What a dominating performance from the Rams who clearly looked like the better team. When James Harris was carried off the field early in the first quarter you had to wonder what chance the Rams had, but Pat Haden filled in and played perfectly. Meanwhile the Rams defense completely bottled up the Eagles. This was an impressive performance by the Rams. Harris did make an appearance on the Rams final possession so he should be ready to start next week.
Los Angeles
Pat Haden 16/28 241yds 2TDs
John Cappelletti 11car/38yds 1TD
Freeman Johnson 9tt/5rec/120yds 1TD
Larry Anderson 9 tackles 1 knockdown 1Fumble recovery
Philadelphia
John Walton 15/28 192yds 1TD 1Int
Ricky Bell 18car/54yds 1TD 1Fumble 6tt/6rec/55yds 1TD
Howie Long 2 tackles 3 sacks
Vann McElroy 9 tackles 2 knockdowns
Los Angeles
Pat Haden 16/28 241yds 2TDs
John Cappelletti 11car/38yds 1TD
Freeman Johnson 9tt/5rec/120yds 1TD
Larry Anderson 9 tackles 1 knockdown 1Fumble recovery
Philadelphia
John Walton 15/28 192yds 1TD 1Int
Ricky Bell 18car/54yds 1TD 1Fumble 6tt/6rec/55yds 1TD
Howie Long 2 tackles 3 sacks
Vann McElroy 9 tackles 2 knockdowns
Rams fans have long wondered what they had in Haden. Today, they found out.
ReplyDeleteThe Rams selected Haden in the seventh round of the 1975 draft after the Rhodes Scholar had quarterbacked the University of Southern California to three straight Rose Bowl appearances.
There was a bypass along the way to his NFL career, however. Haden initially signed a $35,000 contract and, according to his 1977 card, "played 10 games with Southern California Sun of World Football League in 1975 & was league's leading passer before going to Oxford University." In My Rookie Season with the L.A. Rams (Morrow & Company, 1977), Haden wrote with Robert Blair that there "doesn’t seem to be any racial split on the Rams – nothing like the blacks gravitating to (James) Harris and the whites to (Ron) Jaworski." (20) Both players, he wrote, were "immensely popular."