RAM NOTEBOOK / MIKE REILLEY : Rookie Mistake Pains LaChapelle

Committing a bonehead rookie mistake, Ram wide receiver Sean LaChapelle lost not only the catch, but his temper and a spot in the lineup as well.

LaChapelle sprained his right wrist in practice Thursday when he pounded his fist in anger after dropping a pass. Although X-rays Friday showed no broken bones, the rookie from UCLA will miss Sunday’s game at New Orleans.

“It was stupid,” he said, “but it taught me one thing--if I catch the ball, I wouldn’t be mad enough to hit the ground.”

LaChapelle finished practice Thursday but sat out practice Friday. His wrist began swelling after practice and kept him up most of the night.

“It hurt to move it, but I kept practicing,” he said. “I just had them tape it up a little more. I always have my wrists taped for certain occasions such as this.”

The injury is another setback in LaChapelle’s disappointing rookie season. Considered a potential possession receiver when the Rams drafted him in the fifth round, LaChapelle didn’t catch a pass in a regular-season game until last Sunday in Phoenix. Friday, he was replaced on the 53-man roster by wide receiver Richard Buchanan, who was promoted from the practice squad.

So has the coaching staff lectured LaChapelle about his foolish--and costly--tantrum?

“Coach (Chuck) Knox came over and asked me how my wrist was,” LaChapelle said. “I told him it was a little sore and he said, ‘That was a real stupid thing you did.’ ”

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Losing it: The Rams are stumbling with a 3-9 record. But linebacker Thomas Homco, who will start Sunday at New Orleans in place of an injured Shane Conlan, has been through worse--how about an 0-11 season as a sophomore at Northwestern.

“It was tough to give everything you had week after week coming off close losses,” he said. “The only thing you could do is put it out of your mind and try to play as best you could from an individual standpoint.”

“I’ve tried to do the same thing here with the Rams. It hasn’t been as rough a situation, at least we have some wins and we’ve been right there in some other games.”

Homco gets his second pro start Sunday against the Saints. Against Pittsburgh, he started at middle linebacker in place of Conlan, who was out with a knee injury. Homco finished with seven tackles (three solo) and intercepted a pass in helping the Rams to a 27-0 victory, their only shutout this season.

“When you start you can get into a rhythm and a flow,” he said. “It’s easier to figure what they’re running against you and you can be a lot more effective than just coming in for a play or two.”

Homco has been a role player most of the season. Besides leading the team in special teams tackles with 16, he usually enters the game in short-yardage situations to stop the run along with Conlan.

“I prepare for the short-yardage situations, so that takes a lot of pressure off,” Homco said. “But it’s still easier to get into it when you’re starting.”

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Bet on it: Count New Orleans linebacker Sam Mills among the league’s defensive players raving about Ram rookie tailback Jerome Bettis. And Mills hasn’t even faced Bettis yet; the linebacker missed the 37-6 victory over the Rams Oct. 3 because of a staph infection in his knee.

“I watched Bettis on tape and he’s outstanding,” Mills said. “He’s perfect for the type of offense they run out there.

“For a big back, he’s not the big hop-along, slow type of runner. He’s got that Earl Campbell kind of speed and power combination, sort of like a Marion Butts kind of power.”

Is he the type of back Mills likes to go against?

“When you have him controlled, yeah,” he said.

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Add Bettis: The Saints’ Jim Mora, not the most quotable of NFL coaches, pulled out all the adjectives when talking about the Rams’ rookie tailback.

Among them:

An outstanding player A special player Extremely talented Big and strong Quick Fast Aggressive Great balance Great vision

“He has got it all,” Mora said. “He has certainly proven that he’s everything they thought he would be coming out of the draft.”

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Turnaround time: New Orleans was 5-0 and in control of the NFC West after beating the Rams in October. After losing five of their last seven games, the Saints hope they can regain some momentum Sunday against the Rams.

“We’re eager to play against anyone right now because we need to get this bad taste out of our mouths,” Mills said.

He’s eager, especially when going against a Ram offense that has ranked 20th or lower in most statistical categories except rushing (see Bettis).

“I like facing an offense like the Rams,” Mills said. “It’s one that comes right at you and tries to beat up on you. I wish there were more offenses like that instead of ones that come out and try to trick you all the time.”

Is that to say the Rams are predictable?

“They mix it up pretty good with a two-back, conventional offense,” he said. “Personally, I don’t like to see that four wide receiver formation.”