Robinson Goes Searching for Some Explanations

John Robinson wouldn’t wish what’s happening to him and his Ram team on anyone . . . except maybe the New Orleans Saints, who lead the NFC Wacky West by two games with four to play.

In no particular order, the Rams are having trouble winning, sacking, covering and intimidating. This last time, the San Diego Chargers laughed in the Rams’ face. The week before, it was the Saints who chuckled. And the week before that, the Philadelphia Eagles. Three games. Three losses.

“God knows I thought about it a lot (Sunday) night and a lot this (Monday) morning, asking, ‘What is really going on? What really is going on,’ ” Robinson said. “I came in and really tried to study the movie, not for the alignments and assignments, but for any kind of behavioral changes in us. I really kind of grilled the coaches, if you will, to get a sense of feeling about it.”

After the stunning loss to the Chargers Sunday, defensive lineman Doug Reed suggested the Rams might need the help of a psychiatrist to cure what ails them. Is there a couch big enough? Anyone know of a shrink with a sleeper sofa or two?

Three games ago, when they were an attractive and well-deserved 7-2, you could let the imagination run wild during word association time. Compliments came easily.

Rams? . . . Playoffs. Jim Everett? . . . NFC Player of the Year. Kevin Greene? . . . Pro Bowl. Greg Bell? . . . Charles Who?

Now at 7-5, losers of those three in a row, the imagination slows to a shuffle. Turns out that kudos have brief shelf lives in this league.

For instance:

Rams . . . Wild card--maybe.

Jim Everett . . . Pressing, not passing.

Kevin Greene . . . 1 sack since Oct. 9.

Greg Bell . . . Charles Who?

About the only thing Robinson has going for him these days is his next opponent, the Denver Broncos, who once were related to a team that played in two consecutive Super Bowls. Like the Rams, the Broncos can’t seem to do much of anything right. They lost a close one to the Saints Sunday, 42-0, but that about does it for high points.

Of course, the Chargers weren’t exactly checking on room rates for the next Super Bowl before they played the Rams. But after Sunday’s 38-24 victory, who knows? Maybe they’re looking for a good travel agent.

Meanwhile, Robinson is busy looking for solutions to a handful of persistent problems. Caught in the isolation ward are:

--The Nickel Pass Coverage.

“Our biggest single problem right now,” Robinson said. “We’re just not functioning very well in that area.”

--Penalties.

Thirteen times the Rams were penalized for assorted no-nos. Fewer flags surround the Washington Monument. How bad was it? The referees had thrower’s cramp.

In all, the penalties cost the Rams 92 yards and more. Bell had runs of 19 and 26 yards nullified .

“All of (the penalties) seemed like they mattered a great deal in the game,” Robinson said. “We would have had over 200 yards rushing in the game.”

--Nerves.

“We’re in a slump,” he said. “We seem to be unable to play with any kind of efficiency. We are just unable to do four things in a row.

“We’re unable to play in a relaxed fashion or confident fashion. We seem, at times in the game, almost numb to me.”

Now comes the hard part: What to do about the assorted problems?

If Robinson has any easy answers, he isn’t sharing them. Instead, he speaks in generalities, which makes sense, because the Rams generally have had an odor about them in recent weeks.

Then again, maybe there aren’t any easy answers. After all, how do you coach health, which is one of the reasons the Ram pass coverage has suffered. Linebacker Mel Owens has been hurt. Cornerback Mickey Sutton still is nursing an ankle injury. Strong safety Michael Stewart, who replaced the injured Vince Newsome, left Sunday’s game with a shoulder problem. In came rookie Anthony Newman. And so on and so forth.

Penalties? Don’t look for another 13 flags this week.

As for nerves, that’s something Robinson can tinker with. It’s his specialty.

“I just think that you have to remain confident about yourself, that you have to remain positive about your people,” he said. “And you have to believe in what you’re doing. You have to concentrate on the little things that go wrong. You have to try to improve on those and not become disillusioned or disappointed or numb or cynical or whatever.

“I’m not panicked and I’m not making changes. I feel better about us. I think we’re all in the soup, so to speak. There will not be, in my view, a separation of this team because things are going bad. I think everybody is close on this team and will stay close.”

Robinson keeps referring to the Ram slump (actually, more of a pronounced droop) as “a state we’re in.” Not surprisingly, he said, “You’ve got to find a way to get out.”

Lucky Robinson, his wish comes true this weekend. Need a new state? How about Colorado, where the struggling Broncos await. Win there, and the Rams can enter a state of bliss. They can also forget about those couch appointments.