Kemp Gets a Shot at Beating the Rams Today : Backup Quarterback to Start for the 49ers in Montana’s Absence

The last time the Rams beat the San Francisco 49ers at Anaheim Stadium, they were coached by this rumpled-looking man best remembered for falling asleep while on the air during a morning radio talk show.

Yes, it’s been a long time. The year was 1980. The coach was Ray Malavasi. The score was 27-24.

Since then, the Rams have seen all they care to see of a quarterback named Joe Montana, who has led the 49ers to five straight wins in Anaheim, slicing and dicing the Rams’ secondary along the way.

But today at 1 p.m., the Rams will face the 49ers with new hope.

After a week of speculation about the status of the injured Montana, the 49ers announced Friday that former Ram Jeff Kemp would start at quarterback against his old teammates.

Montana stayed behind Saturday when the 49ers flew to Southern California. A team spokesman said the quarterback was recuperating through the weekend at his Foster City home.

Montana is suffering from back and leg pain caused by an inflamed lumbar nerve root. He hurt himself in last Sunday’s 31-7 win over Tampa Bay, throwing a pass to his right while running left.

Montana spent the week at home, strapped to a portable traction unit. He received an anti-inflammatory injection Wednesday, but his status went from questionable to doubtful Friday.

The Rams reacted predictably to the news, saying that they don’t really pay any attention to who’s back there, anyway. What was the quarterback’s name again?

“They have a good pass offense,” Coach John Robinson, said. “We’re concerned about our team, and I’m sure Bill (Walsh) is worried with his.”

Robinson also added that Kemp isn’t exactly jumping into this game with cold feet, pointing out that this will mark his fourth start for the 49ers in the last five games, Montana having missed three exhibition games with a bad ankle.

Besides, who looks at numbers, anyway?

Does it really matter that Montana has saved some of his greatest days for the Rams?

In 10 games since 1981, Montana has completed 65% of his passes against the Rams for 2,967 yards, with 20 touchdown passes and only 4 interceptions.

Montana is 5-1 against the Rams at Anaheim Stadium and has averaged 312 yards a game passing, with 13 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.

But, then, he’s just another guy in a helmet.

“Anybody they put in the game is going to be good,” Ram cornerback Jerry Gray said. “San Francisco has a good passing scheme, and I still have to cover Jerry Rice. He’s not going to cut his routes short just because it’s Kemp.”

Cornerback LeRoy Irvin said he’ll believe Montana isn’t playing when he sees it. “It’s still possible Joe could start. I’m preparing for Joe,” he said.

Montana could still catch a plane south this morning, of course, but if he doesn’t, well, what’s the big deal?

“They’re both fine quarterbacks,” Irvin said of Kemp and Montana. “I’m not interested in who starts.”

This will be a big moment for Kemp, a frustrated backup with the Rams for five years. The Rams traded Kemp and two fourth-round draft choices to San Francisco for a third-round choice, which the Rams used to draft Washington quarterback Hugh Millen, who is on injured reserve with a broken foot.

Kemp had only one real chance in Los Angeles, replacing the injured Vince Ferragamo in the third game of the 1984 season. Kemp, as a starter, was 9-4 and led the team to a wild-card spot before losing to the New York Giants.

But the next year, it was back to the bench.

“My goal and expectation is to win the game, not to be Joe Montana,” Kemp said. “I’m filling in for the best quarterback in football. I’m capable of playing winning football. But I’m not going to try to be Joe.”

Ram Notes

The Rams and the 49ers have met 72 times since 1950, the Rams leading the series, 44-26-2. . . . Eric Dickerson, who rushed for 193 yards in 38 carries during the Rams’ 16-10 victory over St. Louis last Sunday, has been held to fewer than 100 yards in his last four games against San Francisco. . . . For what it’s worth: Two San Francisco sportswriters, in Anaheim to cover Sunday’s game, were not permitted to watch Friday’s Ram practice. But one admitted that he had sneaked a peak, anyway. “You mean they run Dickerson left, too?” he said. . . . The 49ers start two rookies at cornerback--Tim McKyer and Don Griffin. Eric Wright, the 49ers’ All-Pro cornerback, is still on injured reserve with a groin injury. Ram quarterback Steve Bartkowski said that having two rookies to work against doesn’t change things. “I know what to anticipate,” he said. “It doesn’t matter who’s playing. They play hard, fast and tough. There are no glaring weaknesses.”