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nittany ramModeratorLots of history with Rams and Cowboys…
Link: http://www.latimes.com/sports/rams/la-sp-rams-cowboys-history-20170927-story.html
There’s a lot of history between the Rams and Cowboys, and Sunday’s matchup stirs memories
Frank Corral, Pat Thomas
Kicker Frank Corral (3) and cornerback Pat Thomas (27) indicate how the Rams should be rated after a 21-19 victory over the Dallas Cowboys in an NFC divisional playoff game Dec. 30, 1979, at Texas Stadium. (Associated Press)
Gary Klein Gary KleinContact Reporter
During a Rams career that spanned 20 seasons, Jackie Slater heard coaches deliver 259 pregame speeches.The one from Nov. 15, 1992, stands out.
The Rams were two-touchdown underdogs against the Dallas Cowboys at Texas Stadium.
So coach Chuck Knox opted for an economy of words.
“He looked at us for a long time,” Slater, a Hall of Fame offensive lineman, said, “and then he finally said, ‘14-point underdogs?’ And then he spit on the floor, put his cap on and walked out on the field.
“Nothing else needed to be said.”
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The Rams went out and upset the eventual Super Bowl champions 27-23.No one knew it then, but it was the last time the Los Angeles Rams would play the Cowboys, seemingly ending a rivalry that ranked among the NFL’s best, especially during the early and mid-1970s when the Cowboys and the Minnesota Vikings served as annual playoff roadblocks for the Rams.
Sunday, 25 years and two franchise moves later, the Rams return to Dallas to play the Cowboys. It will be a litmus test for a Rams team that is 2-1 and sits atop the NFC West under first-year coach Sean McVay.
“You are familiar with it,” McVay, 31, said of the history between the teams. “Embracing that history is part of it.
Podcast | Fearsome Twosome: Whoa, is this Rams team for real? Let’s discuss the win over the 49ers and matchup with the Cowboys
“I think it’s also important to know this is a storied franchise on both ends.”The Los Angeles Rams and the Cowboys have played 25 times, with the Rams leading 13-12. They are 4-4 in playoff games.
It started in 1960, when the Rams defeated the Cowboys 38-13 at the Cotton Bowl in the first regular-season game between the teams. Thus began a long cross-country partnership.
Rams owner Dan Reeves and Cowboys general manager Tex Schramm were good friends, so the Rams and Cowboys were among the first NFL teams to hold joint practices. And the Cowboys, who trained in Thousand Oaks, annually played the Rams in the The Times preseason charity game.
“The Rams were our friends because of the relationships,” said Gil Brandt, 84, the Cowboys’ head scout in 1960, later a longtime executive for the team and now an NFL.com contributor.
In 1967, the Rams defeated the Cowboys 35-13 amid accusations that coach George Allen had sent a scout to spy on the Cowboys during practice. Allen comically countered that the Cowboys had put a scout in a tree to spy on the Rams.
San Francisco was “Enemy No. 1” and Dallas was “Enemy No. 2”
— Former Rams quarterback Roman Gabriel
Rams tight end Gerald Everett, left, can’t hold on to the ball as he drops the pass while Dallas Cow
Rams tight end Gerald Everett, left, can’t hold on to the ball as he drops the pass while Dallas Cowboys defensive back Leon McFadden defends during the second half of a preseason game on Aug. 12. (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
“San Francisco was ‘Enemy No. 1’ and Dallas was ‘Enemy No. 2,’ ” former Rams quarterback Roman Gabriel said.Tommy Prothro replaced Allen as coach in 1971 and Gabriel remembers a 28-21 Rams defeat on Thanksgiving Day at Texas Stadium. One third-down play stood out.
“I remember I started running off the field and [linebacker] Lee Roy Jordan says, ‘You’re not going to fool us, no one punts on third down. I know better,’” Gabriel said. “I told him, ‘Lee Roy, you’re in for something.’
“We pinned them, but they still beat us.”
During the 1970s, the Rams made the playoffs seven times. The Cowboys eliminated them three times, including 28-0 at the Coliseum in 1978. The Rams finally broke through in 1979, on the way to their only Super Bowl appearance.
