Rams News

Workaholic Vermeil needs to hang up a help wanted sign

08/27/98

By Tom Wheatley
Of the Post-Dispatch Staff

Rams coach Dick Vermeil, who turns 62 in October, is a recovering workaholic. He flamed out of coaching 14 years earlier. Like an alcoholic bartender, he decided to taunt his weakness every day.
The most trying job in pro sports is head coach in the National Football League. Plus, he strapped on the duties of general manager for the worst NFL franchise of the '90s.
Five victories and 11 losses later, the picture hasn't changed much as the Rams end Vermeil's second exhibition season tonight in Kansas City.
He is still a wonderful, entertaining, passionate piece of work. Anyone who dislikes this man is nuts. Which means that Ironhead Heyward is aptly named.
Vermeil has banned Heyward from the Rams camp for excessive fat.
Ironhead has to eat, obviously, so he sells soap on TV. In a recent chat with Jim Thomas of the Post-Dispatch, he tried to add soft-soap practices to his product line, saying the boss works his young employees too hard.
Vermeil never flinched under this weighty assault. His firm stance is the highlight of the preseason. Which means that this could be a long season.
The Rams are better off slogging along the high road without recalcitrants such as Ironhead and Ryan McNeil. Vermeil should have learned that during the Lawrence Phillips tailback fiasco last year.
The fact is, this team probably can't win no matter who plays fullback or cornerback.
The defense looks adequate but vanilla. Special teams look adequate but vanilla. The offense looks inadequate but vanilla.
They can't get the ball to their best player, wide receiver Isaac Bruce. Quarterback Tony Banks, in his third year, has been so-so. Vermeil can't name his No. 1 running back.
And leadership is still a fatal void.
On offense, Vermeil insisted that Bruce leads by example and that tackle Wayne Gandy is admired by his fellow linemen. No mention of the quarterback, the primary leader of any team.
The fact is, the Rams have no rump-kickers in the huddle or the locker room. Nobody makes a teammate accountable.
Like the baseball Cardinals, this is a happy family of losers. Nobody wants to be the bad guy and disqualify himself as one of the boys.
Vermeil is guilty of same. He is plenty tough on his players. But what about his coaching staff?
``I'm probably too tough on them,'' he said.
In work demands, yes, but not in staffing decisions. Vermeil is loyal to a fault. He had several tough calls to make in the offseason and ducked them all.
He didn't see, or refused to admit, that his special teams tuned out their vaunted position coach. When the defensive coordinator retired, Vermeil named co-coordinators rather than hurt someone's feelings. When the offense stalled, Vermeil didn't replace the coordinator. He started calling plays himself.
Now Vermeil, the recovering workaholic, has three stressful jobs. And the offense has too many voices.
He does know that he is stretched too thin, especially on the sideline.
``Last week,'' he said, ``I'm so busy that a guy makes a 54-yard field goal, and I can't even acknowledge it. A guy makes the longest run since I've been here, and I can't even go and congratulate him.''
Being coach-general manager has one alleged advantage: Less red tape. Not at Rams Park, where waffling by upper management forced Vermeil to pass on at least one desired free agent.
Meanwhile, the Rams shamelessly grub for every nickel. For both recent exhibition games at the Trans World Dome, the national anthem was brought to you by Boeing.
What's next, a corporate logo on the American flag?
Nearly everyone who knows Dick Vermeil, Ironhead excluded, is pulling for him. Unless he gets some help, from his players and coaches and bosses, the next four months could be a very long haul.

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