Independent from Long Beach, California • 38

S4-4NDEPENDENT, PRESS-TELEGRAM lm bmch. ok. i. about mistakes OWM the old way where you could hit with your arms out, then bring your arms back. The technique now is to push your hands out ami grab a jersey.

I dont like it Were not actually grabbing a guy, but were turning him around with a push ana it Jooks like were grabbing him. Thats why all the holding penalties are being called and the game is being turned into a circus. It's a street fight now. Defensive linemen are getting tired of having people grab them andLbolding on. I dont Marne them, When youre the starting quarterback for a club that routs the other team 59-0, you're a bundle of laughs in the dressing room after the slaughter, right? Wrong.

The little professor, Pat Haden. astonishingly was critical of his performance after the Rams had taken apart the Atlanta Falcons piece by piece and dumped the remains in the La Brea tar pits. You can use last week's quotes, sighed the Rhodes scholar when asked if thought he had called a perfect game Saturday. I'm not satisfied, although I thought I called good audibles. It wasnt anywhere near a perfect game for me because I made mistakes.

I'm always critical of my Krformance, but on the' other hand, even Fran rkenton makes mistakes. I did everything right as far as thinking goes, but I didn't throw the ba 11 properly." If Mr. Haden ever feels that he has thrown the ball properly, the other team should take refuge in some air raid shelter. Patrick bad 13 completions in 21 attempts for 214 yards in the ravage of Atlanta. Clearly, the Rhodes Scholar either has a goal of playing on the moon or an inferiority complex that would make a psychiatrist cringe.

weve got to be better. But well need luck, too. Winning football teams are teams that haw luck, nut with that luck, we can beat anybody. I think the fans are beginning to realize that HAROLD JACKSON felt the 594 win was just retribution for a. Ram season that he termed dap-pointing until two weeks ago when we beat the 49ers i23-3) and everything just turned around.

We always had the personnel, but we never put everything together like we should have. The defense always has own great, but the offense wasn't consistent until the last few weeks. "The offense was not executing. Wed fumble, and do other bad things. When theres a breakdown in the offense, the whole team breaks down.

Was the Rams earlier three-quarterback situation, wherein a different man started at the position every week, a factor in the offense's breakdown -It was definitely a problem, fired back Jack-son, without a second's hesitation on the touchy subject People say that it doesnt make a difference which quarterback is used, but it does. They feel "Tthatlf a team is good, it will win with any quarter back as long as hers good. But thats not true. Using a different.quarter-back each week is difficult on the the running everybody on the offensive team. I are who was No.

1 I as one stayed there every week. I really didn't care who was No. 1 long tayed there every week. Since weve adopted IIANK IIOLLINGHORTII jy s' V- Scholarlyapproach that formula; weve come together as a team. 1 HAVE TO learn from my bad decisions, he continued.

If I don't throw to Harold (Jackson) right away or to the screen back, I'm going to get sacked. I pit sacked today because' I was indecisive. That's the third lame in a row thats happened and I dont like it. Pat Ram QB who also doubles as. Rhodes Scholar, drops back to pass during 59-0 rout of Atlanta Saturday.

Haden completed 13 of 21 tosses for. 214 yards but said' he was not satisified with his -APWtrfrtitta but I can't use the old technique, and Im very unset about it" "MACK SAID that he also didnt appreciate a newer ruling that permitted a defensive lineman to slap his offensive' peer in the head as many times as possiMe.77 Ive had to take counter measures there, too," Tom said, a savage smile lighting, his erstwhile sad 'em slap you Mug -em the -ribs. They usually stop slapping you." Regarding the new rule of pushing ones hands out ana grabbing a jersey, Mack was asked if the Cardinals infamous Conrad Dobler was taking advantage of it No comment, snorted Mack, "because DoMcr does not make any attempt whatsoever to Mock." DESPITE BADENS disappointment with his rformance and Macks distress about the new locking technique, the general feeling. of the Rams about Saturdays win was best exemplified by Greg Horton. Harold had a parting shot A couple of years ago I predicted that, the Rams would meet Oakland in the Super Bowl.

I guess 1 was a couple years early. The implication was not misted. If Im not completely satisfied, Im generally performance. pleased because the team has confidence in me now. I couldnt expect the rest of the team to be confident of me when I was given the No.

1 job because they didn't know if I could produce. While 1 dont think I'm doing a great job, Im appreciative of that confidence. I cant complain, but if were going to go far in ''the playoffs, weve got to sustain our blocks longer. Jf we do that, who knows how far well go. IN THE WAKE of the 59-point spree, Haden conceded that the Rams wanted to runup the highest score possible.

