The Guard Changes : After 12 Years, Dennis Harrah, 33, Has Become the Elder Statesman of the Rams’ Camp

Twelve years ago, it was Dennis Harrah tagging along behind the great Ram guard, Tom Mack, watching his every move, the brunt of his every prank.

Harrah was the brash and brazen first-round choice from Miami, Mack a veteran nearing the end of a storied career.

A great kidder, Mack used to like to sneak up behind Harrah, reach around and pull the hairs from his chest.

“Tom Mack was the biggest jerk when it came to rookies,” Harrah said. “He made life a constant harassment. Every minute he was doing something to you.”

But Mack was also there to teach Harrah how to throw a trap block. He was there to show him how to read a playbook, miss a curfew, cheat at cards and put his uniform on straight.

So here it is, all these years later, and look who the old man is now. Look who’s taking bonus babies by the hand and leading them through the Rams’ camp. Look who’s making rookie guards stand up at dinner and sing, “Roll out the Barrel.”

Dennis Harrah turned 33 a few months ago, shortly after playing in his fourth Pro Bowl game.

When Jack Youngblood retired last season, Harrah became the Rams’ elder statesman. He has been a fixture at guard since becoming a starter in 1976.

Harrah has secretly been waiting for a rookie guard to come along with a chest of hair ripe for the plucking, someone so naive as to ask directions to the cafeteria.

Sooner or later, it will be time for another changing of the guards in Anaheim, and Harrah doesn’t want the guy taking over his cherished spot to dishonor the position.

So meet Tom Newberry, 6 feet 1 inch and 290 pounds. He was the Rams’ second-round draft pick last spring and looms as the man likely to take over from Harrah somewhere down the line.

Newberry is a tough kid, as Harrah was, ready to knock the National Football League on its backside.

He comes from a small school, Wisconsin La Crosse, but got to camp with a big reputation.

Newberry, who considered a boxing career, once knocked out four men in a local “Tough Man” contest. It took him all of two minutes to do it.

That was just the kind of stuff Harrah wanted to hear.

“He could have whipped four girls, for all we know,” Harrah said of Newberry’s feat. “We never got to see the guys he beat up.”

It sounds as though Harrah can’t wait to start lifting from the pages of Tom Mack.

Aside from making him sing in the cafeteria, which is standard rookie procedure, Harrah hasn’t hit Newberry yet. But when he does, it will mark the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

That’s just the way it works. Some people send cards to show they care. Football players deliver big hits to one another.

Of course, seldom leaking out are stories such as Harrah inviting Newberry over to his house for dinner, or Harrah taking the extra time to show Newberry a new blocking technique.

“It’s a pretty good position to be in,” Newberry said of hanging around Harrah. “I just watch the things he does, all the different techniques. He’ll stop and give me advice, like to try to use my hands more.”

Through Harrah, Newberry can also learn the subtleties of being a rookie, like how you don’t go around bragging about how many guys you knocked out once.

“You don’t want to come in here and act like you’re the king of the road,” Harrah said. “The best way to act is to keep your mouth shut and work as hard as you can.”

And that’s what Newberry has been doing. There’ll be plenty of time for stories later.

Harrah admits to softening over the years. There was a time, he said, when he mostly looked out for himself.

“As I get older, I have a tendency to help people more than when I was younger,” Harrah said. “Inside, you do care more about people. When I was younger, I was more self-centered.”

So now Harrah can help players like Newberry prepare for the season and not feel silly about it later. After all, there are a few things he can offer.

“These guys don’t realize how long the season really is,” he said. “You’re playing 20 games when you’re used to playing 8 to 10 in college. It’s a total shock on the body.”

Harrah knows. Someone told him once. “There was a way that Tom Mack took care of people,” Harrah said. “I’d have to go a long way to emulate Tom Mack.”

Ram Notes Still no word on the Rams and quarterback Doug Flutie. His agent, Bob Woolf, said Thursday that he is still waiting for an official release from owner Donald Trump of the New Jersey Generals. When he gets the release, Woolf said he will contact the Rams. Flutie, an 11th-round draft pick by the Rams in 1985, is expected to be released from the $8-million, six-year contract he signed with Trump to play in the United States Football League. . . . Running back Eric Dickerson missed Thursday’s practice because of tight hamstrings. Quarterback Dieter Brock, who bruised his left knee in Tuesday night’s loss to the Houston Oilers, won’t be able to practice until next Monday. Linebacker Jim Collins, who aggravated a pinched nerve in his left shoulder in the Houston game, will be examined by Dr. Robert Watkins today. . . . Wide receiver Ron Brown, who sprained his left wrist in the Oiler game, should be back at practice today. . . . Coach John Robinson said that Dick Coury, the Rams’ quarterback coach, would probably be calling the team’s offensive plays this season. “We’re trying to be a more wide-open football team this year,” Robinson said.