RAM NOTEBOOK : Hughes Has Day of Record Returns

Saint cornerback Tyrone Hughes set NFL records for kickoff return yards (304), combined return yards (347) and tied a league mark for touchdown returns in a game (two) Sunday in New Orleans’ 37-34 victory over the Rams.

“I started cramping on my next-to-last return or (I) might have had a third touchdown,” Hughes said. “I had a hole and I tried to accelerate through it, but I started cramping and a guy came off a block and tackled me.”

Hughes also got his first pro start at cornerback in place of the injured Tyrone Legette (ankle) and Carl Lee (hip).

Hughes intercepted a Chris Miller pass that bounced out of the hands of tailback Jerome Bettis at the Ram 12 in the second quarter, setting up a 21-yard Morten Andersen field goal. He also dived and knocked down a pass for Flipper Anderson at the Saint five.

What was more satisfying, his special teams play or his play on defense?

“Definitely the defensive side of the ball,” said Hughes, a wide receiver at Nebraska until converting to cornerback late in his junior season. “I’m happy with the way the return game went because we were long overdue. But I was more excited about my performance at defensive back because I didn’t let the guys down.”

As a rookie last year, Hughes earned a spot in the Pro Bowl. He returned a punt 74 yards for a touchdown in a 37-6 victory over the Rams at Anaheim Stadium.

Sunday, his 92-yard kick return in the second quarter pushed the Saints’ lead to 24-14. He returned another kick 98 yards for a touchdown on the final play of the third quarter, and averaged 43.6 yards in seven returns.

Why did the Rams continue to kick deep to Hughes after his first touchdown? Wouldn’t it have been safer to kick short and prevent a big play?

“In this league you do that and they’ll run it back on you,” said Wayne Sevier, the Rams’ special teams coach. “We kick as deep as we can, cover as hard as we can and hope you have good players out there executing it. I thought this particular group should have done a great job on this.

“I think he made two good runs, but we made a couple bad decisions. We had a couple guys get inside when they shouldn’t have on the first one. On the second one, one guy had a shot and missed. When I looked up and saw Tony Zendejas chasing him, I knew we were in trouble.”

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Add records: Robert Bailey’s 103-yard punt return broke the NFL record of 98 yards set four times. Toby Wright’s 98-yard fumble return in the second quarter was the fourth-longest in league history, tying him with George Halas’ return in 1923.

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Sound advice: Even though he was playing against his former team, Everett said he had no extra input in the Saints’ game plan.

But Mora said he spoke with Everett at halftime about how the Rams were using Bettis, who finished with 63 yards in 18 carries. It was the third consecutive week Bettis had been held to fewer than 100 yards rushing.

Bettis rushed for 212 yards in 28 carries against the Saints here last season, and the Saints, ranked 23rd in the league against the rush, were beaten for three rushing touchdowns by San Diego’s Natrone Means last week.

“The defense came in and had an agenda,” Bettis said. “They stuck to it and the main thing was to stop No. 36, and they did a pretty good job of that.”

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Trash talk: Their 3-5 record might indicate otherwise, but the Rams aren’t down and out quite yet. At least according to assistant head coach Joe Vitt.

“I’m proud of these guys and I’ll go with them any where, any time, any place,” Vitt said. “This is a proud bunch. You want to call them Lambs? Well, don’t call them that to their face.”

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Complaint department: Saying he doesn’t care if the league fines him for his controversial comments, New Orleans Coach Jim Mora blasted game officials on four key calls in the game:

--Ejecting Saint safety Vince Buck and Ram wide receiver Todd Kinchen for fighting early in the fourth quarter, a week after Atlanta’s Andre Rison and San Francisco’s Deion Sanders traded blows and remained in the game.

“I asked (the officials), ‘Why didn’t they throw out Sanders and Rison,’ ” Mora said. “They said they have no control over that.

“Where is the consistency? That’s what ticks me off--no consistency. I think it’s wrong. One week it’s one thing, the next week it’s something else. One crew does one thing and another does this. It stinks.”

--Ruling that Saint running back Lorenzo Neal had fumbled at the Ram two-yard line when it appeared he was down. Ram safety Toby Wright returned the fumble 98 yards for a touchdown, cutting the Rams’ deficit to 17-14 in the second quarter.

“The officials told me Lorenzo was on top of bodies, that he wasn’t hitting the ground and the ball came out,” Mora said. “I saw the replay and it looked like Lorenzo was on the ground and Derrick Ned was on bodies. I didn’t see that one real well.”

--Ruling a free ball in the end zone on a fourth-quarter punt that Bailey returned 103 yards for a touchdown. “Our guys swore a whistle had blown,” Mora said.

--Failing to measure on a close first-down call in the fourth quarter until the Saints requested it.

“The official signaled fourth down,” Mora said. “When it is that close, it seems to me that the official ought to take it upon himself to call for a measurement.”

Mora was asked if he thought he would be fined for his criticism.

“If I am,” he said, “I’ll be glad to pay it.”

Times staff writers T.J. Simers and Mike Penner contributed to this report.