Season Preview: Rams ’92 : Knox Might Not Have Tools to Get Them Out of This Fix

Chuck Knox, popular mechanic, has been summoned back to the old garage to rebuild again what he rebuilt 19 years ago, now that the Rams have gone and wrecked his original piece of work.

That was some machine, too, that ’73 Rambler. According to legend, Knox built it from scraps. Took it from the junkyard to the divisional championship in the space of 12 months--the instant overhaul that would become his calling card as he moved on to Buffalo and Seattle, hired to do the same kind of job.

Now he is back with the Rams.

Hence, the Rams should be back as well, no?

No.

September 1992 does not resemble September 1973 in any way, shape or form. Knox has turned 60, the NFL has gone techno, the NFC West has gone upscale, and the Rams, very simply, have never been in worse shape than when Knox re-inherited them nine months ago.

Then and now--they have nothing in common except the horns on the helmets.

Then: The mess left behind for Knox, courtesy of an old UCLA coach, is (a) a 6-7-1 record in 1972; (b) a two-year record of 14-12-2; (c) the 16th-ranked defense in the league; (d) the 14th-ranked offense in the league; (e) four Pro Bowl players; (f) a starting offensive line of Charlie Cowan, Tom Mack, Ken Iman, Joe Scibelli and Harry Schuh and (g) a two-game losing streak.

Now: The mess left behind for Knox, courtesy of an old USC coach, is (a) a 3-13 record in 1991; (b) a two-year record of 8-24; (c) the 27th-ranked defense in the league; (d) the 24th-ranked offense in the league; (e) no Pro Bowl players; (f) a starting offensive line of Oft-Troubled Gerald Perry, guard-turned-center-turned-guard Tom Newberry, center-turned-guard-turned-center Bern Brostek, Joe Milinichik and Jackie Slater, the oldest non-quarterback in the league, and (g) a 10-game losing streak.

Then: In the three college drafts preceding the arrival of Knox, the Rams make first-round selections of Jack Reynolds, Isiah Robertson and Jack Youngblood.

Now: In the six college drafts preceding the arrival of Knox, the Rams make first-round selections of Mike Schad, Gaston Green, Aaron Cox, Bill Hawkins, Cleveland Gary, Bern Brostek and Todd Lyght.

Then: The Rams’ franchise player, quarterback Roman Gabriel, is 32 and coming off a season in which he passes for 12 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. Knox deems him over the hill and immediately trades him to Philadelphia for Harold Jackson.

Now: The Rams’ franchise player, quarterback Jim Everett, is 29 and coming off a season in which he passes for 11 touchdowns and 20 interceptions. Knox immediately deems him “the best quarterback I’ve ever had,” largely because Phil Simms wasn’t available during Plan B. Knox does, however, spend a ninth-round pick on Tulsa quarterback T.J. Rubley, whose Freedom Bowl triumph over San Diego State left the 1991 Anaheim Stadium victory standings at Everett 2, Rubley 1.

Then: In another big off-season trade, Knox sends Pro Bowl defensive tackle Coy Bacon to San Diego for quarterback John Hadl, who will pass for 22 touchdowns in 1973 and be voted NFC most valuable player.

Now: In his biggest off-season trade, Knox sends reserve linebacker Frank Stams to Cleveland for a middle-round draft choice.

Then: Lawrence McCutcheon, a second-year halfback from Colorado State, is inserted into the starting lineup on a hunch by Knox and responds with 1,097 yards in 210 carries, a 5.2 average.

Now: Lawrence McCutcheon scouts other running backs for Knox.

Then: With McCutcheon, Jim Bertelsen (854 yards in 1973), Tony Baker (344) and Larry Smith (291), the Rams proceed to lead the NFC in rushing.

Now: With Robert Delpino, Cleveland Gary, David Lang and rookie Tim Lester, the Rams enter their opener with four running backs who combined to average 2.6 yards in 48 preseason carries.

Then: Knox’s best defensive player is 32-year-old tackle Merlin Olsen, an eventual Hall of Famer.

Now: Knox’s best defensive player is tackle Sean Gilbert, who was 3 years old in 1973.

Then: Knox begins the season 0-0 in runs at the Super Bowl.

Now: Knox begins the season 0-19 in runs at the Super Bowl.

Then: The Rams win their first six regular-season games, taking advantage of an early schedule that includes Kansas City (7-5-2 in 1973), San Francisco (5-9), Houston (1-13) and Green Bay (5-7-2).

Now: The Rams play four 1991 playoff teams in their first six regular-season games, including Super Bowl XXVI runner-up Buffalo in the opener, plus Miami in Week 3, plus the Super Bowl XXV champion New York Giants in Week 7. Only once do the Rams have a chance to be favored before November--Week 2, at home, against New England, providing the oddsmakers ignore the fact that at 6-10 in 1991, the Patriots still won twice as many games as the Rams.

Then: The balance of the NFC West consists of:

--Atlanta, which finishes 9-5 in 1973 despite being burdened with Bob Lee as its starting quarterback and a wide-receiver combo of Ken Burrow and Al Dodd.

--San Francisco, which slumps to 5-9 after an aging John Brodie slips from starting quarterback to No. 3 behind Steve Spurrier and Joe Reed. The 49ers’ leading receiver in 1973? Tight end Ted Kwalick.

--New Orleans, which considers 5-9 a major leap forward after its 2-11-1 finish of 1972. The Saints’ top running back is Jess Phillips. The Saints’ starting wide receivers are Bob Newland and Jubilee Dunbar.

Now: The balance of the NFC West consists of:

--New Orleans, which won its first division championship in 1991, owns the world’s most frightening corps of linebackers and has a new and improved Dunbar, Vaughn, who was probably the premier running back in this spring’s draft.

--Atlanta, which went 10-6 in 1991, reached the NFC semifinals and is ready to fill the Georgia Dome with touchdown strikes from Chris Miller to Andre Rison and Michael Haynes.

--San Francisco, professional football’s “Team of the ‘80s,” which has plummeted to 14-2 and 10-6 in the ‘90s.

Then: Knox is “Chuck Who?,” an obscure 40-year-old assistant coach, hired away from the Detroit Lions, with everything to prove and, after an 0-3-1 start in the preseason, the desperate energy to get it done.

Now: Knox is “Ground Chuck,” a run-first coach with no running game, a defense-wins advocate equipped with little more than a secondary, a 60-year-old two-decade man with his reputation as the league’s Mr. Fix It secure, regardless of what does or doesn’t happen here. Renowned for his ability to finish 9-7--seldom more, seldom less--at the drop of a hat.

Then: The Rams win the NFC West championship at 12-2, still the best single-season victory total in franchise history.

Now: The Rams could go 6-10, which sounds about right, and the season will be termed a success. Go 8-8, Chuck, and they’ll mount your socket wrench on a wall in Canton, gold-plated.