PRO FOOTBALL: WASHINGTON REDSKINS 24, RAMS 21 : RAM NOTEBOOK : Players Would Like to See Knox Finish the Job He Started

The Rams may or may not be back next season, but will Coach Chuck Knox and his staff? If the decision belongs to his players, the answer would be yes.

Ram players circulated a petition this week in support of Knox and the coaching staff, but some of them wondered after a 24-21 loss to the Washington Redskins Saturday if their signatures were any more than a goodwill gesture.

“I didn’t sign no papers,” free safety Anthony Newman said. “If you play like a man, go out and play your football, you’ll keep anybody here. You don’t have to sign no papers to have somebody stay.”

Defensive end Fred Stokes said there was no pressure on anyone to sign the petition. Wide receiver Todd Kinchen said the document “got in the right hands” but doubted it would have much impact on management’s decision on the coaching staff’s future.

Tailback Jerome Bettis, who ran for 1,025 yards this season in Knox’s ground-oriented offense, said he would “hate to see the coaching staff go.”

“The team’s at a low point, but it’s not because the coaches didn’t prepare us,” Bettis said. “We killed ourselves out there with turnovers, and that’s not the coaches’ fault.”

Said cornerback Todd Lyght: “It’s out of my control, and it’s out of my mind. I’m going to go spend some time with my family, sit back and watch the 49ers do their thing.”

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Right tackle Jackie Slater, who might have played his last game in a 19-season Ram career, was stopped by Washington linebacker Monte Coleman as he left the field Saturday.

Coleman wanted to swap helmets, and Slater obliged.

But after Slater returned to the Ram locker room, he remembered that he had promised the helmet to his wife. Slater went over to the Redskin locker room, and asked for the helmet back.

Coleman gave it to him, and insisted that Slater keep the Redskin helmet. Slater promised Coleman he would send him another Ram helmet.

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Here’s the Rams’ 1995 schedule, which probably won’t mean much to you unless you live in St. Louis:

Home games--San Francisco, Atlanta, New Orleans, Carolina, Chicago, Washington, Buffalo and either Miami or New England.

Road games--San Francisco, Atlanta, New Orleans, Carolina, Philadelphia, Indianapolis, New York Jets and either Detroit, Minnesota or Green Bay.

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The crowd of 25,705 for Saturday’s game was the smallest to see a Ram game since the team moved to Anaheim Stadium in 1980 and 4,360 fewer than Mater Dei High and Los Alamitos drew for the Southern Section Division I semifinal played here earlier this month.

Ram officials announced 35,066 tickets were distributed for the game, but 9,361 were unused.

“They’re die-hard fans,” Bettis said. “They come out and support us in times when we’re down, out there yelling their hearts out.

“They’ve been helping us. It’s just hard to get things going when you’re killing yourself on the field.”

Bettis ended a disappointing second season with 404 fewer less than he gained his rookie season. He became the first Ram to rush for 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons since Greg Bell in 1988 and ’89.

Bettis ran for only 48 yards on 15 carries Saturday against the 27th-ranked rush defense in the league, making it 11 consecutive weeks that he hasn’t broken the 100-yard mark.

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Suicide mission: The Rams’ special teams have given up five punt and kickoff returns for touchdowns this season, and that’s after the team hired Wayne Sevier, a former Redskin special teams coach who is considered one of the best in the league at his position.

“It’s pretty amazing that it has come down to this,” said Kinchen, the team’s punt returner. “Coach Sevier is one of the best special teams coaches around. He taught special teams better than I had ever seen. We just didn’t make the plays. He’s not the one who made the mistakes, it was us.”

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Washington wide receiver Henry Ellard, who played 11 seasons with the Rams, said he nearly ran into the wrong locker room before the game.

“I have a lot of special memories about the place, and it was nice to be a part of the last game,” Ellard said. “It was strange to be here and walk into the visiting locker room instead of the Rams’ locker room. When we broke to leave the field, I started running to the Ram locker room.”

Ellard, 33, caught a team-high five passes for 81 yards. He finished the season with 74 receptions for 1,397 yards, falling three yards shy of becoming the oldest receiver in league history to reach 1,400 yards receiving.

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Defensive end Robert Young, when asked what went wrong in the Rams’ 4-12 season in which they lost their final seven games, including three by four points or less: “We just never got it together. It’s like Murphy’s Law with this team. It’s been a crazy year, and I’m glad it’s over.”

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Injury report: Defensive tackle Sean Gilbert and tailback Johnny Bailey left in the second half with bruised ribs. Right guard Leo Goeas (knee) and safety Anthony Newman (shoulder) both returned.

Ram notes

Jessie Hester’s 13-yard reception in the second quarter extended his streak of games with at least one reception to 78. . . . Rookie Jermaine Ross’ 36-yard touchdown reception from Chris Miller was his first NFL catch. . . . Linebacker Shane Conlan’s eight tackles gave him 101 for the season, the third time in his career that he has recorded 100 or more tackles in a season.

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Empty Houses

The Rams averaged 42,312 in their eight home games at Anaheim Stadium this season after drawing 45,401 in 1993. In 1980, their first in Anaheim, they averaged 62,550.

Smallest regular-season crowds for the Rams at Anaheim Stadium:

Attendance Opponent Date 25,705 Washington Dec. 24, 1994 32,969 Arizona Sept. 4, 1994 34,155 Cleveland Dec. 26, 1993 34,599 Atlanta Oct. 2, 1994 34,960 New Orleans Dec. 4, 1994 35,315 Atlanta Dec. 8, 1991 37,073 Atlanta Nov. 14, 1993

Source: Rams