Georgia Stands by Her New Man : This Time, Rams May Have Real McCoy in Jim Everett

The scene was a familiar one, Ram owner Georgia Frontiere smiling brightly and introducing the very latest quarterback of the future.

“This,” she said, referring to Jim Everett, “is something for you (the fans), something for the coach and something for the team.”

The Rams, of course, had been through all “this” before.

In 1982, it was Georgia mugging with Bert Jones, the former star with the Baltimore Colts.

In 1984, it was Georgia squeezing the muscular right arm of Dieter Brock, the anonymous one from Canada.

The difference in Thursday’s press conference to introduce Everett, former star quarterback at Purdue, seemed to be the quality of merchandise.

This time, the Rams seemingly pulled all the right strings and signed a quarterback who comes equipped with pop in his arm and cartilage in his knees. This one even learned the game within the boundaries of the United States.

So there would be no quibbling with Coach John Robinson, who could almost say with all sincerity the following about Jim Everett:

“In the last 10 years, there have been 10 or 15 guys where you say, ‘Hey, that’s one of those guys.’ He’s in the category of the Marinos and the Montanas. Jim has been put in that category by every pro scout. I think that’s pretty high praise.”

Robinson, who has had trouble picking the right quarterback before, couldn’t wait to get this one off the assembly line and onto the highway.

Minutes after the press conference, Everett was directed to the equipment room, where he was fitted with a shiny new uniform and handed jersey No. 11.

He was on the field for practice at 1:20 p.m., throwing passes to people he didn’t know.

Well, he knew one.

By chance, Eric Dickerson had wandered by the press conference and was asked in to meet Everett. That gave Dickerson the chance to clear up whatever problems he might have created last week when he voiced his displeasure over the inclusion of Kent Hill in the trade that landed Everett.

“I’m looking forward to working with him,” Dickerson said with Everett standing by. “Maybe we can go to a Super Bowl this year.”

There’s still some question whether Everett will overtake Dickerson and become the highest-paid Ram.

Everett’s contract figures have yet to be filed with the NFL Players Assn., but a source close to the negotiations said that, with incentives, Everett could make close to $3 million over four years.

Dickerson signed a two-year extension last season that will pay him about $2.9 million in the same period.

Back on the practice field, a horn blew, and Everett wasn’t sure what it meant. Dick Coury, the quarterback coach, motioned for Everett to join the team for calisthenics.

Everett followed along like a puppy dog, mimicking the exercises as best he could. He then played quarterback for the scout team.

“I was a lost dog out there,” Everett said. “I kind of trailed along like a donkey’s tail. I just looked to see where everyone was going.”

Although the Rams say they are going to bring him along slowly, they whisked Everett into the organization and onto the field.

“He didn’t know any formations or anyone’s name,” Robinson said. “He just went out and lined up. But, clearly, playing is a very natural thing for him.”

Everett opened practice by bruising the hands of nearly every Ram wide receiver.

“He was a little excited,” receiver Michael Young said.

Bobby Duckworth reportedly told Everett to lighten up.

Everett did.

“I was a little pumped up,” he said. “I have to get used to them and they have to get used to me.”

Everett has to get used to a lot of things.

He was 15 minutes late to his own press conference after taking a wrong turn on a freeway. “I was on my way to San Diego,” he said. “I thought I would end up in Mexico.”

Everett, the third player taken in this year’s National Football League draft, will get a two-week roster exemption and will be eligible to play his first game Oct. 12 against the Atlanta Falcons.

But isn’t that rushing things a bit?

“This happened at a unique time,” Robinson said. “Without having a training camp, Jim’s coming in on a crash course. We’re going to try to do extra things with him. We’ll do as much as we can to get him as much work as possible.”

At the press conference, Robinson said Everett would be treated no differently than, say, a free-agent punter who walked into camp.

“When he’s qualified to be the No. 2 quarterback, he’ll be No. 2,” Robinson said. “When he’s ready to be No. 1, he’ll be No. 1. That’s the way it is for all of us.”

Everett doesn’t think it’s going to take him all that long to get ready.

“We ran a pro-type offense at Purdue,” he said. “I’m familiar with all the terminology. I’m not used to the action on the other side of the ball. This is another league, I realize that.”

Everett posted some impressive figures at Purdue, completing 59% of his passes for 7,411 yards and 43 touchdowns.

The Houston Oilers made Everett their first pick in the draft, but Everett didn’t want to play in Houston behind Warren Moon and staged a holdout that stretched two games into the regular season.

Last week, the Rams traded Hill, a five-time All-Pro guard, defensive end William Fuller, two No. 1 draft choices and a No. 5 pick to the Oilers for the rights to Everett.

Everett is considered a great prospect because of a combination of his size--6-5 and 212 pounds--arm strength and foot speed.

When he will play for the Rams is anyone’s guess. Everett says he probably will be ready late in the season. A lot, of course, depends on the performance and health of Steve Bartkowski, the current starter.

Everett is hoping Bartkowski can be to him what Don Strock was to Dan Marino, a veteran who can show a youngster the ropes.

“I couldn’t be in a better situation,” Everett said. “I even talked to Dan Marino about that, having Strock in front of him. He said he learned a lot from him. I hope I can learn something from Bartkowski.”

Ram Notes Coach John Robinson said Steve Busick will definitely start in place of injured Carl Ekern (groin pull) at inside linebacker Sunday against the Eagles at Philadelphia. Ekern may be able to play if needed.