Longtime Rams fans remain devoted amid disappointment

Neal Dawson spent $100,000 on a 31-foot recreational vehicle that he uses exclusively for Rams tailgate parties, customized with leather seats, three flat-screen televisions — two inside, one outside — a sound system and a kegerator.

With 16 season tickets, valued at $200 apiece, included in his investment in his favorite team, Dawson is not about to abandon the Rams — even after their dreadful 4-12 homecoming season.

“I’m all in,” Dawson, a 52-year-old Yorba Linda resident who owns a rental equipment company, said before the Rams were pummeled by the Arizona Cardinals, 44-6, in Sunday’s season finale.

“I’ve been to every game this year. We’ll probably get a suite in the new stadium. I hope my kids bring their families to the games. I love watching the Rams. I could sit here all day and night and watch them.”

As challenging as that would seem for most fans, considering the team’s impotent offense, a defense that suffered two fourth-quarter collapses and a penchant for penalties and mistakes, Dawson is not alone.

“There’s no way I would jump ship now,” said Joseph Plaza, a 26-year-old Costco cashier from San Bernardino who was decked out in a Jack Youngblood jersey. “I’ll hold my season tickets at least until the new stadium opens [in 2019]. The Rams are like family to me. I’m a big football fan.”

Whether it’s the powerful pull of the NFL or the satisfaction of having the Rams home after their 21-year run in St. Louis, several longtime fans are willing to extend the team’s honeymoon phase in Los Angeles beyond this brutal season.

“I’ve been a fan long enough to know that teams are gonna have their ups and downs,” said Richard Zurawik, a 49-year-old season-ticket holder from Oxnard. “They need to put out a quality product if they want to retain their customer base, but I’ll probably keep my tickets next year.”

How would Zurawik define a quality product?

“A winning team,” he said. “Not necessarily a winning team, but one that is fun to watch. The games this year are a little hard to watch. They’re not superexciting. If they were scoring 32 points and losing, it would be a fun game to watch.”

Jeff Brooks, a 57-year-old from Sherman Oaks who was a Rams season-ticket holder for eight years before they moved to St. Louis, said the 21-year wait for the Rams to return still has been worth it.

“The season is disappointing, a lot of transition, but I’m happy they’re here,” said Brooks, who wore an original Jackie Slater jersey Sunday. “They broke my heart when they left. I hated them for 21 years and forgave them five minutes after they came back.”

Bill Pogue, a 79-year-old retired police officer from West Hills who has been a Rams fan since 1955, was “real excited” when the Rams returned in January and optimistic after their 3-1 start.

“We thought, this is really gonna work,” Pogue said. “But then things started going south, and it got a little discouraging. But hey, it’s not gonna keep us from coming and supporting them.”

Dawson, who has a “Rams 1999 Super Bowl Champion” tattoo on his right calf, admitted this season has tested his faith.

“I just want to win; I’m tired of losing,” he said. “I bring customers out here, but nobody wants to come now. The face value of my tickets are $200, and I’ve had people sitting next to me who are buying them for $20. I’m thinking, ‘How are they getting seats for so little that we’ve waited so long for?’ ”

There were plenty of disgruntled fans on hand Sunday, with many booing throughout the game and hundreds streaming for the Coliseum exits early in the fourth quarter.

Rookie quarterback Jared Goff, a supposed franchise cornerstone, took another beating, getting sacked seven times for losses that totaled 72 yards. Much of the Rams’ immediate future will hinge on Goff’s development under a new coach. The former California standout has not instilled much confidence in fans.

“I think he looks lost,” Mike Huggins, 54, of Lancaster said. “I think the game is a little faster than he expected.”

Scott Maakestad, 51, drove all the way from Wrightwood for Sunday’s game and left disappointed in the offense.

“He has not been impressive,” Maakestad said of Goff. “Sadly, without an offensive line, he doesn’t have a chance, and that’s why [Todd] Gurley is not getting any yardage. With no protection, they’re not going to be a competitive team.”

Staff writer Matt Wilhalme contributed to this report.

mike.digiovanna@latimes.com

Twitter: @MikeDiGiovanna