The Rams had lost at Dallas in mid-October, with then-backup quarterback Vince Ferragamo suffering a broken hand in the defeat.
Eleven weeks later, the Rams returned for an NFC divisional playoff game.
Ferragamo, elevated to starter, was approached before the game by an amped-up teammate who anchored the defensive line.
“When Jack Youngblood comes up to you and says, ‘Son, this is the biggest game you’re going to play in your life. You better get ready,’ Wow, you better perform,” Ferragamo said, laughing.
Robert Woods has found what he was looking for in the Rams’ offense
The Rams trailed 19-14 in the fourth quarter when Slater and his fellow offensive linemen gave Ferragamo seemingly an eternity to find an open receiver. Ferragamo stepped up and drilled a pass over the middle to Billy Waddy for a 50-yard touchdown.“We gave him a good length of time to make a good decision,” Slater said.
The Rams held on for a victory that finally moved them past a longtime nemesis.
“It was so monumental,” defensive back Nolan Cromwell said. “We finally got over the hump.”
The game was the last for Roger Staubach, the Cowboys’ Hall of Fame quarterback.
Youngblood suffered a broken leg, a setback that did not stop the Hall of Fame end from finishing the game, or playing in the NFC championship game victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Super Bowl loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The next season, the Rams lost at Texas Stadium in a wild-card game. They lost there again in 1981 during the regular season.
But on a cold day in 1983, the Rams beat the Cowboys 24-17 in a wild-card game.
Ferragamo’s touchdown pass to receiver George Farmer early in the fourth quarter gave the Rams an 11-point lead.
“I think that kind of did Tom Landry in as coach of the Cowboys,” Farmer said.
Rams coach Sean McVay, right, greets Dallas Cowboys coach Jason Garrett after a preseason game on Au
Rams coach Sean McVay, right, greets Dallas Cowboys coach Jason Garrett after a preseason game on Aug. 12. (Jae C. Hong / Associated Press)
Kids grow up, they want to be Cowboys. It’s like a religion
— Rams kicker Tony Zendejas
New owner Jerry Jones fired Landry in 1989 after the Cowboys made the playoffs only once in the next five seasons. Three years later, coach Jimmie Johnson had the Cowboys rolling with a team that featured quarterback Troy Aikman, running back Emmitt Smith and receiver Michael Irvin.The Cowboys were 8-1, the Rams 3-6 in 1992 when Knox gave his short speech and headed to the field at Texas Stadium.
Rams kicker Tony Zendejas had spent his first six NFL seasons with the Houston Oilers. He knew what awaited the Rams on the road against the Cowboys.
“Texas is Cowboys country,” Zendejas said. “I used to get jealous: ‘What about me? What about the Oilers?’
“Kids grow up, they want to be Cowboys. It’s like a religion.”
The Rams had lost 12 consecutive road games. They had fallen 20-14 the previous week at home against the Phoenix Cardinals in a game that included three fumbles by running back Cleveland Gary.
But Gary rushed for a touchdown and caught a touchdown pass against the Cowboys. Quarterback Jim Everett passed for two touchdowns. And Zendejas kicked two late field goals before the Rams survived a last-second threat by the Cowboys in a 27-23 victory.
After the game, Everett referenced the point spread.
“The guy who’s making the lines must be smoking dope,” he said of the oddsmakers.
Everett laughed last week when reminded of his comment.
“Sounds like something I would say,” he said. “I do remember that game, my buddies getting in a fight in the stands.
“They had beers thrown on them because they were wearing Rams gear.”
That was the last time the Los Angeles Rams played the Cowboys.
The Rams moved to St. Louis after the 1994 season. They did not play the Cowboys again until 2002. They last met in 2014.
The Rams returned to Los Angeles last season and played their last two preseason openers against the Cowboys.
Despite leading the NFL in points scored, they will travel to AT&T Stadium as six-point underdogs.
Slater does not expect the loquacious McVay to repeat Knox’s short pregame speech.
“’I’m expecting him to have a lot of words,” Slater said. “He seems to have a way with them.”
nittany ramModeratorYeah, that poor guy is fucked. He won’t be able to comply with the judge’s instructions.
