PRO FOOTBALL ’85 : COACHES,PLAYERS,TEAMS AND TRENDS TO WATCH : RAMS : Minus the One and Only, Offense Must Rely on Brock and Redden

The concert has been three years in the works, but finally the great orchestra is assembled. The conductor mounts the podium. Tap-tap-tap. A hush. He raises his baton and . . . Hold it! Where’s the first violin?

In Sealy, Tex.?

Sorry, folks, no refunds. The Rams will try to make beautiful music without Eric Dickerson. Just don’t expect as many virtuoso performances.

Even without Dickerson, who is holding out for a guaranteed contract extension, running the football will remain a staple of the Rams’ offense, even if Coach John Robinson has to run it himself. That’s how he feels about the running game.

It’s the first weapon he installed when he became coach two years ago, and over the last off-season he rebuilt the passing game around a new quarterback, Dieter Brock, and had defensive coordinator Fritz Shurmur develop schemes to keep opposing quarterbacks awake the night before they play the Rams.

With a couple of other finishing touches--drafting a punter, Dale Hatcher, on the third round, and reinforcing that old USC ethic with his ’79 Heisman Trophy winner, Charles White--Robinson stepped back to admire his work, just before Dickerson disappeared.

The coach felt like the father who dresses his kids for Easter Sunday, one by one, only to find when he’s finished that the first one is outside playing in the mud.

All those efforts were geared toward a primary goal: beating the San Francisco 49ers, which is the only way to win the title in the NFC West. The Rams have lost the last three matches, although they did enter the playoffs the last two seasons through a side door reserved for wild-card teams.

Here’s how the Ram prospects break down:

RUNNING GAME

Robinson says: “Whoever will run the ball for us, we’ll be a solid running team this year. With Eric we’d be a great running team.”

The Rams offer one of the best escort services in the National Football League. The offensive line is a quintet of veterans averaging 30.6 years, each in the prime of his career. Four--Dennis Harrah, Kent Hill, Jackie Slater and Doug Smith--have been to the Pro Bowl, and the fifth, Bill Bain, had at least as good a season as any of them last year.

Throw in David Hill, who at 31 has forged a second career as a blocking tight end, totally apart from his days as a Pro Bowl receiver at Detroit.

Most of these players are average size for their positions, except Bain and Hill, and nobody knows how big they are. Educated guesses run to 315 and 260 pounds, respectively. Whatever it is, when they hit somebody, somebody stays hit.

Dickerson, who will miss at least the opening game against the Denver Broncos at Anaheim Sunday, would be hard pressed to assault the NFL record of 2,105 yards rushing he set last year. There are questions whether his backup, Barry Redden, or anybody else, is durable enough to do it. Redden probably will share time with White, A.J. Jones and another former Trojan, Lynn Cain, who signed Thursday after being cut by Atlanta.

There isn’t a legitimate breakaway threat in the bunch, but the tailback position, given the exceptional blocking, could be worth 1,500 yards.

PASSING GAME

Brock may be able to make up the 600-yard difference with his arm, but that isn’t saying much. The Rams’ had the second-lowest aerial production in the league last season, when young Jeff Kemp was permitted to break the glass and pass only in extreme emergencies.

Brock threw for 34,830 yards in 11 seasons in the Canadian Football League. Wait, don’t yawn. The guy has an arm like a bazooka, the head of a 34-year-old veteran and the body of a fitness freak. No fat, no surgical scars.

“I’ve been very impressed with his ability to compete,” Robinson said. “He has the patience to stand in the pocket, and he can avoid a rush.”

Brock, a native of Alabama, has adjusted well to the NFL’s smaller field. In fact, he appears to be well ahead of his receivers, who may be the youngest corps of pass catchers in the league. Henry Ellard has the most experience, and he is only in his third season--his second as a starter.

But for NFL savvy, Brock can look to his tight ends. Mike Barber, 32, caught 55 passes in ‘83, was leveled by a knee injury last season but has come back strong this summer. Tony Hunter, a first-round draft choice of Buffalo in ‘83, arrived in trade for Vince Ferragamo with a load of raw talent yet to be refined into the system.

DEFENSE

Right outside linebacker George Andrews was lost last week with his second knee surgery in two years, and two-thirds of the defensive line is missing with the retirement of Jack Youngblood and the estrangement of unsigned nose tackle Greg Meisner.

But the Rams held four exhibition opponents to 37 points, lowest in the league--Dallas was next best with 50--and even more impressive was the Ram total of 24 sacks.

“Going into training camp, we said we wanted to improve our pass rush and the ability to play the pass,” Robinson said. “I think we’ve done that, and the defense hasn’t fallen off in its ability to play the run.”

The Rams were second in rushing defense last season and allowed their four summer foes only 63.8 yards a game. The only question is how the nose position will hold up without Meisner. Charles DeJurnett is 33 and his backup, Shawn Miller, spent last season on injured reserve after signing as a free agent.

The new names to watch are Doug Reed, who has replaced Youngblood at left end, and Mike Wilcher, who has replaced Andrews. Robinson says they’re ready.

“Doug Reed has advanced from suspect to prospect to player,” Robinson said. “Mike Wilcher is a man now. He’s ready to play.”

Gary Jeter comes in for long yardage plays as a fourth lineman with a single mission: Get the quarterback.

The Rams have enough good defensive backs to stock two franchises, and the depth will allow them to use a combination of defenses designed to confuse and harass opponents. One scheme involves six defensive backs, several of whom will blitz.

New England quarterback Tony Eason said after last week’s game: “They ran coverages tonight that I had never seen before.”

Robinson said: “The (opposing) quarterback will have to take a shower after the games now. Last year (43 sacks) he could just get on the bus without a mark on him.”

SPECIAL TEAMS

Henry Ellard was a Pro Bowl punt returner last season. Redden shared the NFC lead in kickoff returns with St. Louis’ Stump Mitchell but, if he’s going to play offense regularly in Dickerson’s absence, will turn that over to White or Mike Guman, the Rams’ all-round handyman.

Placekicker Mike Lansford discovered last season when he was ill that his leg stayed stronger with rest during the week. He had a 53-yard field goal in the exhibition season and hopes to keep that range through 16 games.

Hatcher is a boomer but may need time to fine-tune his coffin-corner punts.

SECRET WEAPON

It may be Guman. The sixth-year pro from Penn State will not awe anyone with his natural skills but is the kind of player coaches like to have around.

He isn’t even listed as a starter but will play more than anyone in his utility role on offense and as unofficial leader of the special teams. He runs the punting team on the field and returned an onside kickoff for a touchdown at Cincinnati last season. In a pinch, Robinson said, he could play almost anywhere.

“If we played in a half-hour (from now) and said, ‘Mike, you’re the tailback, he wouldn’t make an error,” Robinson said.

Be ready, Guman, just in case.