Everett Hopes He Can Practice What He Preaches : Rams: Veteran quarterback is optimistic about improving on the last three seasons.
You know the drill: The Rams come together for the first time as a team in training camp, the media gather around quarterback Jim Everett, he says all the right things and then the team he’s playing for goes out and does everything wrong.
This year is going to be different, of course, although coincidentally it began Friday with Everett saying all the right things.
“I’m very optimistic,” he said. “Do I think we have a chance to make the playoffs? I’d say yes, but then I’m also anticipating some things happening (favorably) in our direction.
“How good we are is still going to have to be explained on Sundays.”
Some revelation: The Rams’ season will be determined on how they fare each Sunday. Keep those quotes coming.
“The expectations on this team are much higher than last year,” Everett said. “From the players’ standpoint, we see management is making an effort to make our defense better.
“Offensively, this is the first time we’ve really gone out and tried to inject a lot of youth. Hopefully, these guys will be impact players at positions of need. We haven’t had this injection for a long time.
“Now as to what we can expect from those guys as rookies, I’d be a fool to sit here and say we’re going to light the world on fire with each one. But there will be one or two that stand out and help us win games and get to the playoffs.”
Some sermon. The Rams are better on defense, and yes they have some rookies on offense to watch. But who is he kidding? It all starts with the quarterback.
You want to get to the playoffs, you have to have a quality quarterback. Troy Aikman in Dallas. Dan Marino in Miami. Jim Kelly in Buffalo. Steve Young in San Francisco. Warren Moon in Houston. John Elway in Denver.
“Other than the ’91 campaign, I think my play has been as good or better than any quarterback in this league,” Everett said. “I can’t say I’ve won more games than other quarterbacks in this game, but I can certainly say that my preparation is as good as anyone’s in the league.”
There is no question about Everett’s physical preparation: He has been the consummate professional, and as a result he has been able to start 80 consecutive regular-season games.
“I don’t want to get the hair up on my neck defending somebody because sometimes that turns people off,” said Ted Tollner, the Rams’ quarterbacks coach. “But Jim Everett is there every day. This team has only won 14 games in the past three years and a lot of guys wouldn’t want to be there every Sunday. It’s not a lot of fun.”
The Rams want this year to be different, and with that in mind, Everett and Tollner met Thursday night to discuss this year’s approach.
“He was telling me what I was going to tell him,” Tollner said. “He said, ‘Ted, I’m going to make it the most important thing this season to be mentally as sound in my decision-making process as I possibly can be.’
“At his position, you only have to make one or two bad decisions, and if you’re not on a high-powered team, you’re out of the game. We don’t have a large margin of error, and so he’s at a position where mistakes are catastrophic.”
Some assignment: Be perfect or else.
The Rams, lacking depth at wide receiver, have been forced to restructure their offensive line due to free agency and will start a new tailback and fullback. It is an offense in search of stability, which Everett can deliver.
“I got to play with the hand that’s dealt,” he said. “If you know football, you know exactly where we stand. There’s some emphasis on my playing very good games, but I like that. I’m expecting that from my teammates, too, so it goes two ways.”
In his first training camp practice Friday, Everett went looking for wide receiver Flipper Anderson. In a span of 15 minutes, Everett and Anderson compiled a practice highlight reel: A down and out, a down and in, a shot across the middle, a bomb. Football as good as it can be played.
“I’ve been around the block,” Everett said. “I’ve been to the game right before the Super Bowl. I’ve been to the game right before the toilet bowl. I’ve seen what it takes to win and I’ve seen what happens when you lose.
“What I bring to this team is an appreciation for great plays, and a great appreciation for winning one ball game. I think that’s overlooked sometimes. People get caught up in looking at the whole season, but a season turns on a few catches, a few fumbles, a great play.”
Something new to consider, after all: Just take one game at a time.
* CONLAN INJURES KNEE
Ram linebacker Shane Conlan injured his left knee on his first day of practice. He says it is only hyper-extended. C18