In the Battle of L.A., Result Is Everything : Pro football: Rams and Raiders both desperate for a victory today at Anaheim Stadium.
They don’t figure to meet in Super Bowl XXIX, and who knows what their home addresses will be a year from now, so this might be the last local hurrah for the Rams and Raiders today in Anaheim Stadium.
The battle for L.A., while bringing together a capacity crowd and a tripled security force, has failed to move the participants.
“To me, it’s no special deal,” said Raider Coach Art Shell. “They just happen to be in the same area we are in and we both need the game.”
Likewise, said Ram tight end Troy Drayton. “Being 5-5 after this game means more to me than any battle of L.A.”
Although the combatants do not appear interested in hometown bragging rights, this will not be just another football game.
“We need this bad,” Shell said.
The winner today moves to 5-5 with talk of the playoffs dominating postgame interviews, while the loser is buried at 4-6.
“The team that wins this game may go on to do some bigger and better things,” said Ram safety Anthony Newman. “The loser is going to have to do some serious soul searching.”
The Raiders are coming off a 13-3 loss to Kansas City and a week of grousing about quarterback Jeff Hostetler’s penchant for throwing only to wide receiver Tim Brown.
The Rams are still giddy from defeating the Denver Broncos, 27-21, and seem intent on posting their first two-game winning streak since October of 1991.
“More or less, for them they are disappointed where they are because of the high expectations they had before the season began,” said Wayne Sevier, Ram special teams coach. “We are in a situation where there are some people who didn’t think we’d be 4-5 at this point. And yet I think we’re better than that.
“It’s like teams with completely different psyches coming from different ends of the spectrum. I think it’s a very interesting matchup, a matchup that would have a lot more interest if it wasn’t for Dallas and San Francisco playing up the road.”
The Raiders defeated the Rams in an exhibition game, 29-20, but that was when all was right with the Raiders, who were supposedly Super Bowl-bound. When the games began to count, Hostetler faltered and the opposition’s counterpart flourished. The Raiders had no running game to take the heat off Hostetler and could not protect him along the offensive line, while the Raider defense failed to muster a pass rush.
Hostetler and Shell exchanged on-camera unpleasantries a few weeks ago and dominated Sunday night highlight shows, but all appeared forgotten after two consecutive victories until last week’s offensive debacle in Kansas City.
“Tim Brown’s their offense,” said Ram cornerback Darryl Henley. “You can see that on film. I’m sure they’re thinking this week they have to get the ball to different people, but when the game’s on the line, they’re going to go to Tim Brown.”
The Raiders’ reliance on Brown and running back Harvey Williams in recent weeks has left speedy wide receivers Rocket Ismail, Alexander Wright and James Jett speechless. The trio, who accounted for 86 catches and 1,586 yards a year ago, declined to talk with reporters this week about their 28 catches and 431 yards.
“For whatever reason, we’re just not getting it done in the passing game the way it should be,” Shell said. “But there are some things we’re working on to try and make that better. Hopefully this week, we’ll be able to snap out of it and get more people involved.”
The Rams, meanwhile, have their own second-guessing going on. Drayton and cornerback Todd Lyght suggested last week that there were other qualified offensive players on the payroll besides running back Jerome Bettis.
Bettis leads the league with 233 carries, and has averaged 3.5 yards a carry in gaining 814 yards. He will continue to get the ball, but quarterback Chris Chandler, who will start again in place of Chris Miller, is also expected to go looking for Drayton and wide receiver Flipper Anderson.
The Raiders will be without starting cornerback Albert Lewis and starting strong safety Derrick Hoskins, and will once again play without starting tackle Gerald Perry. All are injured. The Rams, who already have a reshuffled offensive line, will be without injured starting guard Leo Goeas and will use running back David Lang in place of an injured Johnny Bailey on third-down plays.
“I’m excited about the fact this is a big game,” said Ram tackle Jackie Slater, who has played in six of the seven games in this series. “Our team is young and they have a lot of guys on their team who have played in big-game settings against teams with a lot of other veterans.
“I hope this experience wets the whistle of our young guys. Nothing better could happen for the Rams than to beat a well-coached, highly talented team in a big-game setting. That would be very, very good for us.”
Ram-Raider Notes
Tyrone Montgomery, the Raider starting tailback for the first six games, was not activated for today’s game. His place as Harvey Williams’ backup has been taken by rookie Calvin Jones. . . . Raider defensive lineman Willie Broughton, who has not played this season because of injury, was waived. Safety Cary Brabham was elevated from the practice squad.
