Rubley Proves He Can Maneuver in Rush-Hour Traffic : Pro football: Ram reserve quarterback gets stagnant offense moving in the second half.

Jim Everett won’t be remembered as a quarterback who’s great under a heavy rush. And his backup, T.J. Rubley, will never be remembered as a quarterback who’s patient in the pocket.

But Rubley’s ability to scramble during a heavy rush gives the Rams something Everett can’t--versatility under pressure.

Just ask rookie tight end Troy Drayton, who saw this skill first-hand in the Rams’ 20-19 exhibition loss to the Raiders on Saturday night at Anaheim Stadium.

“Sometimes, Jim really gets the ball on you,” Drayton said. “But the difference comes down to scrambling, and when T.J.’s doing that, it gives the other team something to look out for.

“It’s just another thing they have to put in the scouting report. All the receivers are taught to read him, just like the defense does, and to get to open areas.”

Rubley’s scrambling helped get a stagnant Ram offense going in the second half, but it wasn’t enough to hold off the Raiders, who won it on Jeff Jaeger’s 37-yard field goal with 14 seconds left.

The Ram offense has struggled in the exhibition season, averaging only 13.3 points a game and less than a point per possession with Everett in control. Saturday night was no exception.

But the performance of Rubley, a ninth-round pick from Tulsa in 1992, showed promise and was his best of the exhibition season by far. Playing only the second half, he completed eight of 13 passes for 134 yards.

Everett was six of eight for 86 yards in the first half, and his fumble at the Ram four-yard line in the first quarter proved costly. The Raiders’ Anthony Smith returned it for a touchdown.

Everett is getting pushed by Rubley, who engineered three solid drives Saturday night:

--A 90-yard drive capped by Russell White’s one-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.

--A 65-yard drive that led to Tony Zendejas’ 46-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter.

--And a 48-yard drive that resulted in Zendejas’ 39-yard field goal that gave the Rams a 19-17 lead with 3 minutes 35 seconds left.

Despite the strong second half, Rubley figures he will be holding a clipboard next Sunday when the Rams open the regular season in Milwaukee against the Green Bay Packers.

The backup quarterback usually is the most popular guy in town, and it’s a role Rubley doesn’t seem to mind--at least for now.

“You have to get used to it (backup role),” he said. “If I didn’t treat it that way, I would be putting a lot of pressure on myself.”

Although he says he’s no threat to take the starting spot from Everett, Rubley’s play Saturday night probably helped him at least lock up the backup position.

“I have a chance to be the No. 2 quarterback,” he said. “If I am, then thank God because I’ll get to do some work (in practice) during the week.”

He got plenty of work in the second half. In a drive starting at the Ram 10, he scrambled and threw to wide receiver Richard Buchanan for 51 yards, the longest completion by a Ram quarterback during this exhibition season.

“He scrambles, and it helps us get open,” Buchanan said. “I hope nothing ever happens to Jim Everett, but if something does, I’ll look forward to playing with T.J.”

He completed a three-yard pass to Tim Lester and scrambled for a nine-yard gain around the right side. White’s runs of 13 and 10 yards set up his touchdown dive, the first score of the rookie’s NFL career.

Rubley was four of six for 41 yards on a 65-yard drive that set up Zendejas’ 46-yard field goal.

He was two of five for 39 yards, including a 25-yard completion on a scramble to Travis McNeal that led to Zendejas’ go-ahead field goal.