Backup Isn’t Given Time to Warm a Bench : New Orleans: Steve Walsh, told he would start five minutes before game, joins fellow reserves with a strong performance.

New Orleans Saint Coach Jim Mora went to his bullpen Sunday, and Steve Walsh, backup quarterback and long-relief specialist, responded with another strong performance.

Two weeks ago, Mora told Walsh about a half hour before a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that he would be starting in place of Bobby Hebert, and Walsh led the Saints to a 23-7 victory.

Sunday, the Saints were milling around their locker room after pregame drills when Mora informed Walsh that he was starting for Hebert, who has a shoulder injury.

Five minutes later, Walsh took the Anaheim Stadium field, where he would complete 17 of 33 passes for 269 yards and two touchdowns, helping the Saints beat the Rams, 24-17, and improve to 8-1.

“They’re getting later and later,” Walsh said of Mora’s last-minute decisions. “But I was happy to get the call. I got a few butterflies, but I’m used to this and was prepared.”

On a day when those Beasts of the Bayou--the Saint defense is rated the NFL’s best--showed some vulnerability, allowing Ram quarterback Jim Everett to pass for 346 yards, the New Orleans offense showed some versatility.

Besides Hebert, the Saints played without starting halfback Gill Fenerty, who has sprained knees, and reserve halfback Dalton Hilliard, who has a foot injury. To compound the backfield problems, fullback Craig (Ironhead) Heyward left the game early in the fourth quarter because of a foot injury.

But Buford Jordan, a sixth-year veteran from McNeese State who had carried 13 times for 29 yards this season, came through with 46 yards in 14 carries and scored what proved to be the winning touchdown on an 11-yard run with 4 minutes 37 seconds remaining.

And rookie receiver Wesley Carroll, who caught only six passes this season but saw extended action Sunday when the Saints employed a three-receiver set, had four receptions for 61 yards. Carroll made a dazzling catch of a 31-yard pass for a touchdown just before halftime to give the Saints a 17-10 lead.

“We were undermanned a bit, but the guys we did play, especially Steve, Buford and the rest, did an outstanding job,” Mora said. “Bobby (Hebert) just didn’t have it today in warm-ups. He said he could play, but I didn’t think he’d be at his best.”

Walsh was, at least at times. The former Miami standout, who led the Hurricanes to a 12-0 record and the national championship in 1987, used a variety of play-action fakes and rollout passes to keep the Rams off balance.

“I felt like John Elway a lot today,” Walsh said, referring to the Denver Bronco quarterback who loves to roll out. “My wallet is a little thinner than his, though.”

Walsh, who wasn’t sacked Sunday, seemed to have all day to find the 5-foot-11, 260-pound Heyward over the middle for a 22-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter.

Walsh looked strong in the first quarter but went into a funk in the second, as the Saints’ first four possessions of the quarter ended with a missed field goal, a punt, an interception and a punt.

But Walsh snapped out of it just before halftime, after New Orleans recovered a fumble at its 44-yard line with 22 seconds left.

Walsh hit Eric Martin for a 25-yard gain to the Ram 31, but instead of running the ball up the middle to set up a Morten Andersen field goal attempt, the Saints went for it all.

Walsh rolled right, then threw long down the left sideline for Carroll, who made a leaping catch behind cornerback Darryl Henley and safety Michael Stewart, who collided in the air while lunging for the ball.

Henley and Stewart said they touched the ball, but Carroll pulled it down for a touchdown and a 16-10 lead with three seconds left.

“Wesley made a great play, but you also need a little luck,” Walsh said. “The biggest thing was I gave the receiver a chance to make a great play. That’s all you can do.”

Walsh also shined on the Saints’ final, bizarre scoring drive, which consumed 6:19 of the fourth quarter. On third and nine from his 22, Walsh threw a 22-yard pass to Martin, who made a leaping catch over Henley.

Consecutive Saint penalties (illegal procedure and delay of game) created a third and 16 at the 38, but Walsh hit Floyd Turner on the right sideline for a 16-yard gain.

Turner made a leaping catch near the Ram 46-yard line and was pushed back near midfield, but the referee gave him forward progress to the 46, just enough for the first down.

The Rams were called for pass interference and a personal foul before Jordan scored an 11-yard touchdown with 4:37 left.

“That was chaos--it was incredible,” Walsh said of the drive. “The refs weren’t sure what was going on. There were a couple of penalties, a couple outstanding catches, and there was some discussion as to where Floyd’s catch should have been spotted. Then Buford finally went in from the 11.”

Walsh made one more major contribution, passing 19 yards to Martin on a third-and-six play with 2:08 left, allowing the Saints to take another minute off the clock with three more plays and a punt. The Rams, trailing by a touchdown, took over with 55 seconds left but couldn’t score.

“One of Steve’s greatest assets is poise, and he did a great job in the clutch,” Mora said. “That last completion was a big-time play. When you tell a guy five minutes before kickoff he’s going to start, you wonder about the guy, but he did a great job.”