Bill Bain, Replaced by Irv Pankey, Calls It Smart Move by the Rams

Bill Bain, who received some All-Pro recognition last season, has been replaced by Irv Pankey at left offensive tackle for the Rams--and Bain endorsed the move Wednesday.

“It’s a smart thing the coaches have done because I really haven’t displayed that I can play without getting hurt, (and) Pankey’s playing super,” he said.

Coach John Robinson started Pankey last Sunday to see how he would do against Leonard Marshall, the New York Giants’ National Football League sack leader. Hudson Houck, the offensive line coach, suggested that Pankey was handling Marshall well enough to leave him in.

Pankey, a second-round draft choice from Penn State in 1980, was the starter until he tore an Achilles’ tendon before the ’83 season. Bain took over and had been the starter ever since.

Bain said: “With my previous experience of backing up, we can have a good offensive team with these guys starting, and if somebody gets hurt, I can come in without hesitation.

“The bottom line is to win. My ego is in the won-and-lost column.”