Rams News


St. Louis Rams
Team Report posted August 24, 1998
by tsn correspondent JIM THOMAS - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

One of the tightest battles of the preseason took another twist last week, when center Mike Gruttadauria needed arthroscopic knee surgery to repair a cartilage and remove a cyst.

Gruttadauria had played pretty well in the team's first two preseason games, and was holding off a challenge by veteran John Flannery, a free-agent pickup from Dallas in the offseason. But now Gruttaduaria will be out for two to four weeks, which has given Flannery two preseason games, and perhaps a regular-season game or two, to stake a claim on the job.

Dallas wasn't very interested in re-signing Flannery, but he spent most of last season playing guard for the Cowboys. Once a second-round draft pick, Flannery's career has been sidetracked by two major knee injuries. Center is his natural position, allowing him to make better use of his quickness and instinctiveness. But like Gruttadauria, Flannery isn't going to overpower you. . . .

AWOL fullback Craig "Ironhead" Heyward made headlines last week when he asked to be released and criticized head coach Dick Vermeil for his tough practice regimen and his fat jokes. But Vermeil says the Rams won't even consider releasing him until he reports to Rams Park. The Rams have talked to a couple of clubs, San Diego and Cincinnati, about trading Heyward, but without much interest. . . .

As long as Ryan McNeil continues his holdout, Dexter McCleon is the team's starting right cornerback. After an impressive outing in the preseason opener against Denver, McCleon has gotten burned against San Diego and Dallas. But with the McNeil talks nowhere close to a resolution, the Rams are prepared to sink or swim with McCleon.

"He'll get better," Vermeil said. "Last year at this time, they were running right by Ryan McNeil. In fact, they did it a number of times. Dexter needs to play under fire and have the great receivers attack him. And then line up and play again. That's how you become a good corner."

Michael Irvin tied McCleon in knots in Saturday's preseason game, getting most of his six catches for 100 yards against McCleon. As McNeil continues to resist playing for the team's franchise player tender offer, the Rams can be prepared to see opposing teams zero in on McCleon once the regular season begins.

INJURY ANALYSIS

The most serious injury coming out of the Dallas game was a thumb injury to tight end Mitch Jacoby that may require surgery. This affects the Rams at two positions, because Jacoby also plays the team's H-back position, which basically means he's the backup fullback to Derrick Harris. Harris, by the way, suffered a strained thigh against the Cowboys and kept playing.

Scratched for the Dallas game because of injuries were center Mike Gruttaduaria (knee), running back Amp Lee (foot), safety Gerald McBurrows (hip), tackle Roger Chanoine (ankle) and linebackers Daryl Bush (knee) and Mudianvita Kazadi (biceps). Bush and Kazadi figure to be sidelined for a while -- Kazadi may need surgery. But neither player may make the final 53-man roster anyway, so they could be headed for either a release/injury settlement or a spot on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list.

Lee probably would have played were it a regular-season game. But the Rams wanted to get a look at David Thompson in both regular down-and-distance situations as well as a Lee-type third down role.

POSITIONAL ANALYSIS

Offensive line: The first unit continues to show signs of improvement, particularly in pass blocking. The Rams have yet to yield a sack with Tony Banks in at quarterback, a stretch that includes 38 passes over three games. Banks did have to scramble around more than usual against Dallas to avoid the rush, but hasn't been hit much in August. Their run blocking still needs work, with most of the Rams damage Saturday done by the second unit. There, backup Ethan Brooks continues to impress the staff at tackle. A defensive lineman in college, Brooks was switched from guard to tackle last month when Fred Miller made the switch from tackle to guard.

Quarterbacks: Banks finally got the Rams in the end zone this preseason -- twice in fact, against the Cowboys. After a 3-for-11 start, Banks completed six of his final nine passes, before giving way to Will Furrer after one series in the third quarter. It is obvious that Banks needs a lot of work to get his confidence and rhythm back. The first-team offense still isn't in sync. At least the coaching staff had enough sense to give him plenty of work Saturday after originally planning to start Furrer. Banks will play the first half in Friday's preseason finale in Kansas City. Again, he needs all the work he can get, although his completion percentage against Dallas (45 percent) would have been better were it not for three dropped passes.

Running backs: The picture finally is beginning to come into focus. Harris is the starting fullback. Lee is the pass-receiving specialist. And Jerald Moore, Robert Holcombe and Greg Hill are the feature backs. Moore gained a modest 18 yards on five carries, but continues to run hard between the tackle. Hill scored a touchdown, and almost made it outside on a couple of occasions for big-gainers although his rushing total was only 11 yards on five carries. Still, he brings a speed dimension, which can stretch defenses, that the Rams don't have otherwise. Holcombe ripped off a 52-yard run in the fourth quarter, and later scored a TD, in what should be a confidence-building performance.

Receivers: Isaac Bruce finally caught his first pass of the preseason in the second quarter Saturday. Sure, Bruce will be there once the regular season starts, but he and Banks need the preseason work to get their rhythm down. Bruce caught a modest three passes for 27 yards, but he dropped a short first-down pass, drew a pass interference in the end zone on a potential 2-point conversion, and Banks misfired on a couple of deep routes that could have been touchdowns. At tight end, Ernie Conwell started, and played a lot, even though he missed four days of practice last week because of a death in the family in Seattle. Another tight end, Tyji Armstrong, continues to have a good preseason -- he caught a pass for 12 yards Saturday -- and has a real chance to make the club as a backup.

Defensive line: The Rams may have overpaid for Ray Agnew during free agency, but he's put together back-to-back solid performances at tackle. Agnew intercepted a tipped Troy Aikman pass in Saturday's preseason game, and made a couple of key stops in the running game. OK, he's no John Randle, but he has provided an occasional inside push on the pass rush. The Rams appear serious about rotating their tackles. D'Marco Farr and Joe Phillips are the starters, but it looks like Agnew will plays as much as the starters -- if not more than Phillips -- and Jeff Zgonina has been used a lot as well, particularly in running situations.

Linebackers: Middle linebacker Eric Hill made his first start of the preseason, and showed exactly why the Rams signed him by stopping Emmitt Smith on a fourth-and-1 from the Rams' 35 in the second quarter. Hill still has some rust to knock off, however, after missing most of the first 10 days of camp with a strained back. Bubble 'backer Charlie Clemons helped his cause with a strong game, that included four tackles and a sack. London Fletcher deserves to make the team on the basis of his special teams play. The Rams are still considering adding veteran help at outside linebacker, and worked out former Atlanta Falcon David Brandon last week.

Defensive backs: Strong safety Toby Wright continues to work his way back as he continues his comeback from offseason reconstructive knee surgery. Last week, he made his preseason game debut against San Diego, and was in for about 10 plays. On Saturday against Dallas, he started and played most of the first half. Wright tipped a Troy Aikman pass on a blitz, leading to the Agnew interception and a Rams field goal. Wright's strength is run support, not coverage, but his full-time return to the lineup -- at close to full speed -- would be an emotional and physical boost to the defense.

Special teams: Much better than last week, when the Rams missed an extra point, muffed a punt snap, and bobbled several kickoff returns. Jeff Wilkins kicked a 54-yard field goal, and Rick Tuten had a strong game, with a 46-yard average, a 44.3-yard net and three punts downed inside the 20. The return game remains mediocre at best. June Henley took a crack at kickoff returns Saturday, but averaged only 16.3 yards on three returns. The kickoff coverage units were subpar early.



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