"Thats not Chuck Knoxs usual game plan, but TOM MACK agreed 110 per cent with Mr. Jack-. "Using 'three quarterbacks was definitely our biggest offensive difficulty, said the veteran guard. You don't know whether the quarterback is going to step up, or back, or out Timing goes out the window when a different quarterback is in there every week. Now the line knows how to react and the results are showing.

A more personal proMem bothered the 11-year veteran. Some of my professional expertise, is being taken away with the new Mocking technique, sighed Mack. With the Rams, we'd been coached to Mock under the circumstances with points being a possible factor for the home field advantage in the playoffs, we had no recourse, said the quarterback. We had something Jo shoot for today. The Western Division championship was on the line and we didn't want to go to Detroit next Saturday with the title up in the air, either.

I feel sorry for the Falcons, but sometimes in a football game there is no place for mercy. How does Haden feel the Rams will fare in the playoffs? Every team in the playoffs will be good, so dressing room, a young lady asked what he thought of the eyes and replied, "Money, As he departed rushed up to him a pivotal win. Horton rolled his money, money! the and RAMS ROMP Scoreboard says it all for Falcons Now you know why Peppier wants out meaning the. unsettling coaching situation. But he added, We were1 badly beaten, by a vastly superior football team so none of that means a thing right now.

1 1 guess they needed all those points. But I will 5 ep I the Rams were doing some highly since ta I (Continued From S-l) passes, Including a 53-yard shot from Haden, and ran an end-around for 10 both days ending a yard short of the goal to set up Jessie also came up a yard shy on an end-around against New -Orleans a week earlier, 'Tve got to learn bow to get one. more -yard on that, he said. It was mostly levity in the Rams, dressing room, but there -were serious thoughts, as well. Haden, who completed 13 of his 21 said, "This week was beautiful, Youngblood said.

We were so close, so loose. We knew what we had to do, but if a football team lets the pressure of a situation get to it, it cant play to its potential, we. had a loose mental attitude toward this thing. -jr; Brooks said, Its something to really shut somebody down like that, but we got up on them quick, and then we could lay our ears back and go. ing factor in deciding a home field Advantage for the playoffs.

WheA advised that might have had something to do with it, he said somberly, Well, if thats the case, then say unnecesary Like what? Let it go at that, be snapped, declining to elaborate. Quarterback Scott Hunter, who was 4-for-9 passing for only 17 yards in the first half and then wisely-sat out the second, clearly was disturbed, by the embarrassing loss but refused to criticize the Rams. Theres always next year, said Hunter who's also a part-time politician (he was defeated last month in a bid to become a county commissioner in Alabama). "Like politics," be added with a grin, sometimes its best to keep your mouth shut So he Tommy Nobis, the Falcons veteran all-Pro middle linebacker, wasn't as upset with the Rams as he was with his own team. Over-all, it was a poor effort, be said.

Im sure the Rams werent trying to stick it to us. They havetoo much class for that I guess, getting toward the end of the season, they wanted to nit some goals or achieve some individual Mghs or And I'm sure they got em all in this game. But were really a decimated team. That's not an excuse, just a fact We didnt have (all-Pro defensive end) Claude. Humphrey, for one thing.

Now, I know Claude doesn't make 59 points difference. But him being out had to give the Rams a Mg lift He always plays well against them. Peppier, too, pointed out the numerous Atlanta injuries as well as what he calls outside events, By GORDON VERRELL SUIT Writer 4 Pat Peppier finally has an answer for all those people who wonder why he doesn't want to be coach the Atlanta Falcons. rIf anyone would have taken the time Saturday to ask the 54-year-old Peppier, the clubs general manager and for the last month its coatii as well, why he wants out as coach at the end of the season, he no doubt would have pointed at the Coliseum scoreboard and wailed: "See?" Losing to the Rams is one thing. The Falcons nearly always manage to do that Butlosing to them, 590, like they did on Saturday, the most points the Falcons have ever given up in one game, well "what can you say? Thats the first question that was put to Peppier following the mauling.

After some deep thought. Peppier, who looks more like a college professor than a football coach which he says be isnt shrugged his shoulders, managed a smile and then muttered, "I diinno. What can you say? Actually, he did have plenty to say. Sort of. Asked about the Rams running up the score they were still throwing the ball long after the game had been decided, which, for all intents, was somewhere between the coin toss and the national anthem Peppier said, "Thats their business.

