PRO FOOTBALL DAILY REPORT : RAMS : Broken Helmet Led to Giant Touchdown

Coach Chuck Knox said the Rams had only 10 defensive players on the field on Giant running back Rodney Hampton’s 27-yard touchdown run Sunday because a player was getting his helmet fixed on the sideline.

“We sent in our short-yardage defense and a player was getting his headgear fixed,” Knox said.

Cornerback Todd Lyght vented frustration at coaches on the sideline after chasing Hampton on the play. Lyght said Monday that he was “mad about the miscommunication between the players and the coaches.”

“And I was mad at myself too, because I didn’t call time out,” he said. “We had called time out the play before because we didn’t have enough guys on the field.

“I was wondering if we should waste another timeout, which I should have. But I was thinking, it was third and short and maybe we can let them get a first down and stop them the next series.”

Knox did not identify the missing player.

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Defensive end Sean Gilbert is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against New Orleans. Knox said doctors plan to treat inflammation in Gilbert’s shoulders with medication and rest.

Cornerback Wymon Henderson, who has a groin injury, is expected to sit out two to three weeks, Knox said. Steve Israel, still bothered by tendinitis in a knee, or Dexter Davis will replace Henderson in the nickel defense.

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Starting quarterback Chris Miller has been pressed by backup Chris Chandler, who is coming off a sprained ankle.

Knox was asked if Miller’s strong play against the Giants--he completed 13 of 26 passes for 197 yards with two touchdowns and an interception--had erased any doubts about his ability to maintain the starting job or run the offense.

“I never had any doubts that he could play,” Knox said. “That’s why we brought him here. The question has been: ‘Will he get hurt?’ He got the rib cartilage, then the (shoulder) and then the stinger down in his finger. But you get him healthy, like anybody else, he can perform at his best.”