PRO FOOTBALL DAILY REPORT : RAMS : Miller Out of Hospital, Appears OK

Quarterback Chris Miller was released from a New Orleans hospital after at CAT scan revealed no serious damage from a concussion he suffered in the first quarter of the Rams’ 37-34 loss to the Saints.

Coach Chuck Knox said Miller will undergo an MRI today as a precautionary measure in case the CAT scan missed anything. The team has a bye this week, and Miller and the rest of the Rams are off until Thursday.

Miller suffered the concussion when, after throwing a pass to Howard Griffith, he was tackled by linebacker Ernest Dixon.

Miler played the rest of the half, throwing a touchdown pass to Isaac Bruce, but couldn’t remember plays during halftime discussions and had trouble handling the noise in the Superdome.

“He seemed fine after the play,” Knox said. “We talked with him on the sidelines. Otherwise, we would have make a change at quarterback.”

*

Miller had company in the hospital for a while Sunday--offensive line coach Jim Erkenbeck. Erkenbeck also suffered a concussion, when he was accidentally knocked down on the sideline by Saint safety J.J. McCleskey. Erkenbeck was released Sunday night and returned home with the team.

“(Miller) and I shared a CAT scan,” Erkenbeck said. “We had a great time.”

Erkenbeck, 61, suffered a sightly separated shoulder, but reported for work Monday and said he felt fine, except for a sore leg. “He’s a tough ex-Marine, “ Knox said.

Erkenbeck said he had trouble remembering what happened Sunday--riding in the ambulance, talking to doctors--as well as some of what happened before the collision.

McCleskey was forced out of bounds on a return play by the Rams’ Steve Israel and ran into an unsuspecting Erkenbeck, who went down hard.

“I was looking out to see maybe where we would get the ball, “ Erkenbeck said. “I wasn’t paying attention and not being smart about things. The two players who got me were hidden, and I never saw them at all. I didn’t even have a verbal warning as to what was going to happen.”

Center Tom Newberry and offensive tackle Jackie Slater, who’s out because of a torn triceps muscle, coached the offensive line in Erkenbeck’s absence.

“I might just go up in the press box (from now on),” Erkenbeck said. “I don’t know.”

*

Game officials ejected Ram receiver Todd Kinchen and Saint safety Vince Buck for fighting in the fourth quarter, a call that angered New Orleans Coach Jim Mora and didn’t please Knox.

“I don’t think it was a big thing,” Knox said. “I think the officials should have gone over there and stopped it. I think that (call) was a reaction to what happened in the slugfest last week.”

A week earlier, Atlanta’s Rison and San Francisco’s Deion Sanders had remained in the game after trading punches.

*

Knox said the Rams need the bye week because of injuries, adding that there’s a chance defensive tackle Sean Gilbert, out two games because of sore shoulders, could come back after next week. Slater, cornerback Darryl Henley (groin pull) and special teams standout David Lang (deep thigh bruise) also are expected back.

Center Bern Brostek could get the cast off his broken right leg as soon as today, but Knox said he will be out at least two or three more weeks... MRI tests on linebacker Shane Conlan’s neck were negative, and doctors prescribed rest.