RAM NOTEBOOK / JOHN WEYLER : With Tailbacks in Turmoil, It Could Be Dupree’s Time

Cleveland Gary, tailback of the past, is limping on a sore knee. Robert Delpino, tailback of the present, rushed for 264 yards in the first three games and has managed just 162 in the past five.

The Rams are 3-5 and facing a second-half schedule that could mean a quick elimination from the playoff picture.

Is it time to take a long look at the tailback of the future?

Marcus Dupree certainly hopes so.

Dupree once harbored hopes for a 1,000-yard season, but he strained ligaments in his left foot in training camp and began the season on injured reserve. After his foot healed, he was moved to the practice squad after four games and there he has languished.

Last Sunday in Atlanta, Dupree played for the first time this season, gaining 38 yards in six carries in the fourth quarter. Included was a powerful, tackle-breaking, 24-yard blast up the middle--he ran right over safety Tracey Eaton--that was the epitome of John Robinson football. It also helped lower Dupree’s frustration level.

“I’ve been fine for a few weeks,” Dupree said, “and getting a chance to get in there and bang up against people, yeah, I guess it relieved some tension.

“I just get out there and try to do what I can do. I wasn’t expecting to run over that guy, he was just in the way at the time. I’m just trying to go north and south the best I can.”

Ah, Robinson’s two favorite directions. Injuries to offensive linemen dashed Robinson’s plans to return to a power running game in the first half of the season and roster limitations forced him to keep Dupree on the practice squad.

You don’t mess with success, but in case you hadn’t noticed, the Ram running game isn’t in such great shape these days. So Dupree, who has just 25 career carries in the NFL, figures to get a pretty good shot at straightening it out during the second half. Robinson indicated Dupree will play at least half the time Sunday against the Saints.

“He’ll get more playing time,” Robinson said. “We’re dealing with a player who’s just breaking into the league. There is that element. So let’s take it step by step. But he’s a big, powerful guy and, clearly, we’ve had very high hopes for him all along.”

Nobody Does It Better: Just how good is the Saint defense this season? Some say statistics can be misleading, but that’s probably not the case with the latest New Orleans numbers:

--The Saints’ are No. 1 in the NFL in overall defense (206.8 yards allowed per game) and in stopping the run (63.4 yards per game). They are second in pass defense (143.4 yards).

--They lead the league in fewest points allowed (80 all season), opponents’ third-down conversions (23.5%) and fewest opponent first downs (90).

--They are tied for first in the NFC with a plus-eight takeaway/giveaway ratio and lead the NFL in interceptions (16), which is already twice their 1990 interception total.

--And they lead the league in sacks with 31.

Throwing Woes: Quarterback Jim Everett is coming off one of the poorest NFL performances, having completed only nine of 27 passes for 92 yards with no touchdowns and one interception at Atlanta. And it doesn’t figure to get any easier Sunday.

Last time he faced the Saints, he was six of 17 for 71 yards, no touchdowns and one interception and spent much of the evening running for his life.

In the past 2 1/2 seasons, the Saints have recorded 21 sacks against the Rams, who have yielded 75 in that period.

In comparison, San Francisco--with one of the best defenses in the league during that time span--has only eight sacks against the Rams. And the 49ers have played the Rams six times while the Saints have faced them five times.

Kick It Out: Morten Andersen’s 60-yard field goal as time expired in the first half Sunday against Chicago tied for the second-longest in NFL history, but Mora thinks it probably was long enough to have bettered former Saint Tom Dempsey’s record-setting 63-yarder against Detroit on Nov. 8, 1970.

“When I made the decision. it’s funny, sometimes you just have a gut feeling and I had a good feeling about it,” Mora said. “Morten came up to me and said, ‘Hey coach, give me a shot. I feel good.’ He does that sometimes and he’s not always right.

“But he had really kicked well in pregame warm-ups and I just saw a look in his eye. And I felt like our chances of getting some points on the board were better with that than trying to throw the ball in the end zone from 40 yards out.

“As it turned out, it would have made it from further out.”