So Much for ‘91; Delpino Can Only Sit and Watch : Pro football: After a season in the spotlight, the running back learns fame can be fleeting.

The organ music swelled from the locker room stereo, and Robert Delpino, tired of raising his voice to continue the conversation five feet outside, craned his head toward the sound, wondering out loud:

“What in the world is that Dracula-sounding stuff?”

When he was told the song was the introduction to Elton John’s “Funeral for a Friend,” Delpino, who worries that his moment as the Rams’ key offensive performer might have come and gone, showed that his comic timing, at least, has not left.

“Funeral?” he said, winking. “Oh, maybe it’s my funeral.”

Then Delpino laughed for a long time.

Delpino says he can’t do much but laugh and accept his fading role in the Rams’ offense with as much gallows humor as he can muster.

Last year, given the chance to carry the offense after three years of neglect, Delpino rushed for a team-high 688 yards, caught 55 passes, scored 10 touchdowns and was voted the team’s most valuable player.

This year, with Cleveland Gary getting the majority of action and performing solidly, Delpino has carried only 19 times and caught 11 passes in the first four games.

In the past two games, Delpino has carried only twice. Now, with newly-acquired Anthony Thompson eager for playing time, Delpino finds himself squeezed on both sides, not sure where he fits in, other than as a blocking back when the Rams use a two-back set.

After all of last season’s production, Delpino is back where he was, battling for action for a new coach, Chuck Knox, who seems to prefer to use him in a spot role and Gary as the every-down runner.

“You would think last year would’ve changed things,” Delpino said Wednesday. “I mean, it is the NFL. That’s what it’s all about, proving yourself.

“Each year I prove myself again and again and again, and then last year was the ultimate test. ‘Is he durable enough? Is he an every down back?’ And I proved I was.

“Then, after the season, I guess they didn’t think I was, so here we are.”

When he was told that he seems to be less a factor even on passing downs, held in as a blocker instead of in pass routes, Delpino only nodded and said: “You’re seeing it. You’re seeing it right. What else can I say?”

The Rams went into this season saying they wanted to rotate Gary and Delpino as the featured runners in a one-back system to utilize each player’s versatility.

Delpino, who has one year left on his contract and has a base salary of $325,000, skipped mini-camp and the first few days of training camp, trying to renegotiate his deal. When the Rams refused, he came in, foreseeing that maybe his MVP year had diminishing value.

“Obviously it didn’t mean anything,” Delpino said. “It didn’t mean anything in the negotiations, and sure doesn’t mean anything on the field. You’ve got to put it past you. That was then, this is now.”

Somewhere between the preseason plans and regular-season reality, Delpino has slowly been vanishing from the Rams offense.

How did this happen?

“I don’t know what it is,” Delpino said. “I can’t answer that question. It’s the game plan, I guess, as far as I know.

“I figure if they wanted me to get (the ball) more, it’d be done. It’s not hard to do. Apparently, they don’t want it.”

Delpino is particularly sensitive to limitations on his role in the offense after spending the first three years of his career pegged strictly as a utility back, never as a featured runner.

Ram offensive coordinator Ernie Zampese, who has never been shy about praising the things Delpino does, says he understands the frustration Delpino must be feeling.

“Certainly, you always like to have a guy that wants to play,” Zampese said. “You don’t want a guy who isn’t sure if he wants to play or not. A guy who wants to play as much as Bobby wants to play, heck, we want to get him in there and get him involved.

“He proved last year--why, he’s proved ever since he’s been here--that he can make something happen when he has the ball.”

Carrying the burden last year after Gary sputtered, Delpino might have been the sole bright spot during the 3-13 season.

But even that was tempered. After last year’s quick start (he had 264 yards rushing in the first three games), Delpino slowed toward the end and averaged 3.2 yards per carry, giving the Rams reason to believe he cannot physically handle 200 carries per season.

Gary is 20 pounds heavier, and Knox likes the way he gains yards after the first contact. Plus, because the emphasis is on keeping quarterback Jim Everett protected on passing downs, the Rams are keeping the backs in to block more often than usual.

“Chuck wanted to have all the runners run the ball last week (against the New York Jets),” Zampese said, “and I think what happened is that Clev got off to a good start breaking tackles and making extra yards after the first hit.

“(But) it’s a long season. Everybody’s going to get a chance to carry the ball. Everybody’s going to get a chance to make some plays.”

The past two weeks, in his rare chances to touch the ball, Delpino has struggled.

Two weeks ago, against the Miami Dolphins, Delpino was thrown one pass, a short flair pattern on third down that could have gone for big yardage, but took his eyes off the ball and dropped it.

Last week, Delpino slammed into the line on his first carry, but fumbled the ball away.

“The pass, the fumble, that’s not like me,” Delpino said. “But what can you say? You’re out of the flow of things.

“It throws you off as game situations. I get in there, I’m cold. I’m out of the flow, I’m out of sync compared to last year.

“I’m on the sidelines, and if a certain play’s called and I’ve got to go in, I go in. If it doesn’t, I don’t. I’m not in control of that.

“I’ve learned my lesson as far as . . . questioning myself. I don’t. I don’t question them, either.”

All he can do is play hard when summoned, and, if possible, laugh and smile away the frustration.