Rams Optimistic Despite Themselves : Pro football: They have lost four in a row and are 2-6, but look to second half as ‘new season.’

The Rams begin their run for the playoffs today with an assignment against the Atlanta Falcons (2-6) in Anaheim Stadium.

Forget about their 2-6 record, because the Rams have. The players have been told that this is the start of a new season, a fresh start, and now, as safety Anthony Newman said this week, “Everybody has a lot of confidence.”

Quarterback Jim Everett said he is going to be more relaxed. Cornerback Robert Bailey said, “A lot of guys are motivated to start the new season,” and tackle Irv Eatman said, “We’re 0-0 to start off the second half of the season.”

Have the players really bought into this “tomorrow-is-another-day” rejuvenation campaign?

“When you turn over a new leaf, you give yourself another chance,” defensive tackle Sean Gilbert said. “It’s not something you buy; it’s something you sell.”

It’s a hard sell. The Rams have lost four games in a row and are off to their worst start in a non-strike season since 1965. If they are going to make the playoffs this season, at least seven victories in their final eight games will be required.

“Yes, we can turn it around,” defensive end Fred Stokes said.

Can Everett turn it around? He returns as starting quarterback this week, although he ranks last in the NFC in passing and has completed 48.5% of his passes with seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

Can the defense turn it around? Despite acquiring Stokes and linebackers Shane Conlan and Henry Rolling in the off-season, the defense ranks No. 23 in the NFL overall and last in stopping opponents on third down.

Can the special teams turn it around? The Rams begin today’s game with their third punter, Sean Landeta, and will be trying to improve on their punt returns, which are also last in the league.

“This game right here is going to be crucial in deciding how this team is going to play the rest of the season,” cornerback Todd Lyght said. “We have to do well.”

The Rams were 2-3 when they took on the winless Falcons earlier this season in the Georgia Dome, and after squandering a 17-3 lead and losing, 30-24, they continued to take a nose-dive against Detroit and San Francisco.

A switch to T.J. Rubley at quarterback didn’t work against the 49ers, so the ball once again belongs to Everett, who completed 17 of 35 passes for 294 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in the previous game against Atlanta.

“I think the break (bye week) has been good for this team, good for the morale,” Everett said. “I think the only tangible goal we look at right now is to try and get a win (today). If it works out where we have a chance to play after this season, then great.”

Although Everett has returned to the starting lineup, there has been no indication from the Rams whether they will send out their offense for pregame introductions. They have not introduced their offense in Anaheim Stadium since the first exhibition game there, but Coach Chuck Knox said it’s not to protect Everett from booing fans.

“That has nothing to do with my decision,” Knox said. “Sometimes perception is very different from reality. . . . It might be that I feel we’re a little luckier when we introduce the defensive team.”

The last time the Rams played in Anaheim Stadium, they introduced the defense, the fans loudly booed Everett’s every move, and the team lost to Detroit, 16-13.

“I’m not going to try and anticipate (the crowd’s reaction),” Everett said. “I think that leads to building too much pressure on myself, which I’ve done before. I’m just going to go as I go and, hopefully, I’ll throw the balls where they’re supposed to be and the people will be happy with it.

“If I don’t, then I won’t be happy with it, either.”

The Falcons, who are 2-21-2 on the road against the Rams, defeated the Saints in New Orleans after knocking off the Rams, but then returned to early-season form with a 31-24 loss to Tampa Bay in the Georgia Dome.

“I thought we would have a chance to win three in a row, but that didn’t happen,” Atlanta Coach Jerry Glanville said. “But we have a chance the second half to become a better team.”

Bobby Hebert, who sat out the first Ram game because of an elbow injury, will start at quarterback. Although he has played in only 21 quarters this season, Hebert is tied for the NFC lead with 11 touchdown passes.

Hebert will be throwing to wide receiver Andre Rison, who beat Ram cornerback Robert Bailey twice for touchdowns in the first meeting. Rison leads the NFL in touchdown catches with nine, and his 308 receptions over the first four years of his career are the most in NFL history in that time frame.

The Falcons’ offense is capable of running up points, but their defense has given up a lot, too. The Falcons rank last in the NFL in defense and have surrendered a league-high 222 points.