Rams follow Ferguson-related gesture with statement win over Raiders
ST. LOUIS -- Five Rams players made a clear statement by putting their hands up in a show of support for the St. Louis community during pregame introductions Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome.
Coach Jeff Fisher spoke with his team Wednesday about the decision Monday by the grand jury to not indict police officer Darren Wilson for shooting Michael Brown, an unarmed teenager, in Ferguson back in August. The announcement re-ignited riots and peaceful protests in Ferguson as well as other parts of the St. Louis area, grabbing headlines around the world along with the attention of Rams players.
"We help build up this community," said tight end Jared Cook, who followed the story closely and even read the newspaper Saturday night in the team hotel. "We help build up the people around this community daily with our visiting schools and talking to kids, so coming out and showing that we're unified with the rest of them, it was key to us."
Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey both stressed the importance of trying to get something positive out of a tragic situation, and they gave an announced crowd of 55,650 plenty to smile about while sending another clear statement, this one to the rest of the NFL. A 52-0 win over the Raiders began with 35 points for the Rams for the first time in more than a year with 8:10 remaining in the first half en route to the league's most lopsided win this season.
While protests continued outside the stadium with some singing chants of "no justice, no football," Oakland provided a welcome reprieve from nine straight games against teams with 7-4 records or better (entering Week 13). The Raiders got their first win against Kansas City a week ago, but quarterbacks David Carr and Matt Schaub and the rest of the offense looked hapless against a relentless St. Louis pass rush that teamed up with an aggressive secondary to force six turnovers and five sacks.
Passing proved to be the key early for an offense typically at its best after establishing the run as Shaun Hill threw the ball on his first nine plays. Bailey continued to stake his claim as St. Louis' new go-to receiver with five catches for 100 yards, all in the first quarter.
"That was Shaun doing a really good job," Fisher said. "We had a lot of runs called and Shaun had the option to just throw the ball outside. I think he aborted six runs in the first two or three series."
A dominant first quarter was nothing new for the Rams, who have outscored opponents 69-9 in the opening 15 minutes of their past eight games, including 49-3 in four home games. They still lost four of those eight, but this time they kept pouring it on, capped off by a 44-yard interception return touchdown from Trumaine Johnson midway through the fourth quarter.
Rookie Tre Mason opened the scoring with a 35-yard touchdown on a screen play and rushed for 117 yards and two touchdowns, including one from 89 yards to extend the lead to 28-0 early in the first quarter. Defensive end Chris Long returned to the starting lineup after missing 10 games with a foot injury, and he drew a huge roar from the crowd with his first sack of the season.
One win, no matter the margin, won't be enough for St. Louis to earn respect in the loaded NFC West, much less have a chance at making the playoffs. But it should provide a boost for a young team that is closer than people realize after several impressive wins and close losses.
More important, the victory won't provide any magic fix for the issues that divide the community, including the many Rams fans who joined the protesters or those who applauded the police while leaving the Edward Jones Dome. Long may have said it best Wednesday, when he was asked after practice how the Rams' performance on the field could make an impact.
"The issues at play are 100 times bigger than sports and we're just athletes," he said. "If sports can provide a little relief and allow people to kind of come together as a community and watch a game and forget about the things that are going on, then I hope that can help out, but it would be a big assumption to think that sports can fix everything."
The support of the Rams has extended well beyond the football field since August, when they opened up their practice facility to three Ferguson-area high school teams while schools were shut down in the wake of the shooting and the explosive reaction that followed. Fisher also said the organization has quietly been offering tickets to Ferguson small business owners and doing what it can to help.
Long still follows some of the high school students through social media, and Cook says he plans to visit Ferguson, especially after hearing the stories his family told following a visit while they were in town for Thanksgiving weekend. He said the same tragic fate could have happened to any of the young players who aren't much older than Michael Brown, and that passion made him eager to come up with some sort of gesture when Britt suggested it during pregame warmups.
"We know there's things out there that's bigger than football," said Britt, who wrote the words "Mike Brown" on his wrist tape for the game. "I don't want the community to think that we turned a blind eye to them. I want to let them know that we support them."
You can follow Luke Thompson on Twitter at @FS_LukeT or email him at lukegthompson87@gmail.com.
