Three Rookie Receivers Vying for Job Keep Rivalry Serious, but Friendly : Rams: The play of Derrick Faison, Tony Lomack and Tim Stallworth will make it hard for coaches to choose.

The competition between the teams on the field Saturday night at Anaheim Stadium might not have been all that fierce, but the three players fighting for the Rams’ No. 4 wide receiver spot waged a pretty good battle.

And, considering that Henry Ellard pulled a hamstring during the Rams’ 27-7 victory over Phoenix--joining Aaron Cox and Flipper Anderson on the bad hamstring list--the play of Derrick Faison, Tony Lomack and Tim Stallworth might become more than just a footnote of the Rams’ 1990 season.

Coach John Robinson expressed grave concern about his team’s lack of continuity at wide receiver after the game. After all, this is a team that relies pretty heavily on Ellard and Anderson and doesn’t figure to achieve any Super Bowl dreams with both missing from its lineup. But Robinson also managed to send a little praise in the direction of the trio of rookies.

“The young kids played well,” he said. “All three are going to play in the NFL. We’ve got some tough decisions to make.”

All three did their best to make that decision that much more difficult Saturday evening. And Faison might win by default if the injuries incurred by the other two Saturday night (Stallworth bruised his right big toe and Lomack pulled his right hamstring) prove to be more than minor.

Here’s a look at the candidates--in no particular order, because this race is so tight right now there is no particular order--and the their contributions Saturday night:

--Derrick Faison, 6-feet, 4-inches of raw talent from Howard University. Faison, who played basketball, not football, during his senior year of college, doesn’t run especially crisp routes, but he has a knack for going over and sometimes through the defense to get the ball.

“Both in high school and college, we ran the option so my routes need a little work,” he said. “My fundamentals are rough.”

Rough, maybe, but he found his way into the open--and into the end zone twice--Saturday night.

First, Faison caught a 26-yard pass from Chuck Long in the corner of the end zone, splitting a pair of defenders. Safety Tracey Eaton tried to take Faison’s head off and was called for a face-mask penalty. Faison jumped up to his feet after the play and then went down as if he’d been shot.

“It stunned me, but it was my first touchdown in the NFL, so I didn’t feel it much,” he said. “I imagine I’ll be pretty sore tomorrow, though.”

Faison returned to strike again in the fourth quarter when he teamed with Long again, this time on a 23-yard scoring play over the middle.

“All three of us are friends, even though were having this fierce competition,” he said. “We’ve been pepping each other up all summer.”

--Tony Lomack, a 5-8, 180-pounder from Florida, might have been a bit deeper in the depth chart than the other two until the second quarter Saturday night.

He made a spectacular diving catch of an 11-yard pass from Everett, dragging his toes across the sideline chalk to pick up a first down. Then, on the Rams’ next possession, he snagged an Everett pass over the middle, ran right through the attempted tackle of safety Lonnie Young and scampered 80 yards for a touchdown. He struggled the last 20 yards or so, however, when his “leg was about to give out.”

“Jim put the ball right on the money,” Lomack said. “I bounced off (Young) and then it was off to the races.”

Lomack said his leg was a little sore, but felt like he could have stayed in the game.

“I’m having a lot of fun,” he said, “and I’ll be happy for whoever gets that fourth spot. You want to shine every time you get the chance. I would really love to play for the Rams, but if not, I guess it’s important to impress some other team every time you get a chance.”

--Tim Stallworth, a second cousin of former Steeler great John Stallworth, has all the right genes and a lot of the right moves. He’s 5-10, 180 pounds and comes from a big-time program (Washington State). He’s a polished, finesse-type receiver.

Against Phoenix, Stallworth caught just one pass, a 27-yarder from Long, but he ran under a flying tackle by Eaton and picked up a few extra yards.

“It’s a job we’re battling for here and that’s very important to all of us,” he said. “Tonight, Derrick and Tony got the balls thrown their way at the right times and I’m happy for them. But I’m looking forward to next week and hope it’ll be my turn.”

Stay tuned. If the Rams’ top three receivers keep pulling their hamstrings, these three rookies might end up pulling in more passes in 1990 than anyone could have guessed.