Gutsy Rookies Perk Up Nfl

Give Rich Brooks and Ray Rhodes the early lead for rookie coach of the year in the NFL … for no other reason than guts.

Give Buddy Ryan, who did the same thing Rhodes did, the award for predictable coach of the year. When he lifted Dave Krieg in the second quarter Sunday night, minutes after Rhodes lifted Randall Cunningham, he was simply being Buddy, the man who finds quarterbacks a necessary evil.

Brooks got the Rams job after a number of other people, including Rhodes, went elsewhere.

Here he is, in the Rams’ first home game in St. Louis, leading by four points over the New Orleans Saints with 2:27 to go. With fourth-and-1 at the New Orleans 48 and the Saints coming on, he lines up to punt and … has the ball snapped to up-back Keith Lyle, who runs 4 yards for a first down that clinches the game.

That goes against every rule in the NFL coaches’ handbook never do anything that can backfire when you can play it safe.

“I have never seen anything like it in my life,” said Ron Wolfley, who’s made a career of playing on special teams. “It was incredible. The man wants to win. He’s obsessed with winning. And it’s starting to spread to a bunch of these guys.”

Rhodes, meanwhile, did what people had predicted he’d do since training camp - yank Cunningham for Rodney Peete.

In essence, the move was a no-brainer. The only unusual thing was it took place with the game scoreless in the second quarter.

That’s not to say Peete is the better quarterback. But he is a more disciplined quarterback than Cunningham, who has gotten by on athletic ability. And, as the son of a coach, he reads defenses better and is far more suited for the trendy “West Coast” or “California” or “49ers” or “Bill Walsh” offense Rhodes and Jon Gruden run.

The Eagles won 31-19, largely because Ricky Watters and Charlie Garner combined for 165 yards and Peete made no mistakes.

Rhodes also did the diplomatic thing by declaring Cunningham the No. 1 QB. But for how long?

As for Ryan, he also did the predictable. But he should have known what was coming when he declared Krieg “the answer.”

Notwithstanding Krieg’s excellent half-season in Detroit in 1994, his career has been peaks and valleys.

He’s obviously started in a valley for the Cardinals - three interceptions in the first game and two more Sunday night. That’s two more in 31 attempts this year than he threw last season in 131 attempts.

So out he went, to be replaced by Mike Buck. Can Jay Schroeder or Jim McMahon be far behind?