Rams News

Good showings muddle choices for feature back
08/20 11:23 PM

By Jim Thomas
Of the Post-Dispatch Staff

Here we are, a mere 16 days from the regular season, and Wilbert Montgomery has no clue. He has no idea who his feature back will be on opening day against New Orleans.
Will it be Mr. Outside, Greg Hill?
Mr. Inside, Jerald Moore?
Or do we look behind Door No. 3, for rookie Robert Holcombe?
Who will it be?
``Right now, it's hard to say,'' said Montgomery, the Rams' running backs coach. ``This is a numbers game, and there are going to be some tough decisions.''
Entering training camp, coach Dick Vermeil said the job was Moore's to lose. Moore, after all, had been the starter the last five games of the '97 season after the release of Lawrence Phillips, and performed surprisingly well with 113-and 92-yard games.
But Moore was sidelined nearly two weeks in training camp with a bruised shoulder. The injury earned him a berth in Vermeil's doghouse, because he thought Moore should be on the practice field in Macomb, Ill., instead of in the whirlpool.
Then Moore redeemed himself with some tough inside running last week against San Diego in his preseason debut.
``I saw him in five games last year,'' Montgomery said. ``I have a better idea of what Jerald is about, and what he can bring to the table. Jerald is basically a hard runner. He's a bowling ball.
``The other thing about Jerald -- he's a smart back. He has always been able to put himself in the right place and pick up things. You don't worry about mistakes when he's in a ballgame.''
Holcombe was expected to challenge for the job but also missed about two weeks -- first with a sore Achilles' tendon, and then a sore hamstring. Like Moore, Holcombe made his preseason debut against San Diego and was impressive beyond his modest rushing totals (six carries, 18 yards).
``You could see that he got his legs back, and he's moving a lot quicker,'' Montgomery said. ``He played quite well and ran very hard.''
Hill wouldn't even be on the roster were it not for the injuries to Moore, Holcombe and David Thompson (thigh). He wasn't signed until Aug. 4, when Vermeil got tired of not having enough healthy backs to even conduct a practice.
Hill showed he was anything but a camp body, however, with a scintillating seven carries for 56 yards in the Rams' preseason opener against Denver. He also had an 18-yard gain in that game wiped out by a penalty.
``He had a tremendous game,'' Montgomery said. ``He did some things that we hadn't seen a Rams running back do in quite some time because he has that outside speed.''
The quick splash by Hill totally muddied the waters at running back. In the process, hard-working June Henley, and little David Thompson have been placed squarely on the bubble. Thompson, who led the team in kickoff returns last season, has yet to carry from scrimmage or return a kick because of his thigh injury. (Technically, it was a quadriceps muscle.)
Moore, Hill and Holcombe should make the team. Ditto for pass-catching specialist Amp Lee and starting fullback Derrick Harris. That's five running back spots -- and there is a chance the Rams will keep only five. But they began the '97 season with six running backs. So it could come down to Henley, who started the Rams' first two preseason games this month, or Thompson, the team's '97 rookie of the year, for spot No. 6.
``This is the week for (Thompson) to get the opportunity to get in there and show us what he can do in a competitive situation,'' Montgomery said.
The Rams plan to start Moore on Saturday against Dallas and then get Thompson into the game next for a few carries.
It appears that fifth-round draft pick Raymond Priester will have a hard time making the squad. He was a halfback in college, but the Rams want to make him a fullback. Because of all the injuries at halfback, Priester was pressed into service there during camp, taking valuable time away from his quest to learn the fullback position.
``He's not an explosive guy, but he is a good running back,'' Montgomery said. ``He's a north-south runner. He's got good feet, he has good vision, he's got good balance. The thing is, when we're as deep at (halfback) as we are, it kind of puts him on the outside. He's hoping, and we're hoping, that he can make tremendous strides at (fullback).''
With the first roster cutdown on Tuesday, better now than later.

Running backs
> Running backs in camp: 9.
> Expected to make final roster: 5 or 6.
> Safe and sound: Derrick Harris, Greg Hill, Robert Holcombe, Amp Lee, Jerald Moore.
> On the bubble: June Henley, David Thompson.
> Probably not: Raymond Priester, James Stewart.
> Did not report: Craig ``Ironhead'' Heyward.

The roster must be trimmed to 60 players by Tuesday and to 53 players by Aug. 30.

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