Bill Hawkins Now Meeting Expectations : Rams: Rookie defensive lineman from Miami is trying to learn new position.

The Bill Hawkins press-clipping service has taken an extended leave of absence since the Rams’ first-round draft choice scattered some headlines a few months ago.

The Hawkins highlights have actually amounted to two: There was April 23, the day the Rams selected the University of Miami defensive end with the 21st pick overall, and Aug. 18, when Hawkins ended his 36-day holdout and signed a four-year, $1.925-million contract.

Since, Hawkins has all but dried up and disappeared from public view, despite high expectations and his rather prominent role as an inside pass rusher.

Through seven games of his rookie season, the longed-for second coming of Merlin Olsen has two tackles and no sacks.

The second coming of Donald Evans, maybe?

Not so fast, there. Evans, the failed Ram experiment of 1987, never so much as brushed a quarterback, unless you count nudging teammate Jim Everett in the lunch line.

Hawkins, conversely, has played in every game, and his uniform has needed laundry service after each one. He swears he is creeping, if ever so slowly, toward the opposing pocket, even though it doesn’t always appear that way on your television screens.

Against Buffalo, he grazed quarterback Frank Reich a few times, combining with Brett Faryniarz on one sack that was negated because of penalty.

“Just touching the guy is fun for me right now,” Hawkins admitted.

You think it’s easy for a big-time college player from a big-time program to struggle so? One of Miami’s Hurricanes, no less?

Hawkins’ problems come with their own explanations, not to be confused with excuses.

First off, he didn’t show up until mid-August because of contract difficulties, putting him weeks behind schedule.

When he did arrive, the Rams asked him to switch positions, from defensive end to defensive tackle, which isn’t as easy as moving three steps to your left. Tackles are attacked from all sides, as opposed to one, making the route to the quarterback all the more difficult.

At times this season, Hawkins has appeared lost, confused and overwhelmed in games--sometimes all three at the same time.

Hawkins explains: “There have been some games where it’s been like, ‘I can’t do nothing.’ But I’m a very realistic person, I’m long-sighted. I don’t think if I don’t get a sack right now I’m going to commit suicide, although it feels like that sometimes.”

Sacks, of course, are quite a concern with the Rams this season, and Hawkins draws the inevitable comparisons to Gary Jeter, the man Hawkins replaced at defensive tackle. Jeter, lost to Plan B free agency in the off-season, had a career-high 11.5 sacks for the Rams in 1988.

At last count, that’s still 11 1/2 more than Hawkins has managed this season. And that’s putting more heat on the Ram secondary, which currently ranks 28th in pass defense.

You need more evidence? Through seven games in 1988, the Rams had 38 sacks. They have 13 in seven games this year.

Hawkins understands that a football team awaits his emergence, but says everyone--even Miami Hurricanes--need time to grow up.

“When I get in the game, I get awed,” he said. “Because I’m playing in the pros. It’s like ‘Wow, I’m playing in the bleeping pros.’ Meanwhile, some people in the press have taken shots, but coming from Miami, the paper down there was the same way, so I’m used to it.”

The Rams had hoped Hawkins would come around more quickly, although his slow start was not unexpected.

“There are three things that happened here,” defensive coordinator Fritz Shurmur said. “One is that he moved up a hell of a level of football. Two, he moved from an outside to an inside guy, and it’s an entirely different deal. Hell, they’re hitting you from all sides. The third thing, obviously, those practices that were designed to take young players and get them fundamentally ready to play a position on our team, he missed because he was late.

“We tried to teach him how to do things on the run but had to spend the majority of our time just getting him lined up right. He’s got no recall; he has nothing to draw on. That’s put him in a really tough position.”

The Rams have not lost faith. In fact, they are playing Hawkins more each week.

Coach John Robinson illustrates Hawkins’ progress with his hands, with a gradual motion of ascending levels.

“I’m not trying to BS you,” he said. “I’m not trying to defend the draft pick. We feel very good about him. . . . He’s going to be an every-down player.”

There is no talk of switching Hawkins back to defensive end, at least not this season. The Rams still see him as a steady, Olsen-type tackle for years to come. Hawkins, naturally, has some catching up to do.

“Every snap we put in him is an investment in a way,” Shurmur said. “After having an athlete inside like Gary Jeter, we could see the benefit of having a quicker guy in there than an average defensive lineman. That’s really what that was based on. I would think that he would have been a little more effective earlier if we put him outside to start with. At the same time, we were trying to fill a need that had been established by the departure of Gary Jeter.”

Hawkins said he’s on the verge of making an impact. He said there’s no stopping him.

“Honest to God, like in practice, when I stay low, I do so well,” Hawkins said. “Then I go out in the game and keep doing the same stupid things wrong. I guess it’s just being a rookie, and not having any experience.

“I took the attitude that I know these guys are better than me, because they have more experience. That’s the name of the game right now. But none of them came from the University of Miami, so I figure I’ve got a jump on them and, given time, I’ll be better. That’s what I say to myself. I don’t mean to sound arrogant. In time, I’ll work into being the player I want to be, because some of these people are from Weber State or whatever. I can be as good as them.”

Ram Notes

Greg Bell suffered a lower back strain in Wednesday’s practice and didn’t practice Thursday. John Robinson said Bell’s chances of playing against the Bears on Sunday have been downgraded to 50-50. Bell rushed past reporters on his way to the locker room after practice. Asked if he would play Sunday, Bell would only say, “I hope so, yeah.” . . . If Bell can’t make it, Robinson said the tailback position would be shared equally by Gaston Green and Cleveland Gary, although Green would probably start. “He’s older,” Robinson quipped. . . . Bell gained 417 rushing yards in his first three games, but has been held to 192 in the last four, averaging 3.3 yards a carry in that span. . . . Mike Tomczak will continue as the starting quarterback for the Bears, Chicago Coach Mike Ditka said.