schedule, which is determined by a team’s 1993 finish.
The Rams, last in the NFC West, will play home games against Atlanta, New Orleans, San Francisco and Washington. The final week of games will determine if the Rams play home games against the NFC East’s second-place team (New York Giants or Dallas Cowboys), the NFC East’s fourth-place team (Philadelphia or Phoenix), the AFC West’s second-place team (Denver or the Raiders), and the AFC West’s fourth-place team (San Diego or Seattle).
Road games include Atlanta, New Orleans, San Francisco, Tampa Bay, Chicago and Kansas City, with games at the AFC West third-place team (Raiders or Denver) and the NFC Central’s third-place team (Detroit, Minnesota or Green Bay) yet to be determined.
Ram Notes
Denver’s Rod Bernstine rushed for 103 yards two weeks ago against Chicago, breaking a streak of 21 consecutive games that a Dave Wannstedt defense hasn’t given up more than 100 yards to an opposing back.