By Bill Coats 09/28/2007 2:33 pm
The Rams’ defense is ranked seventh in the NFL, but that statistic is a bit misleading. Of the first three foes, only Carolina (12th) ranks in the top half of the league in total offense. Tampa Bay is 22nd and San Francisco 31st.
On Sunday in Dallas, the Rams will square off with the league leader in scoring (38.7 points) and the No. 2 squad in total offense.
“We’ve got a great challenge, because the team we’re playing, they’ve got it all,” defensive coordinator
Jim Haslett said. “They can run the ball, they can throw it, they’ve got a great quarterback, two good running backs, good tight ends and receivers. We’ll see where we are after this week.”
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Coach Scott Linehan bristled slightly when it was suggested earlier this week that his modus operandi on offense is to play it safe.
“I don’t know if my M.O. is to play safe; I think it’s to play smart,” Linehan said. “You have to do both. There’s a happy medium in protecting your quarterback, running the football and being aggressive. We certainly have not achieved that. . . .
“We want to be smart, efficient and explosive. That’s our goal on offense. We have moved the football. We have not put points on the board for a number of reasons. . . . We have to get the ball in the end zone. We’re not looking for field goals. We have to finish the drive with a kick. . . .
“We were one of the better teams scoring in the red zone (in 2006). We finished second in the league scoring inside the red zone. We have not passed that test this year.”
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Linebacker
Pisa Tinoisamoa, who will suit up this week after missing two games with a sprained ankle, gets a kick out of listening to Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens yap during a game. Asked what Owens says, Tinoisamoa said:
“What doesn’t he say? It ranges. If he’s doing good, you’re going to hear a lot from him. When he’s not doing good, you don’t hear from him. Maybe his own teammates might hear from him.”
Tinoisamoa say he limits his barking to his pals in blue and gold. “When I talk, it’s definitely not to the other team. I talk to my own teammates,” he said.
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Notes & quotes:
>>The Rams haven’t opened 0-4 since 2002. They finished 7-9 that year.
>>CB Fakhir Brown returns next week after serving a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy. DT
Claude Wroten, banned for the same indiscretion, is back after the Arizona game Oct. 7.
>>WR
Torry Holt, on team morale: “I think the atmosphere is really good, very positive. Guys know what we have to do. They understand where we are right now, that we’re 0-3. It’s not a good feeling and everybody wants to extend their play to get things turned around. It’s just a matter of going out on Sundays and making it a reality.”
>>Linehan, on the Cowboys being favored by almost two touchdowns: “We know that we’re heavy underdogs and we’re using that for motivation to go in there and give a great effort. We expect to go down there and be successful.”
All for now. .
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