Rams News

Denver's backup quarterbacks
have their way with the Rams
08/08 11:24 PM

By Jim Thomas
Of the Post-Dispatch

The Denver Broncos didn't need John Elway on Saturday night. The Rams could have used him.
Getting more than 300 yards passing from journeyman Bubby Brister and rookie Brian Griese, the defending Super Bowl champions defeated the Rams 20-13 in the preseason opener for both teams.
Elway, who didn't make the trip because his wife was having surgery, was one of 10 starters to sit this one out -- five per team. Denver didn't miss him. Brister completed 13 of 22 passes for 181 yards in the first half. Griese chipped in with a 10-for-15 performance in the second half for 123 yards, giving Denver quarterbacks a 62 percent completion rate for the evening. Six of those passes went for 18 or more yards.
``I was disappointed in our third-down defense,'' Rams coach Dick Vermeil said. ``I was expecting it to be much better because we've spent so much time on it.''
Denver converted on 10 of 16 third-down plays against the Rams defense. Nevertheless, the Rams still had a chance to tie the game with 5 minutes to play, but quarterback Kurt Warner fumbled on a third-and-7 play at the Denver 18. Former Ram Ernest Jones recovered for Denver with 4 minutes 46 seconds to play and the Broncos were able to run out the clock.
Despite the porous pass defense and the lack of a pass rush, there were some bright spots for the Rams, who played considerably better than their preseason opener of a year ago in Minnesota.
Their run defense was downright stingy, limiting Super Bowl MVP Terrell Davis to 14 yards on five carries. Overall, the Broncos were limited to 2.7 yards a carry on the ground, gaining 93 yards on 35 carries. St. Louis recovered three Denver fumbles, all on running plays.
On offense, newcomer Greg Hill provided a spark with 56 yards on seven carries, including a 3-yard touchdown run in the third quarter for the Rams' only TD.
``There's no question he had speed, and that's a plus,'' Vermeil said of Hill. ``I think he's going to be a competitive guy to make this football team.''
Vermeil pointed out that Hill did his damage after the Broncos began filtering in their reserves in the second quarter.
The Rams may not have been in midseason form, but their fans were. It took only 2 minutes 54 seconds for the crowd of about 55,000 at the Trans World Dome to register their first boos of the season. The jeers came when Charlie Clemons was flagged for a false start on a Rams punt, which at that point made it two penalties in three plays.
There were louder boos for Tony Banks later in the half. Scrambling on a second and 10 from the St. Louis 32 late in the first half, Banks had room to run or throw to an open receiver down the sideline. Instead he threw a line drive right at Broncos defensive back Darrius Johnson.
Banks completed seven of 13 passes for 45 yards, with his 54 percent completion rate falling short of the 60 percent goal set by Vermeil. None of the completions was good for more than 12 yards. Twice Banks had opportunities for big gains to tight end Ernie Conwell, but he overthrew him once and threw a little behind him on another -- with both passes falling incomplete.
``I'd say it was a very average performance for a guy going into his third year,'' Vermeil said. ``Tony's going to have to play better than that. The interception -- you're going to have to do better than that if you're going to win games.''
So yes, the Rams struggled offensively in the early going. They went without a first down until Banks threw an 11-yard pass to Ricky Proehl with 13 minutes 50 seconds remaining in the second quarter. By that time, the Broncos had a 10-0 lead on a Jason Elam field goal and a 26-yard touchdown pass from Brister to tight end Dwayne Carswell.
After the Banks-to-Proehl connection, Hill took over. The former Kansas City Chief burst up the middle on the next play, then cut back to his left for a 31-yard gain to the Denver 24. The Rams' longest running play in 1997 -- preseason or regular season -- was 28 yards by Lawrence Phillips in a Sept. 7 game against San Francisco.
On the next play, Hill bounced outside to the left for 12 yards to the Denver 12. The drive stalled at the 6, so the Rams settled for a 26-yard field goal by Jeff Wilkins.
The Rams got the ball back two plays later when Jeff Zgonina recovered a Derek Loville fumble on the Denver 36. It was the first of two fumble recoveries for Zgonina, a backup defensive tackle. Despite a 10-yard holding penalty against offensive guard Fred Miller, the Rams were able to squeeze out a 48-yard field goal by Wilkins with 7:31 to play in the first half. The Broncos tacked on another Elam field goal late in the quarter for a 13-6 halftime lead.
Hill scored on a 3-yard run with 6:27 to play in the third quarter to tie the game 13-13. But the Broncos responded with an 80-yard march behind rookie quarterback Griese on their next possession.
Former University of Missouri wide receiver Byron Chamberlain, now a Broncos backup tight end, caught passes of 29 and 15 yards on the drive. The winning score came on a 6-yard pass from Griese to fullback Detron Smith, who broke tackles by Rams defensive backs Kadar Hamilton and Willie Clark en route to the end zone.

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