Gary Is Left Fumbling for Answers : Rams: Unhappy with contract and feeling unwanted, he has one question: ‘Why?’
BEREA, Ohio — The question continues to go unanswered: Why has this time of uncertainty come for Ram running back Cleveland Gary?
“Let me tell you this, I have not unpacked my suitcase,” Gary said. “I’m the only back in the league, who has rushed for more than 1,100 yards and caught more than 50 passes, who is in this situation.
“It’s been there in USA Today, the Sporting News, everywhere that same question. Why? Why?”
Why did the Rams use two top draft picks on running backs when they already had one of only four backs in the league last season who, as Gary pointed out, rushed for more than 1,100 yards and caught more than 50 passes?
“You got a lot of high draft picks that come into the league and never perform,” Gary said before the Rams’ joint practice here with the Cleveland Browns. “Me, I’m not going to bank on what may be. I’m going to bank on what’s happened.”
Does Gary live in limbo because he’s a known fumbler? He fumbled nine times in 1992, tying for tops in the NFL for running backs. That was an improvement, though, over 1990, when his dozen drops gave him the undisputed fumbling title among running backs.
“Barry Foster had the same amount (last season),” Gary said. “That can’t be it. Nope, that’s not it. There are certain things you just don’t know about. I can’t read their minds.”
Why did the Rams grant an unsigned Gary permission to seek second-round compensation during the off-season to play elsewhere, rather than the first-round compensation called for by the collective bargaining agreement?
Why did the Rams notify other teams that they were willing to deal their leading rusher and receiver of a year ago?
“It looked as if there was a high probability of a trade,” said Jordan Woy, Gary’s agent. “By drafting Russell White and Jerome Bettis, they sent a message to Cleveland that he was probably not what they were looking for.
“What Cleveland needs to do now is handle it positively, be focused and have a super year. I’ve told him, ‘Don’t be surprised if you’re traded, don’t be surprised if you’re not traded.’
“Regardless of what happens, he gets to explore the free-agent market next year. I’ve talked to the Rams, and they felt they paid a lot more than they should have. I don’t think either side is particularly satisfied where it ended.”
Why did the Rams offer less to Gary than what is being offered and paid to other players with comparable statistics?
“We approached the Rams about doing a long-term contract that would pay Cleveland an average of $1.2 million a year,” Woy said. “They had no interest in doing that, and when they drafted Bettis that showed me why.
“For whatever reason, Chuck Knox did not give the nod to indicate that Cleveland was going to be the guy in the backfield for the next three or four years. Why, I don’t know.”
Why do most people think Gary will be traded to Dallas once Bettis recovers from an ankle injury in a few weeks?
“The Cowboys are pretty shrewd,” Woy said. “Coach Jimmy Johnson knows talent and the Cowboys are interested in picking him up. What does that tell you?”
Coach Chuck Knox’s response to every question about Gary has drawn the same response: “From Day 1, I have said we want Cleveland Gary.”
The Rams signed Gary to a one-year contract for $700,000 with a right of first refusal last week. Woy said that if Gary approaches last year’s statistical performance, the right of first refusal will be voided and he will be free to move on without the Rams having to get compensation.
Gary, who has always been friendly and obliging, will not cause problems in the locker room or criticize management. But it’s obvious the business of football has taken its toll.
“I don’t expect them to just love and embrace me,” Gary said. “I expect respect and to be treated fairly for what I have done. How do you treat me fairly? You pay me accordingly.”
Besides Gary, the other backs who rushed for more than 1,100 yards and caught more than 50 passes last season were Dallas’ Emmitt Smith, Houston’s Lorenzo White and Buffalo’s Thurman Thomas.
Smith has rejected Dallas’ $2-million offer, demanding $4 million per year. White has turned down Houston’s $1.5-million bid. Thomas will earn an average of $3.4 million over the next four years.
“Those three are going to make out well,” Gary said. “You look at them, and I don’t think it’s fair. (San Francisco’s) Ricky Watters is behind me in stats, and he’s making more money than I am.
“I’m not bitter or upset with the Rams. It’s impersonal; it’s a business. It really doesn’t bother me, but it’s like the writing is on the wall.”
A week ago, the Rams entertained trade offers from Dallas for Gary. The Cowboys are concerned that Smith will not report in time for the opening of the regular season. The Rams were listening with interest to Dallas until Bettis injured his ankle.
“I figured I was in Dallas or somewhere else,” Gary said. “When Bettis comes back, I know that’s a question that lies in the back of a lot of people’s minds. What’s going to happen to me? I really don’t know what’s going to happen.”
The Rams are not exactly sure when Bettis will return. They have lost Anthony Thompson because of a broken hand, and although he’s scheduled to return for the regular-season opener, a conservative Coach Knox is not about to have him running with the ball and a soft cast on his hand. David Lang, another running back who figured prominently in the Rams’ plans, has been lost for the next few months because of a knee injury.
“There are so many questions and no one has given me an answer,” Gary said. “But they don’t have to. The bottom line is being appreciated, and if somebody trades for me it’s because they want me.
“People die of stress. You can’t take the money with you, so I’m not going to worry about what’s going to happen with me for a second. I have my wife, my kids and I’ll be a happy man--no matter where I play football.”
