Rams News

Fragile Rams need Dallas to give them a dose of confidence

08/20/98

By Jeff Gordon
Of the Post-Dispatch Staff

``You don't want your players to start thinking that nothing is going right. I hope that's not the case now.''
That was first-year Dallas Cowboys coach Chan Gailey talking to reporters this week, not Rams czar Dick Vermeil. But our Male Sheep face the same plight as America's (Crumbling) Team.
The Rams need to build some positive karma, and quickly.
They must make some real progress against the Cowboys on Saturday night. How can they find a collective sense of purpose while continuing to scramble?
How can they gain confidence in themselves and their coach?
The preseason may be meaningless to the good teams, but fragile teams such as the Rams need crisp workouts to build strength.
Our horned heroes have looked hapless. They were not sharp in their scrimmage against Indianapolis. They did little at home against the Denver Broncos. Their first half at San Diego was a travesty.
Now the Cowboys wobble into town and the Rams must give some indication they are not going to finish the season 2-14, as Sports Illustrated suggests.
The Rams have a young and unproven offense. The line possesses great promise but little experience. Greg Hill and rookie Robert Holcombe have brought some life to the backfield, but they're still learning the offense.
Fullback Ironhead Heyward has been Zestfully absent from camp, due to his hurt feelings and excessive weight. Wide receiver Eddie Kennison has spent more time in the Twilight Zone than the end zone since his dazzling rookie season.
And then there is Tony Banks.
By all accounts, the third-year quarterback worked hard in the offseason, looked sharp in preseason drills, raved about his newfound comfort level with the Rams system . . . but still proved ineffective in his brief preseason stints.
He must get a handle on the new short passing game, adapt to the new shotgun formation and get in sync with new backs.
Giving him just eight snaps in San Diego was ludicrous. This guy is not Steve Young or Brett Favre, stalwarts who can scrape off a little rust in the preseason and then retreat to the safety of the bench.
Eight snaps? Maybe Vermeil should have just given Banks that Saturday off in San Diego, freeing him to roam his hometown beach rather than waste a whole workday on five passes.
He needs work. Vermeil wisely changed his plans for the Cowboys game, deciding to start Banks with the first unit and leave him in for a half or more.
If Banks struggles, Coach V should leave him in for four quarters and beyond. That first offensive unit should stay on the field and work against the stadium cleaners, if necessary, to build some timing and momentum.
This is not an offense that needs fine tuning. This is an offense that needs to prove it can actually score points. Few of these guys have sustained a high level of NFL play.
Banks can throw the deep ball with touch. He's big and durable, yet reasonably mobile, too. He has better tools than the bulk of quarterbacks fighting for NFL work.
Then again, Rick Mirer has great tools, too. So did Heath Shuler, Browning Nagle and Andre Ware -- and they proved useless in games.
Banks has to start driving the offense like he drives the back roads of Illinois, with urgency.
A nice game against Dallas wouldn't guarantee him success in the real season, but another messy performance could make his life a whole lot more difficult.
We loathe to hype preseason football. The NFL charges premium prices for pretend games. But Saturday night offers big implications.
What if the Rams stink again? Their quiet grumbling could turn into noisy bellyaching.
What if the Rams shine? This assortment of individual talents could feel a whole lot more like a team.
As Gailey said earlier this week, ``Anybody that's a competitor and wants to do well wants to win, and we're not right now, and they are hurting in that respect.''

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