Preseason Game #3: DALLAS 8/22/98

Last Game

Well, there were a number of obstacles that hampered my spectatorship of this game... so this rundown will be shorter and alot less detailed than what I'm usually able to turn out. I was very low, only a couple of rows back from the field so I didn't have a very good vantage point from which to observe the players and the mechanics of the different units. It probably didn't help that I consumed entirely too many beverages with my pals from our tailgate prior to the game... but we WON and I had a good time! Here's what I saw... Obviously the defense has alot of work to do. Dexter McCleon got taken to school by Micheal Irvin in the first half. After the SD game, the Rams DBack coach mentioned that Dexter hadn't done nearly as poorly as it appeared, that he was supposed to have help that he didn't get. Well where's the help? Three weeks into the season and this defense is a complete mystery to Rams fans. We knew all offseason that we were going to have a hard time getting pressure on the quarterback. We knew that Grant Wistrom would have to mature quickly as a pass rusher, Kevin Carter would have to play like an All-Pro, and Giunta and Bunting would have to once again resort to ALOT of trickery and creative blitzing schemes in order to improve upon the Rams sack total which was 5th worst in the NFL a year ago. Here then is the mystery... Have we seen the REAL Rams defense in these first three games? There has been very few blitzes and very little help side coverage... and we've been burned. Will this defense really be this porous? Can Giunta and Bunting run Carson's schemes successfully in his absence or was Bud himself that important? Well I just don't know. If the defense isn't intentionally, then we may be in trouble. We need to get McNeil signed or else make a committment to giving Dexter coverage support, because Lyght is solid on the other side. Emmitt Smith also was very successful running in the first half against a run defense that had been previously impressive against San Diego and Denver. The Rams did play the run well on 3rd and short yardage scenarios, but Emmitt ran for over 100 yards on 12 carries in the first half... that is unacceptable. On offense, things were quite a bit brighter. Tony Banks got off to a slow start once again and it appears that may be a quality we have to learn to live with. It took Tony a few series to get into the flow after a dismal start, but in the second and thrid quarters, he played VERY well. Just how well was obscured by a number of dropped passes including two by the usually surehanded Ricky Proehl, but Banks did engineer two long scoring drives right before and after the half. Tony played with alot of heart contrary to some of the stereotypes about his being too "laid back". He finnished off his first scoring drive with a 5 yard touchdown run up the middle in which he dove head first over the pile into the endzone. The offensive line was solid once again as well. John Flannery replaced Mike Gruttadauria as the starting center and these guys didn't miss a beat. They are without a doubt the most improved unit on the team and they have failed to give up a single sack thusfar in 3 preseason games. The running attack sputtered early on with Jerald Moore at tailback, but reached its culmination in the second half with rookie Robert Holcombe in the backfield. Robert shined once again in his second outing and folks I think we've found our starting tailback. "Hoss" reeled off a 52 yard gallop on just his second play in the game and capped off the drive with a 4 yard TD run up the middle. Robert once again demonstrated his good hands, catching the ball out of the backfield as well. Once again, it wasn't pretty from a defensive perspective, but it was obvious that Dallas' vaunted "triplets", Aikman, Irvin, and Smith, have more gas left in the tank than was previously thought. On a final bright note, the Rams bench once again dominated the second half. In all three preseason games thusfar, the Rams' first teams have yet to gel the way they can, but it is evident that we are a much deeper team than last year, and our second and third teams have dominated. Up Next: at Kansas City Peace, FastEddie HOME