It Had Been Kramer vs. Fans : Detroit: Quarterback has not been a popular choice, but his effort against Rams should help quiet his critics.

The signs of the times were there before the opening kickoff, hanging from the second deck of the Silverdome. One said, “For Peete’s Sake, Bring In Andre.” Another read, “Ware Is Andre?”

Then in the third quarter, with the Rams leading, 10-3, the boos began in earnest.

But Erik Kramer, with chants of “Andre, Andre, Andre” ringing in his ears, found the perfect way to silence his critics. Nothing like a couple of fourth-quarter touchdown passes and a 21-10 victory to quiet the mob.

They came to lynch him and would have left with him on their shoulders if the police would have allowed them on the field.

Kramer, a much-traveled and little-heralded quarterback whose only claims to fame came in Canada, did what Barry Sanders could not Sunday. He moved the ball against the Rams--completing 15 of 25 passes for 185 yards and three touchdowns--and lifted the Lions to victory.

Every defense is concerned with stopping Sanders, but this season quarterback Rodney Peete had forced the Lions’ foes to respect their passing game as well. A balanced offense helped the Lions to a 6-2 start, but then Peete went down with a season-ending Achilles’ tendon injury and Coach Wayne Fontes made the controversial decision to play Kramer over Andre Ware, the Lions’ No. 1 draft choice in 1990.

“Erik had a better preseason and that’s all I have to go on,” Fontes said.

Detroit lost two in a row with Kramer at quarterback and Fontes’ decision became increasingly unpopular hereabouts. Sunday, however, the Lion faithful were no longer grumbling.

“As the game progressed, Erik got better and better,” Fontes said. “We wanted to show we had confidence in him so we came out throwing. I told him before the game that he was my quarterback, that there would be boo birds, but I wouldn’t yank him.

“Then, when we went three and out a couple of times in the third quarter, I told him, ‘I’ll stay with you. Just stay loose and have fun.’ And then we threw some passes we knew we could complete, just to maintain his confidence.”

Fontes may think Kramer’s psyche is fragile, but the first-year quarterback waved off the crowd’s disapproval like a 10-year veteran with three Super Bowl rings.

“Sure, I heard them booing,” he said. “You’d have to be deaf not to hear it. But I don’t play to appease the crowd and, anyway, that’s the nature of this business.”

Kramer doesn’t have a wealth of NFL experience, but he’s been around. If he had a motor home, the back window would be plastered with stickers from different states and even a province.

Kramer, a safety at Burbank’s Burroughs High, wasn’t recruited by any colleges. He went to Pierce College, became the starting quarterback, and led the team to a 10-1 record and a berth in the Potato Bowl in 1984. He transferred to North Carolina State and was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year as a senior in 1986, but he wasn’t drafted by an NFL team.

After making some calls, he got an invitation to try out with New Orleans in 1987, but was cut before the season started. The NFL players strike afforded him with another chance and he snagged a job with Atlanta, playing all three strike games for the Falcons. Atlanta brought him back to camp in 1988, but waived him after the first regular-season game.

Kramer ended up signing with Calgary of the Canadian Football League and played the final six games of the 1988 season with the Stampeders. He completed only 62 of 153 passes for 964 yards and five touchdowns with 13 interceptions.

He never really got the chance to acclimate to the CFL game, though. He suffered a knee injury in training camp before the ’89 season and spent the entire season on injured reserve.

Apparently, he was good on the phone, though, and wrangled a tryout with Detroit. The Lions liked his arm strength and he stuck with Detroit for most of the season--albeit on injured reserve with a shoulder injury--but the Lions released him before the final game of the ’90 season.

Detroit re-signed Kramer again this March and he moved ahead of Ware during the preseason, completing 30 of 60 passes for 435 yards with two touchdowns and four interceptions. Ware was 40 of 89 for 407 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.

And now, he is the man in the spotlight, and on the spot, in Detroit.

“If teams are going to force us to pass, we’re going to pass,” Fontes said. “And Erik is executing very well.”

Kramer won’t acknowledge feeling any pressure. He prefers to call it “responsibility.” He says his focus is on playing smart, error-free football.

“I just don’t want to make the big plays in the wrong direction,” he said. “That’s my goal. I threw some away on purpose today. I just don’t want to give up the (interception).

“People are always asking if I’m feeling more comfortable, but I’ve always felt comfortable here.”

Kramer says Sunday’s victory was more important for the team than it was for his ego. “The team knows they can win with Erik Kramer,” he said.