But am glad none of their players got hurt prolonging the game with all their passing. Anyway, these things have a way of coming back to haunt you. Peppier admitted he wasn't aware that the Rams needed the points should that he the determine settled, free safety Bill ptac' we 0681 1 teara Simpson intercepted a pass and made an alert How they scored today that a lot of teams in the NFL would have beaten. Next week will be a very good test for us." Defensive end Fred has done some extraordinary things over as interim coach after Marion Campbell was tanked a while back. His Falcons.

coming off a 30-13 loss to expansion Seattle, turned around and knocked off San Francisco at a time when the 49ers still were very much expecting to wind up in the NFL playoffs. The shock waves continued the next week when the Falcons stunned Dallas, the Rams' probaMe foe in the 'opening round of the playoffs in two weeks. It was such a monumental victory for the struggling Falcons that Nobis, a Texan, was quoted as saying, Now I can go back to Texas with my chin up. Asked it was possiMe to draw any kind of comparison between the Rams and the Cowboys, Peppier sidestepped nicely by saying, Were not the same team now that we were when we beat Dallas Thats obvious. For example, the Rams outgained the Falcons, 569 yards to 81.

1 Another, example of how things went Saturday for the Falcons, in the third quarter they completed a pass that went for a minus-two yards. Thats the good I news. The bad news is, they fimMed the ball to the 1 Rams. 1 I- But it wasnt entirely file Rams show. The -Falcons once got all the way to the 48-yard line.

Their own. r. They also Mocked a couple of PAT attempts by Tom Dempsey, apparently intimidating the Rim kicker so much that later he missed one on his own. That, snorted one Falcon, meaning the Rams PAT attempts, was our best play. a-a Dryer, who also had a sack, expressed com sion for the battered cons.

I was there, Dryer: said, in 69. 70 and 71 the New York Giants). A lot of guys on their team were aisap- IS. rwrouurmt Km MUa i PmtfwyC hrtd rol.lto Drtvr cfyards to Hkn mm to 7i (Damaicy kirk btocktd Mrdtial, II B. Dm: yards la i PC! that we had-to kirk tocMto have 60 ML AJUaia to Uao Hsdrayam to Jaaalt.

pnSikSTtoV imPrtant to us, but they dnt have anything to wummItk play for, really. mm 34, A Mala to Dnmncy TEAM STATBTKS AIL bn rntdowM I by roduag 1 byMMfM II bypraalty 4 PA-R-H1 am Jl-M-I Vdk. (lined puin( 351 di alt. psM toM I II Set vii ntfbmi a 214 IMd Ml yard .11 554 Tsui offrauv to 71 pUyt Arf (in per play IAS 74 PuiuJiwnje 443 3 2 4 rwcbinAoM 2-2 PmJtirWyardi Mt 671 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS All. Tfi NTC Avf IMS TIT Enmito 13 41 3.77 13 4 CoOiM 4 i IS 4 Beta I 0W 4 4 Slanbatk 3 tin I I Totals III 13 I Rams TCB VC Avf LG TD NcOWfheon.S 121 lot 40 3 CapprUfttl I SIM 4 I 4 I Bertfbn 2 to.

IW II .1 a-in i i .1 II 11.04 II i .1 14 low 4 2 la 2 1 .1 I toll 11 ill II I Total. 'r 41 211 S.I2 44 3 All. PA LG TD Hunter I 4 1 IT II I 4. I Slmbark 2 IS to- a Collins batons I II 11 a geatj I I 4 I Bob Adams 1 15 IS I Totals II 72 IS a tarns No Vds. LG TD 4.1'2 53 I CsppefleRj 4 42 I Jarksoa 2 31 17 I Kina 2 3 I 23 I MrCatrfaoto I I a to.

KSm i Jf -3 i Neisoa 4 BryiM I I Tout hum a i -1 ii 12 a i Totaia 22 II 2 72 IS I recovery of a Falcon fum- Me that was bouncing out of bounds. No matter what the score," he said, you want to get as many points as you can. especially the way the playoffs set up. But once you get on top of a team, it's tough for them. They really had nothing to play for after that McCutcheon said, We wore 'em down and we took the fight out of.

em. Cullen Bryant set up three short scoring drives with strong punt returns and scored the days last touchdown on a three-yard sweep, following a 25-yard pass from JaworskL Tom Dempsey kicked field. goals of 42 and 29 yards hut had trouble with extra points. His first two were blocked and he skied the third one wide before settling down to boot five in a row, including the 59th point Ron Jessie caught four Sana PA PC Hi Yds. LG TD Hsdea 2 13 I 214 0.

-v Him. I 4 I 1 I Jaaonki I ToUls II II I All. Karfls. LG TD Lspnstto I 23 13 I v-n Not this time Believe it or not, this play didnt work for Rams Saturday. Intended receiver old Jackson has pass from Haden broken up by Atlantas Rolland Lawrence.

Almost everything else Rams tried clicked in 59-0 rout. Jumping Jessie Ron Jessie isn't jumping for joy al- comfortably in front of Falcon defender though it would have been-appropriate Frank Reed. Jessie had big afternoon with Saturday. Jessie is merely leaving his feet four receptions for 112 yards, to gather in pass rom Pat Haden, surf Photo, by ROGER cot.