Change of Disposition : Everett Finding It Hard to Be Positive During the Hard Times of the Past Two Weeks

Jim Everett never met a calamity he didn’t like. He is Norman Vincent Peale in cleats, a guy who could find something nice to say about a natural disaster.

But these are trying times for Mr. Positive. Remember those Everett passes that once fell gently into the hands of Ram receivers? Nowadays they clunk against the turf, or worse yet, float gently into the hands of opposing defensive backs.

Remember that famed Everett decision-making process, the one that helped the Rams find their way atop the NFC West with a 7-3 record entering Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints at Anaheim Stadium? No longer. It has been mislaid. Like the offense itself, the process has become inconsistent.

Remember that lofty quarterback rating--best in the National Football League and all that? Look for it to drop like bad penny stock this week. The ratings formula doesn’t look kindly on mistakes.

They said there would be days, not weeks like the ones Everett has endured of late. Not surprisingly, the Rams, who have been perched on Everett’s shoulder for much of the season, have taken a tumble, from first place to second, from confident to slightly nervous.

This time it was a 14-10 loss to the Saints. Last week it was a 30-24 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. The week before that it was a hard-fought victory over these same Saints, a game in which Everett completed plenty of passes for plenty of yards, but couldn’t guide the offense into the end zone.

Everett’s outlook, almost always upbeat, is showing signs of wear and tear. Why wouldn’t it, what with a second consecutive loss and a second consecutive chance to turn a Ram deficit into a last-minute Ram win?

“I think it was obvious: I did not play a good ballgame today and that’s what it comes down to,” Everett said. “I hope there’s not very many more in the future. I know I will certainly try not to let that happen again, whatever the cause is.”

About those causes. Everett said he had some ideas why the Ram offense was sputtering. “Absolutely,” he said, “but I’m not going to tell you guys.”

No, this is something for Everett to mull over privately. Six interceptions (4 against the Eagles and 2 against the Saints) in 2 weeks will do that to you. Two touchdown passes in 3 games tends to promote self-reflection.

Everett has much to consider. For instance, why is it the Ram offense has jerked to a scoring stop? No touchdowns against the Saints 2 weeks ago. Only 1 against them Sunday?

How come Everett has more interceptions in the last 2 games than he had in the previous 9 games combined?

And just why is everyone clamoring around Everett’s locker stall for reasons?

Dick Coury, the Ram quarterbacks coach, has some explanations.

As for the offensive problems, blame everyone, not just Everett, Coury suggested. The interceptions? “Hey, he hasn’t had many valleys this year,” he said. “And you’ve got to give those guys (the Saints) credit.”

But Coury did mention that this wasn’t Everett’s finest effort. Far from it.

“I don’t think he probably played as he did in the other games,” he said.

The other games. Five touchdown passes against the New York Giants. Three against the Atlanta Falcons. Three more against the San Francisco 49ers and three against the Seattle Seahawks the next week. These aren’t numbers you sustain easily, as evidenced by Everett’s recent struggles.

“Hey, there’s going to be days that you’re not right on the money,” Everett said.

Sunday was one of them. Rushed hard by the Saints, hurried on more than one occasion, Everett lacked the efficiency Ram Coach John Robinson so cherishes. There were underthrows, tipped passes, those 2 interceptions.

A third-quarter pass, tipped at the line of scrimmage, found its way into Saint linebacker Vaughan Johnson’s hands, who dodged would-be tacklers until he reached the Ram 7. The turnover cost the Rams a touchdown two plays later.

But it was Everett’s failed pass to Flipper Anderson in the waning moments of the game that hurt the Rams the most. Instead of a last-second victory, the Rams had to settle for second place. Worse yet, Anderson was open.

“I thought we had it at the end,” Everett said. “(I) just didn’t have enough zip on it.

“The key thing is, it shouldn’t have come down to that.”

The way the Saints figure it, Everett’s underthrown pass was just one of several ill-advised moves. But that was the plan.

“The last time I thought he was more conservative,” Vaughan Johnson said. “We put some pressure on him this time and he got impatient. We told ourselves to keep putting pressure on Everett and he’ll make some bad throws, make some bad decisions. And he did.”

Said Everett: “Heck, I’m 25 years old and some of these things are new to me. But I sure like the winning part better.”