This guy doesn’t get to see a psychiatrist regularly. When he sees a doctor, it’s probably some overworked family physician at the free clinic who can only spend 5 minutes with him because they have 40 other patients to see that day.
He could be on the wrong medication. More likely it’s the right medication at the wrong dose, and then there’s other factors to consider like short acting vs long acting and the proper time to take them. All that stuff matters but it takes time to tease apart. He needs regular visits with a doctor (preferably a psychiatrist) that can spend the proper amount of time with him. He’s never going to get the meds right being forced to do what he’s doing now.
And therefore, he’s fucked.
You have the toughest job of anyone I know, wv…being around so much misery all the time. I admire your ability to handle that. Doubt that I could.
nittany ramModeratorThe Rams need to figure out a way to contain the Cowboys’ running game.
That’s a tall order for any defense, let alone one that hasn’t been able to stop anyone’s running game.
If the Rams were still in STL it would be time for old hacker to start burning sage. But now they’re in LA.
Maybe Grits can burn some organically grown kale.
nittany ramModeratorAccording to Kern County CHP, the gun Westbrooks had with him in car was reported stolen in 2009. https://t.co/BsOgSqzIU2
— Vincent Bonsignore (@DailyNewsVinny) September 25, 2017
nittany ramModeratorThat would be a great concert. Pink Floyd is one of those bands that I regret never seeing live.
nittany ramModeratorSeptember 24, 2017 at 4:13 pm in reply to: NFL Players Respond to Trump on Anthem Protesters… + Kroenke #74918nittany ramModeratorLoads of players took a knee in the London game, and I expect that will continue all day long.
DJT has just legitimized this form of protest. Ironically, this probably opens up the door for a team to sign Kaepernick now.
Yeah, there were a handful of guys around the league kneeling until Trump opened his mouth.
He made it into a big deal because he knew the players would react this way. He’s fanning the flames to whip his supporters into a fervor. He wants the country divided.
Growing the ‘us vs them’ dichotomy is his political strategy. It’s how he’ll get re-elected.
nittany ramModeratorTampa Bay at Minn should be an interesting game if Bradford is playing.
He’s not playing NR was ruled out a while ago
In that case there aren’t a lot of compelling games this week. Just Eagles and Giants due to the rivalry aspect, and the Atlanta-Detroit game. Just as well – I work every third weekend so I’d miss most of the early games today anyway.
nittany ramModeratorCasserly also says the defense isn’t fixable and is what will keep the Rams from being anything better than 8-8.
nittany ramModeratorTampa Bay at Minn should be an interesting game if Bradford is playing.
nittany ramModeratorThat’s my favorite Sopranos episode. I believe it was written and/or directed by the actor who played Christopher in that clip.
nittany ramModeratorMcVay > Boras
As a 9er fan, after I get over the loss, the thing that’s going to bug me a lot longer is the realization that Jared Goff isn’t a bust, and could well haunt the 9ers for a decade.
Go 9ers!
Hail Satan!Yeah, we were taking the other day about the longevities of QBs nowadays. Goff is only 22. With QBs playing at a high level into their late 30’s, the Rams could be set at QB for the next 16 years or so.
nittany ramModeratorGoff, 22 of 28, 78.57%, 292 yards, an unreal 10.3 YPA, 1 TD, O Int, + an (unofficial) qb rating of 122.02.
<span class=”d4pbbc-font-color” style=”color: blue”>Gamebook says 145.8</span>
Zn’s stats are missing a couple pass TDs. That’s the diff.
September 21, 2017 at 4:42 pm in reply to: First road game for G–informal poll on the SF game #74659nittany ramModeratorCarlos Hyde is averaging about 7 yards a carry.
He’s a receiving machine out of the backfield.
If they shut him down–they win this game. If they do not–they lose.
Yeah, but even though Hyde’s been great the 9’ers still have’t managed to win a game yet.
I think the Rams have enough to beat them even if he has a good game, as long as they don’t let anyone else go off on them.
nittany ramModeratorSo this is a frog thread? Or a Toad thread? Which is it?
w
vIt was about frogs until you appropriated it for your pro-toad agenda.
Yeah, yeah, I know…”All lives matter”.
