PRO FOOTBALL: LOOKING BACK AT THE 1994 SEASON : Beating a Path to Last Place : Ram analysis: Team’s troubles start at the top and end in the same old place--bottom of the NFC West.

Three years under Coach Chuck Knox, and after the month of September, the Rams were always 2-2, pointing to improvement and in position to contend.

But then came October and there went the Rams.

Early season preparation gave way to midseason exasperation, and in the end--each and every year--the Rams dropped to the cellar in the NFC West Division, the gap with the champion San Francisco 49ers ever-widening.

This past season was going to be different after the banishment of Jim Everett, the signing of Chris Miller and Jimmie Jones and the drafting of Wayne Gandy. But poor personnel decisions, now a Ram tradition, once again sabotaged the master plan.

Blame it on the front office or blame it on Knox, but in the last three years the Rams allowed the departures of offensive linemen Duval Love and Gerald Perry, defensive end Kevin Greene, tight end Pat Carter, running back Cleveland Gary and wide receiver Henry Ellard. Good teams might be able to afford such defections; the Rams were left devastated.

The weaknesses along the offensive line were recognizable before the season and never corrected. Without blocking, runningback Jerome Bettis became a poor-man’s Darryl Johnston a year after mimicking Emmitt Smith.

The Rams counted on a Fearsome Foursome on defense to dictate results, and they did. After a flashy start with 12 sacks in the first five games, the Rams compiled 14 the rest of the way and allowed their opponents to roam freely. Greene, who couldn’t find a home in the Rams’ defensive scheme, led the league with 14 sacks for Pittsburgh.

Flipper Anderson, who is now free to negotiate a deal elsewhere, led the team’s wide receivers with 46 catches, putting him only 28 behind Ellard.

The hiring of Wayne Sevier, widely regarded as one of the league’s top special-teams coordinators, was going to make the difference in two or three games. There was a difference, but the estimate was too low: Sevier’s special teams led to losses against Green Bay, New Orleans, Washington and San Diego.

The Rams gave up 367 points a year ago; 365 this season.

Four times a week assistant coach Joe Vitt slept at Rams Park to save time and better prepare the Rams for competition. Day after day the Rams practiced with vigor; the same cannot be said of every other NFL team.

Great intentions aside, the Rams still couldn’t get it right. They did their homework, found a jewel in Miller after discovering Scott Mitchell’s shoulder wasn’t ready for combat, and put up $9 million to sign him. Miller responded with leadership, accuracy and the promise that his injury-prone days were behind him.

Miller, however, injured a stomach muscle in training camp, and then ribs in the regular-season opener. Two concussions and a separated shoulder followed. The loss in accuracy was understandable, but inexplicably Miller began faulting others for the team’s inability to score consistently. Knox, a small-town Pennsylvania man’s man, lost faith in Miller, and turned to Chris Chandler, a Dave Krieg-like quarterback, who didn’t turn the ball over while allowing the running game and defense to dominate the game.

Knox’s reluctance to embrace Chandler publicly at Miller’s expense contributed to the team’s leadership vacuum. While most teams fix their attention on their quarterback, the Rams did not know week-to-week who was going to be throwing the ball. Take a poll today, and still there is no clear-cut choice to lead the Rams in 1995.

The Rams’ offensive team captain, Jackie Slater, was injured, and when healthy alternated with Darryl Ashmore early in the season. The Rams’ defensive team captain, Anthony Newman, was benched in favor of rookie Toby Wright. Nice guys finish last, and the Rams had a whole bunch of them.

There were plenty of individual heroics: Todd Lyght taking on every one of the game’s top receivers and proving he is one of the game’s top cornerbacks; Shane Conlan competing with Super Bowl fervor; Darryl Henley putting aside tremendous personal difficulties and performing with brilliance; Tom Newberry overcoming the knowledge that the coaching staff didn’t want him playing; Newman accepting his demotion with class; Tony Zendejas making 19 of 23 field-goal attempts; Roman Phifer and Joe Kelly demonstrating that they have been taught well by one of the game’s top assistant coaches, Dick Selcer; and Bettis handling misfortune with professionalism.

And there were a number of pleasant and promising surprises: Clarence Jones working overtime to become a proficient left tackle; Marquez Pope emerging as a personality and prime-time hitter; Wright making a head-on impact on special teams; Keith Loneker holding on and Isaac Bruce catching the ball.

But in the end, there were too many letdowns: Sean Gilbert, hurt and ineffective; Todd Kinchen, exciting, but undependable; Gandy, a first-round draft choice in over his head; Steve Israel, a second-round pick with a bad knee; and David Lang, an explosive runner who couldn’t hold onto the ball.

Who knows about Chris Brantley, Tommy Maddox and Keith Lyle?

There might never be a satisfactory explanation for the manner in which tight end Troy Drayton was employed, and unless the coaching staff had it in for Bettis, there is no reason for fullback Tim Lester’s demotion as Bettis’ lead blocker. Why was Ashmore kept inactive for the latter part of the season? How come Robert Young disappeared? What went wrong with Russell White, Sean LaChapelle, James Bostic, Brad Ottis and T.J. Rubley?

Six losses this season by seven or fewer points, and the Rams believe they were that close to making it to the playoffs. But seven consecutive losses, including a dead-in-the-water month of December, tell another story.

Half full or half empty? Does Knox get the fourth year of his contract and a chance to enhance his reputation as the coach who turns programs around? Does Miller return as the starting quarterback? Do Phifer and Anderson spurn free-agent offers elsewhere and return to the Rams?

Probably not.

But then, isn’t that St. Louis’ concern?