Rams clear things up with Eric Dickerson, but he still won’t be going to games

Eric Dickerson reversed field on one element of controversy, but the NFL Hall of Fame running back remained steadfast about another Friday as the Rams departed for Sunday’s game at New England.

After a meeting Thursday with Kevin Demoff, Dickerson said he no longer holds the Rams’ chief executive officer and vice president for football operations responsible for the phone call that led to the tempest that has rocked the franchise.

But Dickerson reiterated that he would not attend Rams games as long as Jeff Fisher is the coach.

“I’m a man of my word,” Dickerson said during a phone interview. “I said I’m not coming. I’m never coming as long as he is there.”

Dickerson and his former team have been at odds since Monday over a situation that began with Dickerson’s request for sideline passes for friends to the Rams’ Nov. 20 game against Miami at the Coliseum.

Dickerson, who has been publicly critical of the Rams this season, said Fisher had called him a few days before the game to say he was not welcome on the sideline because he made players and coaches uncomfortable.

Fisher has said Dickerson could not simultaneously criticize the Rams publicly and expect to receive special favors such as sideline passes. He said he received a text from Dickerson after their conversation that indicated he and Dickerson had patched up the disagreement.

This week’s back and forth put the Rams in the league spotlight despite their 4-7 record heading into Sunday’s game against the 9-2 Patriots at Gillette Stadium.

Dickerson said earlier in the week that Demoff was behind the decision to ban him from the sideline.

“Very disappointed in Kevin Demoff,” Dickerson said Wednesday on ESPN’s “SportsCenter.” “I told Jeff Fisher this at the beginning, I said ‘This didn’t come from you, this came from Kevin Demoff.’ And he started laughing. So I said that’s how I feel about this whole situation.”

Demoff met with Dickerson on Thursday.

“We talked for almost three hours, trying to resolve things,” Dickerson said Friday on “SportsCenter,” adding, “The conversation went well. I think we got some things resolved. He said, ‘You’re always part of the organization.’ ”

Later, during a phone interview with the Times, Dickerson said, “We just talked. We both had a glass of wine and water over those three hours.”

Demoff confirmed there was meeting but he declined to comment.

Nothing personal?

Gregg Williams, the Rams’ defensive coordinator, spoke with reporters for the first time since last week’s 49-21 drubbing by the New Orleans Saints.

Saints Coach Sean Payton punctuated his team’s lopsided victory by calling for a trick play that resulted in a 50-yard touchdown pass from receiver Willie Snead to running back Tim Hightower.

Fisher confirmed this week that there was “motivation” between Payton and Williams, who coached together with the Saints from 2009-11. Williams was suspended from the NFL for a year and Payton was suspended without pay for a year in the aftermath of the Bountygate scandal.

Williams said Friday that Payton was “one of the best coaches” in the NFL.

Asked if he took the trick play personally, Williams said, “We all enjoy the competition. I enjoy the competition,” adding, “It happened to be the right play at the right time, with the right mistake on our side.”

Gearing up

Running back Todd Gurley will play against the Patriots for the first time.

“Everybody knows what they’ve done,” he said. “They’ve done a great job over there, always winning every year.”

Gurley rushed for 50 yards in 13 carries last week at New Orleans. He is averaging 58 yards per game and has yet to eclipse 100 in any single game.

Gurley has been playing through a thigh issue, which could be exacerbated by temperatures that are expected to be in the ’30s or ’40s.

“It just depends, once you get the adrenaline going,” he said of warming up. “It’s at the point of the season where everybody has something. I’m not the only one in the league limping around, there’s always something.”

Quick hits

Receiver Tavon Austin (chest) did not practice all week and is listed as doubtful. Defensive end Robert Quinn (concussion protocol) is listed as questionable …. The Rams practiced Friday in chilly and windy conditions. Fisher, of course, wore shorts but was happy the players got work in the weather. “I’ve been [in Foxborough, Mass.] when the forecast was 50s and we had 6 inches of snow,” Fisher said. “[Practice] was good — it was good from a wind standpoint; just concentration. If you’ve ever had a helmet on when the wind is blowing, it’s hard to hear. It was good exercise for us.”

gary.klein@latimes.com

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sam.farmer@latimes.com

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