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St. Louis Rams
Team Report posted September 10, 1998
by tsn correspondent JIM THOMAS - St. Louis Post-Dispatch
After watching Jerald Moore fumble three times against New Orleans, one of which was returned for a touchdown, even coach Dick Vermeil has seen enough. On Wednesday, he promoted Greg Hill to the starting running back position for Game 2 -- against Minnesota.
Hill finished second on the Rams in rushing and scored a team-high three touchdowns in the preseason. But in a controversial decision by Vermeil, neither Hill nor second-round draft pick Robert Holcombe dressed for the Saints game.
"I know Jerald Moore's a good football player," Vermeil said. "But you're not a good football player if you fumble the ball. His fumble-per-carry ratio since he was the starter is too high."
Moore made his sixth career start as a "feature" back against New Orleans. He has seven career fumbles in 127 touches compared to Hill's five fumbles in 626 touches.
If he does anything at all against Minnesota, Hill has a chance to hold the job for a while. The coaching staff doesn't think Holcombe is ready, and their confidence in Moore can't be too high after the New Orleans game. . . .
Next season, Eric Hill may want to sit out the season opener. Last year as an Arizona Cardinal, Hill suffered a broken leg in Week 1. This year, he suffered a broken hand in the Rams' opener against New Orleans.
"A broken hand's a lot easier to deal with than a broken leg," Hill said. "I've played with broken fingers. I mean, it's a setback. But I'll be able to play."
Hill will have the hand in a cast for four to six weeks. After a slow start in training camp because of a back injury, Hill gradually rounded into form and grasped the Rams' complex defensive system. He played well against the Saints, even after breaking the hand, other than a missed tackle on a Lamar Smith touchdown catch. . . .
Even with the hoopla over Mark McGwire's home run exploits, and the Rams struggling play, Sunday's Vikings game marks the team's 26th straight home sellout since moving to St. Louis in 1995.
POSITIONAL ANALYSIS
Quarterbacks: Tony Banks finished strong against New Orleans, except for the fact that he held onto the ball too long before a game-ending "Hail Mary" pass, and was sacked. What he -- and the entire offense -- need to do is start faster. The Rams scored only 37 points in the first quarter all of last season, and didn't score their first points against the Saints until late in the first half. Banks looked particularly sharp in the shotgun formation, which the Rams are using on third-and-long and in the two-minute offense.
Offensive line: Last week, it was Wayne Martin and Joe Johnson. This week, it's John Randle and Jerry Ball. In other words, the Rams have their work cut out for them. The Rams did well enough up front at tackle, and even at center, but guards Fred Miller and Zach Wiegert struggled against New Orleans. The challenge this week is to try to budge Ball, the Vikings' 345-pound nose tackle, and keep Randle from having his way to Banks. Randle also will line up a lot at right end, opposite Pace.
Running backs: Greg Hill gets the start this week over Jerald Moore. The Rams think they can run outside on the Vikings, which is Hill's strength. But Dick Vermeil may go down to game day deciding on his backup running back, which means second-round draft pick Robert Holcombe could sit again. Third-down back Amp Lee should be highly-motivated because the Vikings chose not to re-sign him in 1997 as a restricted free agent.
Receivers: Much of the focus this week will be on Minnesota's Cris Carter, Jake Reed and Randy Moss. That gives Isaac Bruce even more incentive than usual to have a statement game. He got off to a good start last week against the Saints, leading the NFL after one week in receptions (10). He's second in reception yardage (131). If the Vikings have one vulnerable area on defense, it's their secondary, so look for the Rams to go to Bruce early and often. Eddie Kennison's confidence should be up after ending his touchdown drought with a 15-yard reception last week.
Defensive line: This group played pretty well overall last week, but they will play a better offensive line this week, particularly the Pro Bowl left side of tackle Todd Steussie and guard Randall McDaniel. The Rams used three players at right end last week -- Jay Williams, Mike D. Jones and Grant Wistrom -- against Willie Roaf of the Saints. Rams tackle Ray Agnew had a nice debut last week, with five tackles, but he'll be lining up over McDaniel instead of rookie Kyle Turley this week. If there's an area the Rams can exploit, it's center Jeff Christy and guard David Dixon with Agnew and D'Marco Farr.
Linebackers: The Vikings don't really excel at the two areas that killed the Rams last week against New Orleans -- throwing to the backs and the tight end. That being said, Vikings tight end Andrew Glover can't be overlooked. He didn't catch a pass last week, but had 32 receptions in 1997. Running back Robert Smith caught 37 a year ago, but for only 197 yards. So the primary responsibility of the Rams will be run support, and the occasional blitz of Brad Johnson.
Defensive backs: After playing only on special teams last week, look for Ryan McNeil to play a lot against Minnesota -- perhaps even start. After ending his holdout on August 31, McNeil will have had two full weeks of practice in before the Vikings game -- so he should have his legs back. The Vikings use a lot of three wide receiver sets, so the Rams will be in their nickel defense a lot. Even if McNeil starts at corner, that means Dexter McCleon -- his replacement against New Orleans and in the preseason -- will see plenty of playing time.
Special teams: The Rams kickoff coverage team did a good job against the Saints, but they need to get their kickoff return unit untracked, which means better blocking and less tiptoeing from rookie kick returner Tony Horne. The Vikings yielded an average return of 26 yards on five kickoff returns last week against Tampa Bay, not exactly elite numbers. The Vikings' return game, with David Palmer handling punts and kickoffs, is above average but not awe-inspiring. Rams punter Rick Tuten was just so-so last week.
INJURY ANALYSIS
OUT ON A LIMB
Playing on artificial turf, and against a team susceptible to the outside run, Greg Hill will get a stranglehold on the starting running back position Sunday against Minnesota. That is good news for Hill, but not rookie Robert Holcombe or Jerald Moore. In terms of the total package, Holcombe looks like the team's best back.
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