Save it, mister.
nittany ramModeratorRams 24
Niners 9nittany ramModeratorI think I like the yellow unis, except for the yellow shoes. Who wears yellow shoes?
I think the players picked the colors.
nittany ramModeratorI always like speed kills’ posts and agree with a lot of what he says above but I’m not necessarily convinced it will take another year for this team to contend for a wildcard. Teams can grow up a lot over the course of the season if the talent is there.
nittany ramModeratorAt least with this loss we no longer have to worry about all the talk of going undefeated becoming a distraction.
The living members of the 72 Dolphins can breathe easier.
nittany ramModeratorI like their resiliency. They fought back and tied the score.
Gurley began to look like the guy they drafted.
Goff isn’t seeing the whole field yet, but he looks like he’s going to be really good.
The Rams run defense is a work in progress. It looks like the LBs are out of position a lot. I hope it’s just a question of the lack of experience in this defense. That can be fixed. If they are simply being overpowered then the Rams have a huge problem.
nittany ramModeratorThose 2 videos mainly show Brown is a JAG.
Sullivan was also too slow to reach a block on a lb on a screen/dump-off to Gurley in the first half. Untouched the lb got a running start and was able to trip Gurley up just shy of a 1st on 3rd & 7.
According to PFF, Brown, Whitford, and Havenstein graded out well against the Colts. Saffold and Sullivan didn’t. They must have had their hands full with big #95. Frankly, I don’t see how Brown graded so high. Whenever I focused on him, he’d whiff on a block or get beat to the inside…
Maybe the answer is for me not to focus on him anymore.
I don’t know what the problem is with the Rams running game. O-line, Gurley, both, something else?…
Seattle had sucky o-lines for years but still managed to run the ball well with Beast Mode, and the Rams ran the ball well with Stephen Jackson when the passing game wasn’t a threat and the o-line was a lot worse than what they have now.
So the current Rams should be able to run the ball. They may not have a dominating running game like the Dickerson Rams had, but they should be able to run effectively in spots after setting it up.
And if the running game continues to struggle, I wonder how long McVay will wait to make a change?
nittany ramModeratorI don’t know.
I think it is odd that he hasn’t had a single 100 yard game since 2015.
And the pessimistic side can’t help but recalling that his impressive numbers from his rookie year came because of the long gainers. Subtract the long gainers, and he gets 3 yards a carry, or less (don’t have the stats). Were those fluky?
He just does not appear to be the kind of back that goes: 2, 8, 6, 12, 4, 1, 7, 15….
He used to have short runs combined with long bursts. Now it’s just short runs.
I don’t know. But we are moving into High Concern area.
Yeah, something is amiss. I’m not sure the videos in this thread depict it but there’s an issue.
September 15, 2017 at 9:40 am in reply to: Rams expect Aaron Donald to make season debut Sunday #74354nittany ramModeratorAaron Donald is already dominating Rams practices
Alden Gonzalez
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — The Los Angeles Rams ran a play that called for Sam Rogers to take a handoff during Wednesday’s practice. But Aaron Donald penetrated the line of scrimmage and worked his way into the backfield before the rookie fullback could even touch the ball. And that’s when Todd Gurley knew that Donald was really back.
“Aaron’s Aaron,” Gurley said. “He’s going to dominate practice.”
The Rams expect him to dominate in the upcoming game, too, even though he basically spent the entire summer working out on his own. Donald ended his holdout on Saturday, but he didn’t practice with the team until Wednesday and he wasn’t in full pads until Thursday. Teammates still didn’t notice much of a dropoff.
“Some things you just know,” Rams left guard Rodger Saffold said. “He’s been doing this for a long time now. I expect him to continue to do the same. As far as conditioning and everything else, it seems like he’s fine. You never really know when you get into a game, but I bet money that he’s going to be fine playing.”
Rams defensive coordinator Wade Phillips said Donald will be “on a pitch count” in the Week 2 home game against the Washington Redskins. Phillips said the same thing about Robert Quinn heading into the opener, and Quinn wound up playing 25 snaps, or 50 percent of the defensive workload. Donald could get something similar, maybe even a bit less. The Rams’ Week 3 game will be the following Thursday, on the road against the San Francisco 49ers, and that quick turnaround may be a consideration.
