Rams Can’t Seem to Get Handle on Success Against Saints

It was there for the taking, and Rams defensive end Robert Young knew it. He just couldn’t reach out and grab it.

The situation: Scoreless game, New Orleans pinned at its one-yard line and Young is chasing Saints quarterback Jim Everett in the end zone.

Perfect-case scenario: Young buries Everett for a safety.

Worst-case scenario: Everett completes an 11-yard pass to Wesley Walls for a first down, keeping alive a 99-yard touchdown drive.

Sunday turned out to be a day of worst-case scenarios for the Ram defense.

Young missed the sack, Everett got the completion and his second victory this season over his former teammates as the Saints rolled to a 31-15 victory at Anaheim Stadium.

“We knew it was coming and we just couldn’t stop it,” Young said. “We knew Jim was coming with the bootleg there. He just got the ball off.”

While Everett and the Saints celebrated, the Rams were left alone in the NFC West cellar with a 4-9 record, guaranteeing them a fifth consecutive losing season.

“It reminds me of last year,” linebacker Shane Conlan said. “You can come up with a lot of excuses, but we didn’t play well. That’s the bottom line. We’ve got three games left, and we’re not going to quit.”

But have they already? The Ram defense, considered the team’s strength in September, has given up 31 points in each of the past three weeks--a 31-27 loss at San Francisco, a 31-17 loss at San Diego last week and Sunday’s 16-point loss to the Saints.

The Rams gave up 137 yards rushing to a Saint offense that’s last in the league in that department. Mario Bates, the Saints’ tailback making his fourth career start, rushed for 96 yards and three first-half touchdowns, one shy of the season scoring total for Ram tailback Jerome Bettis.

Everett was sacked only once--a nine-yard loss by Fred Stokes--and the Rams spotted the Saints a 14-point lead, as they did in a 37-34 loss at New Orleans on Oct. 23.

“I don’t even like Jim Everett,” said strong safety Marquez Pope, who was traded from San Diego to the Rams after the club sent Everett to New Orleans.

“I don’t know him and I don’t care to. And that’s not in a bad way. He’s probably happy that he got his two victories.”

Credit the Rams’ offense and special teams for setting up Everett and the Saints’ offense.

The Saints held a 28-7 halftime lead, but their average time of possession on the four touchdowns was only 1 minute 53 seconds. The Saints can thank Todd Kinchen, who fumbled away two punt returns, tailback David Lang (one fumble) and quarterback Chris Miller (one fumble) for giving them decent field position all day.

“We got our butts kicked today--offense, defense and special teams,” Ram safety Anthony Newman said. “Everything went the wrong way.”

Especially on the Saints’ 99-yard touchdown drive. Everett picked apart the Ram defense, throwing under the coverage and completing four of five passes for 49 yards. Bates finished them off with a 26-yard run around the right side.

“That was pathetic,” Newman said of the drive. “That’s terrible. That’s the worst we’ve ever played as a defense. It was just unbelievable.”

Earlier last week, Young said the key to the game would be the defense’s ability to rattle Everett, who has a reputation for being jittery in the pocket.

Young, the team leader with 6 1/2 sacks, didn’t produce a sack Sunday. But he did knock Everett out of the game briefly with an ankle injury.

“This was my worst game,” Young said. “I wasn’t making plays, missing tackles and I had a chance at the sack, and I missed it. That’s a terrible game.”

The Rams played without starting defensive tackle Jimmie Jones, who’s out because of an ankle injury. His replacement, rookie D’Marco Farr, went out with a dislocated left elbow in the first quarter. That left backup tackle David Rocker, and, at times, defensive end Gerald Robinson to replace Farr.

“We came out flat,” Young said. “You just can’t do that, and we’ve been doing that the past few weeks.”