Irvin May Be Down for Count, but He’s Not Out : Rams: No longer a starter, the Pro Bowl cornerback has come to terms with his diminished role on the team.
ANAHEIM — LeRoy Irvin, all but driven out of town in 1987 when he hurled himself upon the dashboard of Eric Dickerson’s greed-is-good tradewagon, now says he wants to die a Ram.
Funny thing, but the Rams were just out pricing shovels.
The 32-year-old cornerback checked into football’s intensive care unit four weeks ago when he lost his starting right cornerback spot to Clifford Hicks in the second half of the Minnesota game.
Irvin, a two-time Pro Bowl selection, bruised his foot covering Anthony Carter on a pass route and hasn’t been seen back-pedaling much since. The injury provided convenient cover for the Rams to make the permanent move to Hicks, which seemed imminent.
Irvin, also an aspiring boxing promoter, says the switch was as obvious as a round-house punch.
“It’s hard for me, being a starter, a top-notch guy for a long time, to sit on the bench,” Irvin said. “That’s life. They’re going with Cliff, Cliff’s doing a good job and you can’t really blame them.”
The strange thing is that Irvin has come to understand the demotion in the context of his career, which has been long and generally fruitful.
“You know I’m not even worried about starting,” he said. “Just win baby, like Al Davis. That’s all that matters to me now. I have no control over what the Rams think of me. I’m not going to dwell on the starting job. There comes a time when you say, ‘Look, whatever you can do to help the team, that’s my role.’ I’ll do whatever I can do to win.”
When it comes to career talk, Irvin can get as doom-and-gloom as they come. His coach, John Robinson, says there’s still time for Irvin to recapture his form.
“Sure, I think he’s coming back,” Robinson said. “He had a little bit of problem there with his ankle, and just a couple of games where he didn’t play very good. I think he’s coming back.”
Irvin has been written off before, and returned, in the storybook fashion that a fight promoter dreams of.
Irvin, in fact, began the season with his best training camp in years, fighting off Hicks in a red-hot summer that ended sourly with Irvin’s 30-day suspension for violating the National Football League’s substance-abuse policy.
Irvin missed the first three regular-season games and hasn’t really recovered. He believes his ventures into boxing have been looked upon unfavorably by the organization, yet based on his playing time, Irvin figured he might soon need another line of business.
“I think a lot’s being made of my boxing,” he said. “Not just coaches, but people out there in general. But I’m committed to what I’m doing (in football). I put everything on the back burner for this year, but I see the handwriting on the wall. The only way I’ll come back next year is if the Rams say ‘Come back.’ I’m not going anywhere else. I’m going to live and die a Ram. I might be lying now, but the way I feel now, I’m going to live and die a Ram.”
That’s certainly a far cry from 1987, when Irvin became embroiled in a contract dispute that ultimately led to a one-game suspension for “conduct detrimental to the team.” Irvin’s locker was actually cleaned out at one point in anticipation of a trade that was never made.
The years have mellowed Irvin, he says. He has a year remaining on his contract, but the Rams don’t figure to protect Irvin if there’s such a thing as Plan B free agency again.
Two years ago, Irvin would have killed for the chance to test the open market with his promoter’s skills, but he insists he won’t do that this winter.
“If they don’t protect me, I’ll probably just wait till the summer to retire, if I do,” he said. “I’ve played 10 years and I’m happy. My whole thing now is just win baby.”
Irvin, who calls himself the last of a breed of one-on-one gunslingers, says his primary responsibility now is passing on secrets to the next generation of Ram cornerbacks, Hicks and Darryl Henley, in particular.
“I don’t feel like I’ve lost a job,” Irvin said. “I’ve been talking to Clifford for three years now, getting him ready for this day. I feel like one of my proteges is gaining the job, so it feels like I’m out there. I live and die with what Clifford does. If he does good, I’m happy for him, if he does bad, I’m sad. Same thing for Henley.
“It’s kind of strange, you’d think I’d be upset, but not really. Deep down inside I want them to do well, because to me, it’s a reflection of myself.”
As Clifford Hicks might say, here’s looking at you, LeRoy.
Ram Notes
Coach John Robinson said he won’t risk playing Henry Ellard (strained hamstring) this week against Dallas if his star receiver isn’t at full strength. Ellard was listed as questionable, but Robinson was less optimistic Wednesday. “I would say he’s doubtful,” Robinson said. “I’d say he’d have to improve rapidly for him to play. Those kind of guys have to be 100%.” There’s some logic involved here, too. Why risk Ellard to serious injury to the 1-11 Cowboys with a crucial game against San Francisco coming up Dec. 11? . . . Robinson says Doug Reed (ankle sprain) is also out, although he expects cornerback Clifford Hicks and nose tackle Alvin Wright to return from knee injuries. . . . Tailback Greg Bell missed Wednesday’s practice with back spasms. Jackie Slater is expected to start at right tackle after leaving the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game against the Saints with a bruised chest. . . . Receiver Flipper Anderson was brought down to earth after his record-setting night against the Saints when he was criticized in Monday’s team meetings for running sloppy pass routes. Robinson said a little humility never hurt anyone, even NFL record-holders. “We had guys carrying him to the film room,” Robinson said of Anderson’s royal treatment. “It (the meeting) must have made an impact on him.” . . . Defensive coordinator Fritz Shurmur says he’s interested in both head coach openings at Phoenix and Atlanta, but won’t pursue either until after the season.
