Thursday, October 25, 2007
Mary Kay Cabot
Plain Dealer Reporter
Rams tight end Randy McMichael guaranteed a victory over the Browns on Tuesday, and running back Steven Jackson backed it up on Wednesday.
"Randy McMichael guaranteed a win?" Jackson asked on a conference call with Cleveland media on Wednesday. "I didn't know. Well, then I back it. I guarantee it with him."
Jackson said he did so because of solidarity on the 0-7 Rams.
"We don't divide," said Jackson. "We don't shy away from one another. If a guy goes out and puts it on the line, then we've got to go out and do it."
McMichael told the Sports Ticker in St. Louis on Tuesday: "We have nothing else to say - we are going to win the football game."
The Browns seemed unfazed - although it undoubtedly will become bulletin board material.
"It's his way of psyching up his team," Browns center Hank Fraley said. "Everybody feels they're gonna win every week. It doesn't make me want to play any harder."
Kellen Winslow found nothing wrong with it.
"It's just confidence," he said. "That's the way it should be. But I've seen a lot of them backfire."
Rams coach Scott Linehan supported his troops during his conference call Wednesday
think people do that to try to motivate," he said. "I'd say there's no guarantee in life - I know that. Regardless of how it's perceived, we've got to do something to get a win, and a little psychology for us wouldn't hurt."
College memories:
Browns quarterback Derek Anderson and Jackson, the 24th overall pick by St. Louis in 2004, were roommates as freshmen at Oregon State and have remained good friends.
"Even as a freshman, he was a man against boys out there," said Anderson. "He was running guys over, and it was like, 'Wow! This kid's like 18 years old.' "
He remembered Jackson bowling over Oregon's secondary as a sophomore.
"He was like 235 and lean," said Anderson. "He doesn't quit either. You've got to tackle him the whole game."
They lived together in the international dorm and had to talk to each other "because only a few of us in there spoke English," said Anderson.
When Anderson got the Browns' starting job in Week 2, he received a text message from Jackson. It read, "Make it hell on them to make a decision once they bring the rookie in up there."
Anderson's performance is no surprise to Jackson, who chose Oregon State, in part, because Anderson was going.
"When the Browns picked him up, I knew the opportunity would come because there was no sure starter there," said Jackson. "He's...
-10-25-2007, 11:53 AM
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