RAMS : No News Is Bad News in Greene Holdout

Ram management and Kevin Greene have found common ground in their stalled contract negotiations, and patience seems to be wearing thin on a couple of fronts.

Greene, appearing on an NBC television sports show Sunday night, said there was “dissension” among the Rams. And Monday, Coach John Robinson came as close to making a plea to the front office to sign his star linebacker as he has so far.

“I haven’t made a list of my worries from top to bottom, like this is worry No. 6 and this is worry No. 7,” Robinson said in response to a question about whether getting Greene into camp was his primary concern. “Obviously, we need Kevin Greene playing. He’s important to this franchise.

“But what I have to do is deal with the things that I can control. My priorities are to get those things done and not worry about the things that need to happen that I can’t control.”

In response to Greene’s claim that his holdout is causing a rift on the Rams, Robinson said, “We would like to believe that Kevin’s problems with the Rams are business, that they can be handled in a businesslike fashion and that he keeps his cool and takes care of his business.”

Greene did not return calls Monday.

Ram Notes

The Rams have been unhappy with the inconsistent performances of punters Hank Ilesic and Kent Elmore, and Coach John Robinson said a trade for a punter was “one of our options.” However, no deal has been completed. . . . Cleveland Gary, originally scheduled to be the starting running back, has yet to make an appearance in an exhibition game because of lower back pain. He practiced Monday afternoon, however. “I felt it, but I made it through practice,” Gary said. “Before, it was kind of a bite, now it’s half a bite. If I don’t do anything obnoxious to reinjure it, I should be able to play Friday (against Washington).”

Tackle Jackie Slater did not practice Monday. He left Rams Park before lunch and returned home for “personal reasons,” according to a Ram spokesman.