Grogan Would Be Happy to Take Back Seat to Everett : Rams: After 16 years with New England, 37-year-old heads west. Robinson is expected to make a decision today.

The day 16-year NFL veteran Steve Grogan arrived for a brief look-see, Ram Coach John Robinson said the team should decide by the weekend whether to offer a contract to either Grogan or Mike Pagel to be the team’s No. 3 quarterback.

Pagel, a longtime NFL backup, worked out with the team this week.

The Rams are looking for a veteran to back up Jim Everett and Chuck Long.

“We’ll make a decision tomorrow (Friday) probably,” Robinson said Thursday, “talk to them over the weekend, get a feel for what they want to do, try to describe the position to them, see how they feel.”

Grogan, who will turn 38 this summer, was released by the New England Patriots this off-season, after an on-and-off 16-year career there. He said the Rams are the only team to show serious interest, and that he understands his role would be strictly No. 3.

“It’s got some appeal, yeah--it’s football,” Grogan said after a brief workout Thursday in front of offensive coordinator Ernie Zampese and receivers’ coach Jimmy Raye. “I learned a long time ago as long as you have a uniform on, there’s a chance you’re going to get to play some. If you don’t have a uniform on, you’re not going to get to play. I still like to play. . . .

“I told Coach Robinson I’m not fool enough to convince myself that I can play every down of every game for 16 weeks anymore. It would impossible for me physically to do that.

“But I do know this: I can come off the bench to win a game or come off the bench and win two or three games if need be. If that’s the kind of thing they’re looking for, then I think I can fill that role.”

Grogan said it was strange to go through a tryout after spending so many years with the same club.

“I told Ernie Zampese, ‘You’ll have to pardon me if I look a little nervous, but it’s been a long time since I tried out for somebody,’ ” Grogan said. “It’s a strange feeling. I don’t know how long ago it’s been since I had to do something like that.”

Although Grogan has had neck problems for the last several years and was told by at least one Boston-area specialist that he should quit football, Grogan apparently checked out OK with the Rams’ doctor and said other Boston doctors told him he was not at great risk.

“If enough of those people had told me you were crazy to go back on the football field, I wouldn’t do it,” Grogan said. “But only one guy has told me that and the rest of them have said it’d be fine.”