Rams News

St. Louis Rams
Team Report posted September 17, 1998
by tsn correspondent JIM THOMAS - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Two players-only meetings within a 72-hour period, followed by a discussion with coach Dick Vermeil, has led to an altered practice and meeting schedule.

Players now can report to work an hour later than the previous schedule. And by running some drills concurrently, Vermeil has shortened practice by about 30 minutes a day.

"He gave some and we gave some," linebacker Mike A. Jones said. "The guys weren't complaining about working hard. That never was the issue. It's just that we thought we were on the field a little too long."

Many players feel the team's slow starts -- they have been outscored 28-0 in the first quarter this year -- are partly attributable to not being fresh. Vermeil isn't convinced that's the problem, but noted: "Anything I can do to help them mentally and physically feel they can play better, then I listen to them."

The fact that Vermeil listened to his players and made some adjustments should lead to better play and ease some of the tension that had been building since the grind of two-a-days during training camp.

"It's good that we have a coach that listens to us and values our opinion," defensive end Kevin Carter said. "A lot of people in that position aren't going to listen." . . .

Across the NFL, 29 rookies have started at least one game so far this season, 11 of whom were first-round draft picks. But only two of the Rams' five draft picks still on the team have even played this year, and they have played sparingly.

No. 1 draft pick Grant Wistrom, a defensive end from Nebraska, has played only 27 plays -- about one-fifth of the Rams' defensive plays.

Linebacker Leonard Little, a third-round pick from Tennessee, has participated in only 11 plays from scrimmage.

Running back Robert Holcombe (second round, Illinois) and tight end Roland Williams (fourth round, Syracuse) have been designated inactive players.

Wide receiver Az-Zahir Hakim, a fourth-round pick from San Diego State, has been out with a hand injury.

Vermeil insists he's not disappointed in any of the rookies, stressing that it takes time to be ready to play in the NFL. But it is clear that Wistrom should be playing more -- he has five solo tackles in those 27 plays, a pretty good average.

And it's inexcusable that Holcombe, the 37th player taken in the draft, can't even dress on Sunday.

POSITIONAL ANALYSIS

Quarterbacks: Tony Banks occasionally gets into trouble by going for the big play instead of taking what the defense gives him. Buffalo will try to take away the deep stuff, and force him to pick away with short and intermediate routes. The challenge may be to look for tight end Ernie Conwell and running back Amp Lee instead of forcing it into Isaac Bruce.

Given the boos Banks received last week at home, this is probably a good time for the Rams to play a road game.

Offensive line: A marquee matchup in the trenches: Rams left tackle Orlando Pace against Buffalo defensive end Bruce Smith. The trimmer, more polished youngster (Pace), against one of the best pass-rushers in NFL history (Smith). Pace has played well in his first two starts, but hasn't really dominated.

The Rams received much better guard play last week from Fred Miller and Zach Wiegert, but face a challenge inside Sunday from Ted Washington, one of the best nose tackles in the game.

Running backs: The Bills have been more susceptible to off-tackle runs than outside dashes, which doesn't really fit Greg Hill's speed. This would be a good week to dress rookie Robert Holcombe, who's forte is runs between the tackles. But that probably won't happen. Vermeil inexplicably has been hesitant to dress five running backs.

The Bills troubles with underneath coverage could lead to a productive day for third-down back Amp Lee.

Wide receivers: Isaac Bruce is on fire, leading the league in receptions (21) and reception yards (323). He will be hard to contain by anybody without double-coverage. He'll be matched up much of the time with Ken Irvin, his former college teammate at Memphis State, and a player who most opponents have tried to pick on.

But the Bills' other corner, Thomas Smith, is very good. While Bruce remains the money man, the Rams must try to cultivate second and third receivers Eddie Kennison and Ricky Proehl.

Defensive line: Buffalo has given up 13 sacks in two games, the second-highest total in the league. So this is an area the Rams will try to exploit. End Kevin Carter and tackle D'Marco Farr played very well last week against the Vikings, and could give the right side of the Buffalo offensive line -- tackle Jerry Ostroski and guard Joe Panos -- fits.

The Rams could dominate the middle with the Joe Phillips/Ray Agnew tackle rotation because the weak link of the Bills' line is center Dusty Zeigler.

Linebackers: Lorenzo Styles played another solid game in relief of the injured Roman Phifer, with five tackles last week. Youngsters Charlie Clemons and Leonard Little showed some flashes in a new nickel pass-rush formation -- three down linemen, three linebackers. But they may not see the field as much Sunday because of Buffalo's more conventional offense.

Broken hand or not, the Rams need middle linebacker Eric Hill to step it up this week against the Bills' running game.

Defensive backs: If they can keep Andre Reed in check, the Rams should find the Buffalo receiver corps easier to handle than the Minnesota trio of Cris Carter, Randy Moss and Jake Reed. Dexter McCleon played very well last week, even though the Vikings came after him on several plays.

Strong safety Toby Wright will be more valuable against a more conservative Buffalo defense that would like to pound the ball with Antowain Smith and Thurman Thomas.

Special teams: Buffalo's coverage teams have been accommodating, so Eddie Kennison could pad his NFC-leading punt-return average of 19.5 yards, and the Rams lackluster kickoff return unit could get untracked. The Bills are yielding an average of 29.8 yards per kickoff return, ranking 24th in the league.

Conversely, Buffalo has one of the game's better punt/kickoff return men in Kevin Williams, although he has yet to really get untracked.

INJURY ANALYSIS

For the first time since August 27, outside linebacker Roman Phifer was back on the practice field Wednesday. Phifer, the team's defensive captain in 1997, has been sidelined with a hamstring injury he suffered in the preseason finale against Kansas City.

Phifer took part in limited drills Wednesday, and will gradually work his way back.

"I was a little rusty," Phifer said. "I don't feel totally back, but I feel pretty good."

Phifer has led the team in tackles in three of the past five seasons. He's listed as questionable for the Buffalo game, but probably won't make his '98 regular-season debut until September 27 against Arizona.

Given the team's problems with hamstring injuries a year ago with Isaac Bruce and others, the Rams are taking a cautious approach on Phifer's return. . . .

Fourth-round draft pick Az-Zahir Hakim's broken hand is getting better. He has been fitted for a smaller cast, and has been catching passes in practice. But like Phifer, he is more likely to play September 27 against Arizona than this Sunday in Buffalo. . . .

Center Mike Gruttadauria is all the way back from arthroscopic knee surgery, and probably will dress against the Bills. But his replacement in Games 1 and 2, John Flannery, has played well enough that he'll start Sunday. . . .

Tight end Ernie Conwell sat out Wednesday's practice because of sore ribs. . . .

Quarterback Tony Banks missed about half of Wednesday's practice because of soreness in his left (non-throwing) shoulder. . . .

Tom Nutten, who began the season as the team's top backup at guard and center, will miss his second straight game with an elbow injury.

OUT ON A LIMB

The Rams will play smarter, better football Sunday in Buffalo, away from the boos at the Trans World Dome and the pressures of winning at home.

The Rams, in fact, have lost seven in a row at home, but have won three straight on the road in streaks dating back to last season.

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