Rams Talk With Knox; Holmgren Next : NFL: Ex-Seattle coach emerges as club’s leading candidate as a result of Buddy Ryan’s reputation as a troublemaker.

Rams’ Executive Vice President John Shaw Monday acknowledged that he had a “preliminary discussion” with Chuck Knox about the club’s coaching vacancy this past weekend and has set up a meeting on Thursday with San Francisco 49er offensive coordinator Mike Holmgren.

Shaw, who is putting off interviewing the Rams’ other top candidate, Buddy Ryan, until he gets a better picture of the alternatives, went to Knox’s home in Palm Springs Saturday for the talk.

Knox, who won five division titles in five years as Ram coach in the 1970s, has an interview scheduled for Friday with the Indianapolis Colts and apparently is next on the Green Bay Packers’ list should Bill Parcells not be interested.

But Knox, 59, is emerging as the Rams’ leading candidate in their search to replace John Robinson, more as a result of Ryan’s reputation as a troublemaker than anything else.

“I’m sure there will be a subsequent interview with Georgia (Frontiere, Rams’ owner),” Shaw said about Knox, who resigned last week after nine years as Seattle’s coach.

The Rams’ hierarchy apparently believes Knox is a known commodity, a dependable, proven winner and a statesman who always has been on very good terms with Frontiere.

“He’s a professional coach,” said one Ram source.

With Ryan, the Rams have received warnings from highly-regarded NFL coaches and executives that the former Philadelphia coach does not deserve another chance in the league because of a perceived penchant for insubordination.

Ram sources are careful to note that Ryan, who was fired by the Eagles last year, remains high on their list, and they consider him the best coach-personnel man available. But, in contrast to a few weeks ago, Ryan is no longer No. 1.

Gradually, as Knox or perhaps Holmgren become realistic alternatives and the negative feedback on Ryan piles high, the Ryan option could be too risky.

Although Shaw would not comment on the details of his talk with Knox, Ram sources say the discussions have progressed to the point that Knox has let them know he would not clean out the club’s current staff of assistants and would want to bring only two Seattle coaches with him--secondary coach Rod Perry (a former Ram) and running backs coach Chick Harris.

Ryan is believed to be on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ short list after Parcells rejected their $6.5-million offer that included full control of the franchise. Ryan has not been contacted by any team, but said Monday he expects to get a call soon from Tampa.

Holmgren, meanwhile, comes to his interview Thursday in Los Angeles as an unknown personality, but a proven teacher of quarterbacks--from Joe Montana to Steve Bono--and a developer of complex, effective offenses while with the 49ers.

His stock has risen with the Rams as they have struggled to figure out what has gone wrong with quarterback Jim Everett. Everett, who threw only 11 touchdown passes and 20 interceptions this season, appears to be regressing fundamentally.

But Holmgren’s availability could be a problem. Two years ago, he signed a contract that contained a clause allowing the 49ers to prevent him from talking to or accepting a job from any club looking for a head coach.

The Rams have received permission to interview Holmgren, and believe the 49ers would let him go if the Rams offered him the job. But San Francisco does not sound so amenable about letting Holmgren go to a division rival.

“I think (allowing the Rams to interview Holmgren) was done primarily out of courtesy to John Shaw,” 49er President Carmen Policy said. “(But) it would be difficult to approve an offer that would permit Mike to go to the Rams.”