NFL Experience Hits St. Louis
Everybody loves a winner, so it wasn’t surprising to see NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue jump on the St. Louis Ram bandwagon Sunday.
The Rams entered Week 7 as the NFL’s only unbeaten team--making it a perfect time for Tagliabue to get caught up in the spirit of St. Louis and attend his first game at the Trans World Dome.
“We are delighted to be where we are,” said Tagliabue, who wasn’t referring to the Rams’ position atop the NFC West standings. “You make your decisions as you go along.”
This is the same Paul Tagliabue who was one of the harshest critics of the Rams’ decision to move from Anaheim to St. Louis after the 1994 season.
That criticism probably didn’t stem from the fact that owner Georgia Frontiere had taken the Southern California faithful for about as much as one could be taken for in a common-law settlement.
All Tagliabue could probably think about was that Georgia had separated the Rams from the league’s No. 2 television market.
NFL owners approved the relocation to St. Louis on April 12, 1995, but the cold war was on. Tagliabue continued to distance himself from the franchise, and his testimony in an antitrust lawsuit filed by St. Louis against the NFL in 1997 made him more of an archrival.
Not embraced by Georgia and her new friends in St. Louis, Tagliabue felt it was in his best interest not to share in the NFL experience there. The fact that the Rams had become the losingest franchise of the ‘90s might have had something to do with it too.
Now that Kurt Warner has taken the NFL by barnstorm, it’s OK for the NFL commissioner to be seen--and unfortunately heard--in St. Louis.
“I get to about eight or nine games a year in cities other than New York,” said Tagliabue, who might want to back out of commitments to any of the remaining five games for the 1-6 and last-place Jets at the Meadowlands. “You try to pick a city where you can have a positive experience and have some fun.”
Tagliabue can certainly pick ‘em. The Rams’ opponent Sunday was the winless Cleveland Browns. It was a game everybody knew the Rams would win hands down except Brown receiver Kevin Johnson.
And a good time was reportedly had by all in the commissioner’s entourage, though it is not known if Tagliabue took glamour shots with Georgia after the game.
BY GEORGE, THEY’RE BACK
Before the Minnesota Vikings could drop the Chalupas on their season, Coach Dennis Green called in for some backup.
Jeff George, Leroy Hoard, Matthew Hatchette, Andrew Jordan and Moe Williams--each a backup at his respective position in Minnesota’s aye-Chihuahua 2-4 start--all responded at the Metrodome, accounting in some way for the Vikings’ five touchdowns that made make it a No Moss contest with the San Francisco 49ers, 40-16.
The Vikings, who scored an NFL-record 630 points and weren’t held below 24 in a game in going 15-1 last season, scored more than 24 in a game for the first time to begin salvaging this season.
Having the biggest hand in the healing of the Viking offense was revivalist George, a talented quarterback whose definition of comeback has always been different from that of John Elway or Dan Marino.
George has bounced all over the NFL, from Indianapolis to Atlanta to Oakland, letting the door hit him on the way out at each stop. But when last year’s Viking savior Randall Cunningham lost faith in his ability, George became a reborn starting quarterback.
George, in contrast to Cunningham’s toss-it-up-for-a-jump-ball technique, fired darts all over the field to his receivers--three of which were bull’s eyes for touchdowns.
George did have a couple transgressions. He had a pass intercepted in the end zone and didn’t try to chase down Darnell Walker on his long touchdown return of Hoard fumble.
But a 40-16 victory can go a long way toward helping people forgive and forget.
“That was the offense we’ve been looking for the whole year,” Viking owner Red McCombs said.
Randy Moss had a devil of a time getting open because of being double and triple-teamed, but he agreed with the owner.
“I’d say that the fire is back.”
BACKS TO THE WALL
The Vikings’ thundering Hoard had 105 yards and a touchdown in 17 carries as a replacement for Robert Smith, one of six team-leading rushers to suffer injuries that will sideline them for the season.
Other lead running backs to fall by the wayside before Week 7 were Atlanta’s Jamal Anderson, Kansas City’s Kimble Anders, the New York Giants’ Gary Brown and Denver’s Terrell Davis--making those soup commercials not-so mmmm-mmmm good.
Anders was the first to exit, suffering a torn Achilles’ tendon while rushing for a career-high 142 yards in Week 2.
The next night, Anderson became an apparent artificial turf victim, suffering a torn ACL while making a cut--and without being hit--at Texas Stadium.
Davis’ injury--also a torn ACL--occurred on the grass of Mile High Stadium when he tried to make a tackle following an interception.
Smith broke new ground in NFL terminology, having to undergo surgery for what was described as a “sports” hernia this week.
Brown suffered a cartilage damage in his left knee in practice last week. He had already been sidelined the first three games with knee trouble and an injury (buttocks) that curiously only the Giants seem to list among NFL teams. The Giants listed Tyrone Wheatley with the same injury a few years ago.
In fact, Wheatley--now the leading rusher for the Oakland Raiders--was one of eight running backs to leave Week 7 games with injuries, being carted off to the locker room with a back problem. Others were New England’s Terry Allen (concussion), Carolina’s Tim Biakabutuka (ankle), Cincinnati’s Corey Dillon (cut arm), St. Louis’ Marshall Faulk (food poisoning) and Robert Holcombe (hamstring), San Diego’s Natrone Means (knee), and Detroit’s Ron Rivers (ankle).
Rivers’ injury was the most serious, a broken ankle that will sideline him for the season. Rivers became the Lions’ lead back when Barry Sanders took early retirement. Greg Hill had 70 yards rushing and Sedrick Irvin ran for a touchdown after Rivers was injured as the surprising Lions continued their roaring start (4-2) with a 24-9 victory over Carolina.
“We’ve been down this road before,” said offensive tackle Ray Roberts, “We’ll just plug Greg Hill and Sedrick Irvin in there and keep on truckin’. We’ll be OK.”
SUPER EXPECTATIONS NOW
The Tennessee Titans have changed cities and nicknames, home stadiums--four in as many years--and maybe a penchant for mediocrity.
The team formerly known as the Houston Oilers has traveled the middle of the road to 8-8 records the last three seasons--two while based in Tennessee. With the new Titan nickname has come a 5-1 record, but there is still confusion surrounding the team.
Fans held “Drill the Oilers” signs when the Titans played at San Francisco Oct. 3. Tennessee Coach Jeff Fisher has been called Jeff George and Steve Fisher by television announcers this year.
“We’re probably the most unknown 5-1 team in the NFL,” said Tennessee quarterback Steve McNair, whose playing status is still unknown as he recovers from back surgery he had after Week 1.
That could change next Sunday when the Titans, coming off an open date, play the Rams at Nashville--not Memphis--in what’s considered, gulp, a possible Super Bowl preview.
Hey, maybe Paul Tagliabue might want to show up at the game and practice his Vince Lombardi Trophy presentation.
--Compiled by Jim Rhode