Bell Doing His Best to Rearrange the Rams’ Depth Chart at Tailback

Guess who’s thrown a monkey wrench--maybe a whole tool box--into the Ram running back situation. None other than Mr. Enigma himself, Greg Bell.

Bell, once a waiver-wire entry waiting to happen, has returned from the depths of the Ram depth chart this summer and now finds himself this close to a place on the team’s 47-man roster. And just think, you needed a searchlight to find Bell’s name at the beginning of training camp.

Bell was at it again Saturday evening, as he rushed for 57 yards in 12 tries and added a 1-yard touchdown dive during the Rams’ 20-17 overtime exhibition loss to the Houston Oilers at Anaheim Stadium. As an added perk, Bell also caught 2 passes for 29 yards.

“He came on strong,” quarterback Jim Everett said. “He was called on, he was psyched up and he did a great job.”

This was the Bell of old. This was the Bell the Rams thought they were getting when they made the Halloween trade that, among other things, sent Eric Dickerson to the Indianapolis Colts and Bell to the Rams.

As resumes went, Bell’s was impressive enough. He rushed for 1,100 yards as a rookie in 1984. The following year, Bell accounted for 1,409 yards in rushes and receptions and added nine touchdowns. A steal, right?

But Bell also had a reputation for fragility. Sure, he could produce big numbers, said his detractors. But he also could produce long stays on the injured reserve. Thus, the birth of the enigma tag.

Even Ram Coach John Robinson mentioned the E-word this past week when describing Bell’s inconsistent career.

He’s talented, Robinson said, but there have been those who have questioned his desire. Not Robinson, though, who said he couldn’t find a single bad thing to say about Bell this summer.

When Bell arrived at Rams Park last November, he was all optimism and confidence. He even went so far to make one of those predictions that can come back to haunt.

Said Bell shortly after Dickerson’s departure:

“If you want to say, ‘Fill the shoes,’ OK. I think I can replace the shoes that are gone.”

And then this:

“I think you’ve got to give (Dickerson’s blockers) most of the credit. And you’ve got to give Coach Robinson a great deal of the credit. Before Eric Dickerson came along, John Robinson was putting out a lot more Heisman Trophies than Eric Dickerson ever got in college.”

So what happens? Bell lasts all of eight plays in 1987. Against the then-St. Louis Cardinals, Bell catches a short pass and then gets the bejabbers knocked out of him. Result: hairline fracture of the left shoulder.

Bye bye, Bell. Hello, brittle label.

All this explains why Bell found his name buried low on the list of Ram tailbacks when he reported to camp. There was Charles White, who only led the league in rushing last season. There was Gaston Green, the Rams’ No. 1 draft choice this season and the 14th player taken overall. And there was Keith Jones, a sixth-round selection, who did well early in camp.

Even more disturbing was the Rams’ tentative decision to keep two tailbacks--White and Green (and use Jones as a kickoff returner)--and three fullbacks.

That was before Bell began reasserting himself. He now has gained 118 yards in 27 carries this preseason, which, if nothing else, should have Ram coaches thinking about new numbers, like maybe one more tailback and one less fullback.