RAMS / TIM KAWAKAMI : Becker Drafted for Rebuilding Role

In the great Chuck Knox hurricane that wiped away most of the Rams’ coaching staff as we knew it, John Becker was an afterthought, the guy who came down from Seattle without a title or public role.

Ernie Zampese, the lone holdover from John Robinson’s staff, was staying as offensive coordinator. So what was Becker, Knox’s offensive coordinator in Seattle, supposed to do? Special assistant--what did that mean?

Nobody but Knox knew who he was, what he’d do or why he was here, other than the obvious: Here was a man Knox trusted.

But to Knox, trust is the most potent force in the world, and voila, Becker is emerging as a key figure in the reshaping of the Rams.

How much does Knox trust him? In the pivotal days leading up to the NFL draft, next Sunday and Monday, Becker is clearly Knox’s main draft lieutenant, his primary talent scout, his answer to the draft reign of player personnel director John Math, whose quirky collection of picks hasn’t quite delivered the Rams to the promised land.

Becker isn’t an afterthought anymore, not with the Rams’ future in large part hinging on how successfully they turn up gems with four of the top 60 picks in the draft.

From the beginning, Knox planned on and was promised he could bring in his own man as draft czar. From the beginning, his man was Becker.

Becker has been flying all over the country the past few weeks checking and double-checking the players who could be Rams. He undoubtedly will officially take Math’s place fairly quickly after this draft.

For now, the main thing is to get this draft right, to weigh in with Knox about who might be worth the No. 3 pick overall.

“It’s a different role,” Knox says of Becker’s new responsibilities. “He’s been on the road looking at all these draft people, (we) sent him as a crosscheck of the different reports that we have either from other coaches or from scouts, trying to get another view, trying to minimize the chances for error on those two big days.”

The irony is that Math is being phased out--he may end up in some capacity with the Houston Oilers or he could stay with the Rams-- after the resignation of Robinson, who never quite got along with Math all those years.

Together, Robinson’s lack of real passion for the science of the draft and Math’s disdain for discussion with most people is what led the Rams to waste the draft bounty of the Eric Dickerson trade.

Together, there never was any real line of draft responsibility. With Knox and Becker, the line is searingly clear.

Knox, while making sure not to say Becker is his man at the draft, emphasizes that Becker is strong in all the areas in which top-level scouts must be.

“No. 1, he’s a very hard-working guy,” Knox says. “No. 2, he’s a detail guy and three, he’s a good judge of talent. Those are three areas that are very important, not only in coaching but in scouting.

“He’s a tireless worker, he’ll go on the road and spend whatever hours it takes. He’ll sit down and he has the quality of being able to work alone.

“You sit down, there is the projector or the tape machine, the tape and you. Now, some people can’t do that. They can do it for 10 minutes, they can do it for a half-hour, but then they want to be talking to somebody.

“And to get a lot of the work done, it takes a person who can work alone and does not need somebody looking over their shoulder. With a scout on the road, the only person who knows what time you got up and what time you were in the film office is yourself. For the most part, you’ve got to be a self-starter.”

OK, you’re Chuck Knox, and you’re staring the most important draft in recent Rams’ memory straight in the face. You have four of the top 60 picks in the draft and you know you had better not miss on any of them.

You also know you’ve inherited a team desperately lacking impact players, and that’s the top priority you’ve got for your top pick, No. 3 overall.

The Indianapolis Colts have the top two picks, and you must keep two eyes on them because they’re tricky. They’re committed to taking Washington defensive tackle Steve Emtman--the guy you most want--with No. 1, and it’ll be a shock if they don’t sign him in the days leading up to the draft.

At No. 2, they’re making noises about taking Michigan receiver Desmond Howard--you’d love that because 5-9 receivers don’t rush the passer very well--but that might be a smoke screen to draw a trade offer, which you suspect is what they really want.

You’re a little worried, because you guess that if the Colts don’t take Howard or trade the pick, they’ll end up taking Texas A&M; middle linebacker Quentin Coryatt, and he’s the guy moving up, up, up on your draft board.

You tell people you want him to plop right in the middle of your defense and cause trouble everywhere on the field. Blitzing, filling holes, impact all over. You want Coryatt.

But what about Pittsburgh defensive lineman Sean Gilbert? There’s a lot of commotion about him, and there’s even been a nibble from the Miami Dolphins, who have tentatively let you know their two first-round picks (Nos. 7 and 12) might be available if you give them a shot at Gilbert.

Gilbert is a 315-pound pure athlete, and he could be a superstar. Or he could be a lazy bust. If Coryatt is gone, do you make the trade? What if Gilbert becomes a superstar?

Maybe you just want to be safe, settle on Wisconsin cornerback Troy Vincent, since you know he’s a star. You know he can also return kicks, you just don’t know how much of an impact any cornerback can make right away.

If Coryatt’s not there, do you take the Miami potential offer, maybe end up with Indiana running back Vaughn Dunbar and hope huge Clemson defensive tackle Chester McGlockton, a possible monster, a possible coach-killer, falls to 12? Is that why Dunbar was at Rams Park Wednesday?

Could you possibly shock the world by taking Dunbar at No. 3? Could you? You are Chuck Knox, and at No. 3, everything is possible.

Draft winds: Washington Redskin sources confirm that Knox called them to inquire about their top selection, No. 6 overall, and that they asked for second-year cornerback Todd Lyght in return. Although the Rams haven’t completely ruled that out, it doesn’t appear as if a trade is likely with Washington.

If the Rams were to pick up that draft pick, they’d probably hope McGlockton is there or take Florida State cornerback Terrell Buckley. The Rams and Redskins could also switch places, since Washington would very much like a shot at either Howard or Vincent and the Rams could pick up the Redskins’ extra pick at the end of the first round. But that would move the Rams out of position for Gilbert or Coryatt.

The Rams are apparently interested in USC tailback Mazio Royster for a later selection--perhaps with one of their two third-rounders. . . . If Indianapolis can sign Emtman and Howard before the draft, the Rams would be free to begin negotiating with potential picks since they have the next selection.