Dils to Start in Place of Bartkowski

Ram Coach John Robinson waited and waited, but Friday he finally named a starting quarterback for Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons at Anaheim Stadium.

It will be Steve Dils, pinch-hitting for a limping Steve Bartkowski.

Bartkowski, noticeably favoring his battered right knee, tried to convince Robinson this week that he could start.

But it didn’t work. Robinson has said that he wants six or seven quality starts from Bartkowski during the rest of the season. And that means sitting out some games to rest the knee.

Bartkowski will be Dils’ backup Sunday, with rookie Jim Everett playing only in case of emergency.

Ram Notes Free safety Vince Newsome had a long talk with secondary coach Steve Shafer Friday, leading some to believe that Johnnie Johnson may have won his starting job back after a strong game against Detroit last week. “I’ve got nothing to say,” Newsome said. Pressed further, he added: “One o’clock. Sunday. Watch.” . . . Defensive coordinator Fritz Shurmur said later that all four safeties--Johnson, Newsome, Nolan Cromwell and Tim Fox--will be rotated in the lineup, but he wouldn’t say whether Johnson would start in place of Newsome. . . . How long does it take to learn the Ram passing offense? Consider wide receiver Henry Ellard, who ended his holdout Thursday and has practiced but two days with the team. “He has not yet asked me a question about a pass route or done anything wrong yet,” quarterback Steve Dils said. “As far as what I’ve seen, yeah, I think he could start.” . . . The Rams today must remove a player to make room for Ellard on the team’s 45-man roster. Coach John Robinson wouldn’t say who would be released, but the Rams, with Ellard, now have six wide receivers.