Rams : Contract Disputes Add Intrigue to Camp

Here’s how well contract negotiations are going between the Rams and AWOL guard Tom Newberry and defensive linemen Shawn Miller and Doug Reed:

--Newberry is who knows where. He might be in Nashville, Tenn., with his parents, but even Newberry’s agent, Greg Campbell, isn’t sure of his whereabouts. “He’s taken off,” he said. “I don’t know where he is.”

Campbell also doesn’t know when to expect a phone call from the Rams or Newberry. The last time he and the Rams talked was weeks ago, he said. Nor has he had much conversation with Newberry, who, according to Campbell, has sold his Orange County home and is waiting patiently, if not stubbornly, for a resolution of differences.

“Most players would be calling three times a day,” Campbell said. “Not Tom.

“The whole thing is stupid.”

--Miller is in Utah, perfecting his water skiing slalom technique. He and agent Peter Funsten keep in touch, but at the moment, there’s not a lot to discuss. The Rams are offering this much, Miller wants that much. End of negotiations.

“Obviously, he’d love to get a contract,” Funsten said. “We’re just waiting for (the Rams) to do something.”

--Reed is eager to report and might be in camp as soon as next week. But for now, Reed and agent Harry Vested slug it out with the Rams for more money.

“Doug wants to end his career with the Rams,” Vested said. “But if the Rams don’t feel that way, please release him, trade him . . . something.”

It wouldn’t be Ram training camp without a little intrigue and high finance to stir things up. Newberry, whose contract expires in 1989, wants a raise without having to add more years to his contract. Miller wants double the $150,000 he made last year but would settle for slightly less. Reed wants a four-year contract worth $300,000 or so per season.

Of the three, Newberry’s situation may be the least encouraging. According to Campbell, the Rams offered to add $50,000 to his client’s salaries in 1988 and 1989 if Newberry would agree to a two-year extension. Newberry said no.

“If they hadn’t approached him about it, I don’t think there would have been an issue,” Campbell said.

But they did, and the Rams are short a starting offensive guard because of it. As for the threat of fines and other assorted penalties, Campbell said the Rams are wasting their time. “They shouldn’t be fining him, they should be finding him,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Miller camp said it wants “considerably more” than the $225,000 the Rams gave nose tackle Greg Meisner to sign last week. “We’re looking for a simple two-year deal,” Funsten said.

Reed’s demands are similar, though. Vested said they would even OK a temporary deal, such as the kind Gaston Green and the Raiders’ Tim Brown signed, while finishing touches are applied to something more permanent.

“Doug would come to camp. No problem at all,” Vested said.

The Rams aren’t holding their breath on any of this. Business continues as usual, which means that defensive coordinator Fritz Shurmur makes do with Meisner, Alvin Wright, Ross Browner, injured Gary Jeter and rookie Mike Piel. Fred Stokes still is considered a project.

“You learn in this business to not count on players that you don’t have,” Shurmur said. “You make plans on what you’ve got today. If a guy comes back, fine. But if he doesn’t, we’re going to proceed.”

Said Coach John Robinson: “I’ll tell you one thing, we’ve got a defensive line now. Meisner, Al Wright, Browner and Jeter and Piel. That’s a nice group of guys. I wouldn’t mind opening our league with that.”

Piel, a defensive end from Illinois, might be the most interesting of the options. He played all but a couple of series in Wednesday’s exhibition game against the Denver Broncos and has played tackle and nose tackle in practices. Right now, he’s nursing a pinched nerve in his neck.

“A defensive lineman is somebody who can line up, beat the hell out of the offensive lineman and go get the guy with the ball,” Shurmur said. “Now ,that’s a defensive lineman. That’s what Piel is.”

Thanks to Miller and Reed’s absence, Piel has received plenty of attention and practice--enough, Shurmur said, “that he’s making a legitimate run” at a starting job.

Piel, a third-round pick, would settle for a place on the Ram final roster.

“It’s a great opportunity for me to get out and get as much playing time as possible,” he said.

But a starting spot?

“I won’t know until (Reed and Miller) get in,” he said. “The only spot I’m working to make is a spot on the team.”

Ram Notes

Linebacker Larry Kelm (knee), running back Robert Delpino (ankle), offensive tackle Irv Pankey (knee), running back Tim Tyrrell (hamstring), linebacker James Seawright (shoulder), cornerback Phillip Frasch (hamstring), cornerback Darren Lambert (shoulder) and defensive end Mike Piel (neck) didn’t practice Friday. . . . Coach John Robinson said he’ll start giving the “veteran veterans” (meaning starters) mornings off beginning next week when two-a-day practices return. . . . The Rams released free agent receiver J.D. Brookhart.