“He looked to be in good shape,” Phillips said of Donald. “You know, football shape and shape are two different things because you’re carrying a lot more weight with pads on and so forth. But he doesn’t seem to be bothered too much by the reps we’re giving him in practice. It’s not wearing him out.”
Donald isn’t really expected to be in football shape yet.
“I’m not even in football shape, so I doubt he’s in football shape,” Gurley said, laughing. “It takes a while. But hey, you never know. He’s built differently. He’s one of a kind, so there’s no telling. He might already be right. I’m pretty sure he wasn’t just chilling. I know he was definitely getting it in back at home, so he’ll be fine.”
Aaron Donald will be “on a pitch count” in his return to the field on Sunday, according to Rams defensive coordinator Wade Phillips. Kevin Reece/Icon Sportswire
The Rams, coming off a 46-9 blowout of a shorthanded Indianapolis Colts team, have a much tougher test in their second game of the season. The Redskins’ offense — formerly under the direction of Rams head coach Sean McVay — boasts a solid offensive line, a proven quarterback in Kirk Cousins and an array of weapons, including Jordan Reed, Terrelle Pryor and Jamison Crowder. The Rams’ front seven will have to bring consistent pressure to make Cousins uncomfortable and take some of the strain off their secondary, which is why Donald’s return is so crucial.But is it fair to expect Donald to be the same guy after missing so much time?
“Yeah,” Rams inside linebacker Alec Ogletree said. “I don’t see why he shouldn’t be the same person because he’s just that type of athlete, and he’s a guy that I know works hard when he’s not here. I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
Donald, who eventually may be the game’s highest-paid non-quarterback, skipped the three weeks of organized team activities during the spring, then held out for 43 days in training camp and in the preseason. But he was with the Rams during their voluntary minicamp in late April and during their mandatory minicamp in the middle of June. He was able to pick up a lot of Phillips’ defense then. It’s a new scheme, but Donald’s role won’t really change — he’ll still line up as the 3-technique, and he’ll still rush the quarterback.
“When he goes in there, we tell him, ‘Go,'” Phillips said. “It’s not real complicated for him.”
Phillips believes Donald’s presence has “energized our team.” He didn’t address the players when he returned, and McVay didn’t even bring up Donald’s absence during the first team meeting on Monday. The Rams moved forward as if he had been there all along. The players didn’t feel as if Donald owed them an explanation.
“There’s a business side to this situation,” Ogletree said, “and he had to handle it the way he had to handle it. We weren’t mad or anything. We welcomed him back, just like we’ve been saying we would.”
“He’s got to do what’s best for him and his family, so we’re not going to question him about any decision he makes as far as contracts,” Saffold added. “We’re just happy to have him back in the building, because we feel like we have something special here.”
nittany ramModeratorI don’t think these videos are evidence of a problem with Gurley. Especially the second one that shows a draw play. On that play, he had to move to his right to take the handoff which sort of commits him to that direction anyway. If he tries to peel back to the left, the NT comes off Sullivan’s block to make the tackle for a loss. The issue with this play is Brown’s poor block on the LB. I think Gurley did well to get the yardage he got.
nittany ramModeratornittany ramModeratorThe final score will be 30 – 27.
I don’t know who wins.
September 13, 2017 at 10:31 pm in reply to: Rams expect Aaron Donald to make season debut Sunday #74297nittany ramModeratornittany ramModeratorThe Vikings are getting no respect. Pittsburgh is a 6 point favorite despite barely escaping Cleveland with a victory, whereas the Vikings looked pretty dominant in their game with N.O.
I think this game against Washington is going to be entertaining from an offensive standpoint.
It will be close and fairly high scoring…something like 30 – 27.nittany ramModeratorSo…you’re recommending people inhale sanitizers? Seems…dangerous to me. Even irresponsible of you.
Trust me. It’s time for you to let go of the fear and prejudice that have kept you from inhaling sanitizers up until now.
September 11, 2017 at 10:00 pm in reply to: Goff week 1 & after…have other Rams qbs thrown passes like the TD to Kupp? #74219nittany ramModeratorI can tell you who it wasn’t….It wasn’t bradford
Are you watching him tonight? He’s been throwing lasers all game long.
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