Road Is Long for the Rams : Football: After drubbing by the Bills, Knox and the players realize they have much work to do, but don't plan to collapse.

By TIM KAWAKAMI

Sept. 8, 1992 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

If by some chance the Rams needed a reminder on how far they are from where real contenders tread, on Monday they waded through an inglorious game film that detailed the distance.

Miles, and miles, and miles, and miles. . . .

Under a new coaching staff that has worked to instill a sharper sense of focus, in the wake of Sunday’s 40-7 pummeling at the hands of the Buffalo Bills, the Rams woke up and realized once again that they are lacking many, if not most, of the necessary ingredients for success.

The 3-1 exhibition season record was nice, but there is a thunderous 0-1 in the regular-season standings beside their name now.

Coach Chuck Knox, however, dismissed any suggestion that the Rams, after all his work to erase the memory of last season’s 3-13 disaster under John Robinson, would immediately fall back into 1991 patterns.

The New England Patriots at Anaheim Stadium are next, Knox said, not imminent collapse.

“This is a new season,” Knox said Monday. “I think they ought to . . . come out ready to play the next week and play better because you have a chance to come back and redeem (yourself) and win a football game.

“We are a young football team, and we have to learn how to cope with adversity, too. The thing you have to do, is the next time you come out to play, you’ve got to play tougher and smarter.

“You can’t dwell on anything else.”

For the Rams who went through last season’s 10 consecutive losses at the end of 1991, keeping those memories out of mind apparently will be a season-long battle, especially if they keep losing by 33 points, continue watching Jim Everett throw four interceptions and get sacked three times, and consistently yield 6.1 yards every time an opponent rushes the ball.

To the Rams, this was worse than anything that happened last season.

“I tried not to do that,” said running back Robert Delpino when asked if he flashed back to the horrors of 1991 during Sunday’s rout. “Even though it’s hard, I tried real hard not to do that.

“I think if we get into that type of mentality, we’re going to get into a rut.”

The Rams, however, should find comfort in the knowledge that the Bills are a premier team that performed at an All-Pro level, from Thurman Thomas’ four touchdowns to Bruce Smith’s two sacks and two pass knockdowns to James Lofton’s NFL career receiving yardage record.

That is an array of talent, Knox suggested, that the Rams are many, many wise drafts and many, many losses from achieving.

The Rams, missing their two starting defensive ends to injury, simply did not have the people to cope with Buffalo’s attack. And offensively, there were no answers for Smith and Co.

“They’ve got a whole lot of guys who’ve been to the Pro Bowl,” said Knox, who coached the Bills from 1978-1982, “and I’m not talking about 10 years, five or six years ago. I’m talking about in the last two years.

“But they went through some growing pains. I mean, they went 2-14 two years in a row (in 1984 and ‘85). They’re on their third coach, third general manager in a span of about 10 years . . . “

The Rams’ future lies with their young players, in particular No. 1 pick Sean Gilbert and No. 3 pick Marc Boutte, who each had outstanding moments Sunday.

Gilbert registered four solo tackles and a tipped pass, and Boutte’s deflection of a Jim Kelly pass created Anthony Newman’s interception--and set up the Rams’ only touchdown.

But Gilbert and Boutte, linebacker Roman Phifer, cornerback Todd Lyght and all the rest are a long way from transforming the Rams into a contender.

“I know this,” Knox said, “the inexperience, the fact of not seeing plays over and over again, and having built-in reactions or having seen a play and made a mistake, and being able to come back and profit by it, I think, is a factor.

“Outside of a couple guys, we don’t have that many veteran players in (their) eighth, ninth, 10th year. We’ve just got to get better. There’s no other way.”

RAMS NUMBERS

HIGHLIGHT: BRUCE SMITH Even at 6 foot 4 and 273 pounds, there are more physical imposing players than Buffalo Bills’ defensive end Bruce Smith in the National Football League. The Rams, just the same, would rather not meet them. Smith, coming off arthroscopic knee surgery last year which knocked him out of 10 games, gave the Rams, 79,001 appreciative Rich Stadium fans and a regional television audience a clinic on defensive line play Sunday. Smith, the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year in 1990, signaled his return during one six-play series on the Rams’ second possession. He tipped a pass, stuffed a run up the middle, survived a chop block by Bern Bostek, drew an offsides penalty and sacked Jim Everett for an eight-yard loss.

SEASON TO DATE

One-Game Totals (Record 0-1)

FIRST DOWNS

RAMS: 15 OPP: 23

RUSHING YARDS

RAMS: 66 OPP: 207

PASSING YARDS

RAMS: 149 OPP: 156

PUNTS / AVERAGE

RAMS: 6/43 OPP: 4/42

RUSHING

ATT AVG TDs RAMS 22 3.0 0 OPP 34 6.1 3