Robinson: ‘Six-and-Oh Ain’t Bad’. . . John, It’s Simply Amazin’
TAMPA, Fla. — Eleven penalties, four fumbles and one interception later, the Rams remain undefeated in this, their season of . . . AMAZING STORIES!
The latest episode unfolded Sunday, as the Rams not only overcame the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 31-27, but also sidestepped a variety of self-inflicted gunshot wounds and fluttering yellow flags.
Luckily for the Rams, Tampa Bay quarterback Steve DeBerg was available to throw four interceptions, two of which were returned by the Los Angeles defense for second-half touchdowns. And good thing this was the winless Buccaneers and not, say, next Sunday’s opponent, the Kansas City Chiefs.
“We know that we’ve played poorly two weeks in a row,” said cornerback LeRoy Irvin, who accounted for the game-winning score by escorting an errant DeBerg pass 34 yards to the end zone. “We’ve just escaped by the chin of our chinny, chin, chin. But we’re 6-0 and that’s all that counts.”
Yes, when the Rams glance proudly at the NFC West standings today, they’ll see themselves the sole tenants of first place. But when the film rolls at Rams Park later in the day and the game’s events are shown, they’ll remember the following notices:
“I’m mystified.”--Eric Dickerson, running back.
“We just didn’t execute.”--Jackie Slater, offensive tackle.
“I thought we were going to drown in our mistakes.”--John Robinson, coach.
Robinson, by the way, was the guy wearing the blue hat and the red face Sunday as he uncharacteristically lost control of himself following another Ram penalty in the first half.
He retired to the dressing room to discover the Buccaneers ahead 20-14 and the Rams responsible, in part, for each of Tampa Bay’s points. The Rams had committed eight penalties by then, lost three fumbles and spent much of the first 30 minutes sending hate mail to NFL referee Ben Dreith and his flag-happy crew. Dreith’s boys may become the first officials to have to ice down their arms after a game.
“They made one good call,” Dickerson said.
Not so, said linebacker Mel Owens, who kept one Tampa Bay drive going with a holding indiscretion and two others alive by colliding with DeBerg following pass attempts.
“The first one maybe was a legitimate call,” said Owens of his initial roughing penalty. “The second one I just pushed him on the chest. The ref said I hit him on the head, which clearly I didn’t.”
Said Kent Hill, an offensive tackle who received a penalty for holding: “I was. That was right.”
Owens managed to disregard the mistakes. He didn’t argue with the officials following the calls and later recorded a sack.
“What am I going to do--act a fool?” Owens said. “He’s not going to pick up the flag and say, ‘I made a mistake.’ ”
Other participants weren’t as understanding. There was Robinson’s brief tirade and a dramatic exhibition by special teams member Norwood Vann following an apparent downed Los Angeles punt at the Tampa Bay 1. (A replay showed a ruled touchback correct.)
Robinson addressed the Rams at halftime and told them he, too, had overreacted to the many flags. Calm down, he asked. Be patient, he said.
With this in hand, the Rams used the second play of the second half to commit another holding penalty.
“Hey, this was a perfect day for an upset,” defensive end Gary Jeter said. “We were 5-0 and they were 0-5. They were playing at home. It was hot. Things were not going our way. There was no question things were not going our way. But this team is resilient. They hang in there. I think that’s why we’re 6-0: we never lose sight of what we come to do.”
Not that they didn’t try. Besides the double-digit penalties, the Rams offense continued to struggle for yards and points. Dickerson gained 75 yards, but each of his 25 attempts brought punishment. His longest gain was 13 yards.
Quarterback Dieter Brock looked fine at times--16 of 23, 195 yards, 1 touchdown pass. On other occasions, he stood all but still as the Buccaneers burst through an offensive line that finds itself learning each other’s names. Injuries have left guards Dennis Harrah and Russ Bolinger and tackle Bill Bain on the sidelines. To celebrate their absence, Tampa Bay recorded seven sacks.
“No tricks, nothing unexpected,” said Slater of the Buccaneers’ rush. “They did a hell of a job. Simple as that.”
The woes of the Ram offense isn’t as uncomplicated.
“I don’t think anybody can put their finger on it,” said Dickerson, who finds himself questioned repeatedly about his health and stamina. “We just cannot get it together.”
Said receiver Henry Ellard: “We have a vanilla offense--we don’t do nothing spectacular, but we get the job done.”
And the Ram defense?
“Rainbow sherbet,” he said.
Despite the difficulties, the Rams are undefeated, a fact not lost on Robinson who made a single detour as he left the Tampa Stadium locker room Sunday.
“It will happen,” said Robinson to Dickerson. “Be patient. Six-and-oh ain’t bad.”
No it isn’t, allowed Dickerson.
However amazing the circumstances.
