Rams’ Cromwell Asks For and Is Given Release : Weary of Competing for Backup Role, He’ll Try to Catch On With Another Team

Nolan Cromwell knew the odds going into training camp. After 11 seasons with the Rams and 4 trips to the Pro Bowl, Cromwell was suddenly fighting for a roster spot.

If things went well, maybe he’d make the team and begin each game on the bench.

“We talked to Nolan before we started this year and told him he was going to have to compete to make the team,” Coach John Robinson said.

Cromwell, a starter for eight straight seasons from 1979 through 1986, thought he could handle it.

He was wrong. Sunday night, he packed his bags and left the team’s training facilities at Cal State Fullerton.

Monday, he asked for and received his release from the Rams. At 33, he hopes to catch on with another team.

“I was competing for fourth safety,” Cromwell said Monday. “I thought I could deal with it mentally. I couldn’t do it.”

Last season, Cromwell was platooned with Johnnie Johnson and Vince Newsome. This summer, Newsome and Johnson are the starters, and Michael Stewart has moved in as the third safety.

The Rams have offered Cromwell a coaching position this season, one that Cromwell may accept if he receives no offers around the league.

“I’m now pursuing other avenues,” Cromwell said. “If there’s an interested team, I will pursue it. The other deal, of course, is retirement. John (Robinson) has extended an invitation as coach. I’m trying to find out what’s best for me.”

Cromwell knew that making the team this year would be difficult. He and Robinson discussed the topic last February, when many figured that Cromwell would follow Dennis Harrah’s cue and announce his retirement. Cromwell instead decided to return, even though his $400,000 salary was cut in half.

“(Being released) was going on in my mind when I got there,” Cromwell said of camp. “I knew I couldn’t compete under the circumstances. I played 11 years. They were great times. This is just part of the game. I have no hard feelings. I have nothing but praise for the Rams’ organization.”

Accepting the end of a player’s career isn’t easy, especially for one Ram who played alongside him for so long.

“It was shocking,” said Johnson, Cromwell’s teammate since 1980. “As far as I’m concerned, it’s the end of an era. It’s sad to see anyone move on. In a lot of these situations, the picture is painted and, as a veteran, you can see the picture. I think he’d much rather take his chances and leave now, rather than wait a month when teams don’t have the openings.”

Steve Shafer, the team’s secondary coach, said that Cromwell had not been pressured into leaving.

“Nolan knew coming in what the situation was,” Shafer said. “But when you’ve been a starter as long as he was, and you’re suddenly competing for backup, well, that’s the frame of reference you work off of.”

Cromwell was the Rams’ second-round pick in 1977 from the University of Kansas, where he played quarterback.

He is the team’s all-time leader in interception return yardage with 671, and his 37 interceptions are second only to Eddie Meador’s 46.

Cromwell’s best year was 1980, when he led the National Football League in interceptions with eight and was named the NFC’s defensive player of the year.

Ram Notes

The Rams had their annual National Football League drug test Monday. Everyone passed. . . . Add Nolan Cromwell: He was really caught up in a numbers game with the Rams. The team drafted two more defensive backs this season, second-rounder Anthony Newman and fifth-round pick James Washington. Of course, there are only so many places to play. Coach John Robinson said he will soon decide whether Newman will split time at cornerback and safety or simply play just one position. If Newman stays at cornerback, Jerry Gray may move from that spot back to safety in some defenses.