Wild-Card Rams Re-Seek Winning Hand : 2 Losses in Row Raise Questions About Defense, Morale, Toughness

Come follow Ram Coach John Robinson as he picks up the pieces of a team left scattered Friday night in Candlestick Park.

Parts missing include:

--A defense. The Rams, for two weeks this season, had the best in football. Number one. Better than the Chicago Bears and the New York Giants.

In consecutive losses to Miami and San Francisco, the Rams have allowed 61 points and 914 yards in total offense. Before the Miami game, the Rams were allowing opponents an average of 282 yards a game.

The Dolphins, in a 37-31 overtime win, gained 506 yards, the most ever on a Robinson-coached Ram team.

The San Francisco 49ers, in Friday night’s 24-14 win over the the Rams, gained 408 yards in offense.

“We met two good quarterbacks who did well against us,” Robinson said Saturday, referring to Miami’s Dan Marino and San Francisco’s Joe Montana. “But we’re concerned, sure.”

--An attitude. Just two weeks ago, the Rams were considered by many to be one of the top four teams in the National Football League. Suddenly, two losses have knocked them from a division title and into a wild-card game next week in Washington.

“Morale is a concern,” Robinson said. “I’m not sure which way a couple of tough losses affect you. Will it make you more determined or committed, or do they discourage you. You’ve got a couple of ways to go. It’s within the soul of the team to behave one way or another.”

-- Machismo . The Rams haven’t practiced in full pads in a while, but they may this week.

“I was disturbed that we were not a physically dominating team,” Robinson said of the Rams’ performance Friday night. “No question, we have to play the way the Rams do.”

The Rams have made their mark in the league with a power running game. And while quarterback Jim Everett has added new offensive excitement, the Rams insist they cannot forget what got them to the playoffs.

“Now, with Jim, we can throw,” tight end David Hill said after the 49er game. “But we still have to play up front (on the line). I don’t think we did that.”

Robinson said it’s a matter of finding a balance between run and pass.

“We’re going to throw the ball,” he said. “We’re not going backward.”

--Momentum. In the first half of Friday night’s game, the Rams had a couple of chances to turn the game their way. Trailing, 3-0, in the first quarter, Everett threw deep for Kevin House, who was open down the middle. But the play was broken up on a superb defensive play by 49er cornerback Tim McKyer.

The Rams missed a touchdown by inches.

“The long one you don’t get, you can explain as luck or that you just didn’t have that edge,” Robinson said. “However you want to choose it.”

The Rams did have momentum in the second quarter when a 15-yard Eric Dickerson touchdown run cut the San Francisco lead to 10-7.

The Rams pinned the 49ers back on their own eight-yard line on the next kickoff, only to watch Montana drive his team 92 yards for a touchdown to make it 17-7.

“The key issue of the first half was that drive,” Robinson said. “You have to give the 49ers credit. They took it the length of the field.”

Yet despite the problems of recent weeks, Robinson said there is still time and hope and reason to believe.

“Everyone in the playoff tournament has a chance,” he said. “The (New England) Patriots went the route we want to go.”

Last year, the Patriots made it to the Super Bowl as a wild-card team.

“There’s no telling what can happen,” Robinson said.

Ram Notes

The Rams took the weekend off and will resume practice Monday. Yes, they will have a light practice on Christmas and leave for Washington Friday afternoon. . . . If nothing else, the Rams returned from San Francisco with their health. Nose tackle Greg Meisner aggravated an ankle injury, but no other serious injuries were reported. . . . Robinson wouldn’t say whether wide receiver Ron Brown would be ready for the Redskins. Brown has missed two games with a separated shoulder. . . . Receiver Kevin House, who missed the fourth quarter Friday night after being shaken up, is all right.