Ram Loss to Saints, Everett No Easier the Second Time : Pro football: L.A. sits in last place in NFC West after 31-15 loss to New Orleans and former quarterback.
Although John Shaw, team president, said no announcement about a possible move to St. Louis is imminent, the Rams have packed it in.
The Rams not only fell flat in losing to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, 31-15, but suffered the embarrassment of being beaten again by Jim Everett, their former quarterback, who was traded for a seventh-round pick in the 1995 draft.
“Damn right it’s (humiliating),” said Ram cornerback Darryl Henley. “The guy kicked our butt. Twice!”
Everett, 2-0 against the Rams and 3-8 vs. the rest of the NFL, returned to boos and poor field position in his first trip back to Anaheim Stadium. However, after taking possession at his own one-yard line, Everett drove the Saints the distance, capped off by the first of three touchdown runs by Mario Bates.
“We weren’t ready to play,” said Ram linebacker Roman Phifer. “We had them on the one-yard line to start the game and let them go the whole way. We didn’t play with any intensity; we let them set the tone.”
Everett went on to help the Saints to a 28-7 halftime lead before leaving because of an ankle injury in the fourth quarter.
“I was down there where the melon heads are and they always make a lot of noise,” said Everett, who completed 13 of 22 passes for 161 yards, including a 30-yard touchdown pass to Michael Haynes. “A lot of credit to the melon heads. Heck, maybe they’ll wear them in Baltimore or St. Louis, or wherever the heck they are.”
The Rams (4-9), assured of their fifth consecutive losing season, suffered their eighth consecutive loss to the Saints before 34,960, the fourth-smallest crowd at Anaheim Stadium since the Rams’ arrival in 1980.
“Maybe we can keep the streak going in St. Louis,” said Saint Coach Jim Mora.
That’s cold, as cold as the numbers documenting the Rams’ plight:
--A 15-30 record, including a 7-18 mark in the last 25 games, under Coach Chuck Knox.
--An 0-6 record this season against NFC West opponents, 2-16 during Knox’s tenure.
--A 2-7 record for quarterback Chris Miller, who was hired to replace Everett.
Miller, who completed 17 of 24 passes for 198 yards, passed for touchdowns of 24 yards to Todd Kinchen and five yards to Jerome Bettis, but for the second time this season against New Orleans, he was forced from the game because of a concussion.
The Rams’ plan, which included a proposed four-game sweep over the Saints, Tampa Bay, Chicago and Washington to finish 8-8, was sabotaged by four turnovers, including two fumbled punts by Kinchen.
“I don’t think we’re a good enough team to overcome the adversity that we have been having,” Bettis said. “I think we’re a good enough team to win, but when you lay the ball on the ground four times . . . it’s over.”
The Saints scored 24 points off Ram turnovers, and were also aided by 10 Ram penalties.
“I’ll take responsibility for it because I’m the coach,” said Knox, who called the loss the Rams’ most disappointing this season. “We had four turnovers and some penalties and other things out there that shouldn’t happen. But, that’s the game.”
Kinchen’s fumbled punt in the closing seconds of the first quarter gave the Saints the ball at the Rams’ 44-yard line, and after a 33-yard pass from Everett to Haynes, Bates opened the second quarter with an 11-yard touchdown run through the middle of the Ram defense.
The Saints, last in the league in rushing, gained 137 yards on the ground, 96 by Bates. Bates scored his third touchdown--matching his season total--later in the second quarter after a David Lang fumble at the Rams’ 15-yard line.
“Same old song,” Ram safety Anthony Newman said. “Everett had nothing to do with it. No one cares about Jim Everett. We care about ourselves and winning football games. Win or lose, Jim has nothing more to do with this team. We just didn’t do anything right today; that was it.”
The Rams tried to mount a comeback in the final two minutes of the half, but after getting to the Saints’ 40-yard line, New Orleans’ linebacker Darion Conner forced Miller to fumble.
The Saints took over at their 49 and needed only four plays and 44 seconds to score again, with Haynes beating Henley and catching a 30-yard touchdown pass from Everett.
“I just don’t know what to say anymore,” said Ram cornerback Todd Lyght. “I’ve been here four years and it’s the same thing: It’s ridiculous.”
The Saints backed off on defense in the second half and allowed Miller and his relief, Chris Chandler, to pass short and, as a result, run time off the clock. Running back Johnny Bailey, who finished with 11 catches for 116 yards, became the Ram offense and set up Miller’s touchdown pass to Bettis with 11:29 to play.
Bettis ran for the two-point conversion, and after the Saints took almost seven minutes off the clock before punting, the Rams went on the offensive once again.
Defensive end Wayne Martin breezed past rookie Ram tackle Wayne Gandy and sacked Miller, knocking him from the game with a concussion. Chandler, who was coming back from an ankle injury, got the Rams to the New Orleans one-yard line with 1:39 remaining. But on second and goal, Bettis was dropped for a one-yard loss, throwing the Rams into chaos and prompting Chandler to spike the ball to stop the clock.
Out of timeouts and now stuck on fourth down with two yards to go, Chandler called his own number on the quarterback draw, but fell inches short of scoring.
“As much as it might have looked like it, I don’t think we quit,” said Ram defensive end Fred Stokes. “It’s like a war zone with bodies everywhere and a dead feeling. The people getting shot up might look like they’ve given up, but there are still guys out there fighting on the battlefield. They might not be getting much done, but they’re still fighting.”
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Ram Attendance
The six lowest home attendance figures for the Rams at Anaheim Stadium
Att. Opp. Date 32,969 Arizona 9/4/94 34,155 Cleveland 12/26/93 34,599 Atlanta 10/2/94 34,960 N.Orleans 12/4/94 35,315 Atlanta 12/8/91 37,073 Atlanta 11/14/93
Source: Ram media guide