PRO FOOTBALL: GREEN BAY PACKERS 36, RAMS 6 : RAM NOTEBOOK : Conlan’s Injury Leads to Big Turnaround for Homco

Linebacker Shane Conlan, signed by the Rams to improve the league’s 27th-ranked defense against the run, aggravated a groin injury on his second play of the game Sunday.

Conlan said he took a couple of injections to contend with the pain, but he ended up standing on the sideline as a spectator while Tom Homco took his place.

“I went from being waived (Monday) to playing 80% of the game at linebacker and every special teams play,” Homco said. “That’s a big turnaround.”

In addition to Conlan, the Rams lost linebacker Henry Rolling (a fractured right thumb), tight end Pat Carter (a injured foot) and cornerback Darryl Henley (an injured shoulder).

“I wanted to play and tried to do what I could do,” Conlan said. “Maybe I should have stayed out . . . I just had no power there after awhile.”

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Just a hunch, but look for running back Jerome Bettis to earn his first NFL start Sunday against the Steelers in Anaheim Stadium.

Running back Cleveland Gary did not enjoy a productive day against the Packers, and while he didn’t get a lot of help from his offensive line, Coach Chuck Knox finished his day singing the praises of Bettis.

“I think about the only thing I saw out there that was encouraging offensively was the running of Jerome Bettis in the second half,” Knox said. “He took it up in there the way you’re supposed to take it up in there, bounced off some people and ran to some daylight.

“The rest of the time we weren’t in sync; we weren’t making things happen.”

Gary ran 13 times for 31 yards; Bettis ran five times for 24 yards.

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From the unforgettable quote department--Week 1: “I think we had them worn down after the first half; I could have had 100 yards,” Gary said.

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The Rams’ media guide, the last of 28 teams to be distributed, was received by reporters 1 hour 4 minutes before the opening kickoff.

“We’ve got a hell of a shot of beating that next year if we stay focused,” a Ram spokesman said.

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Packer defensive end Reggie White had only one tackle, one assist and no sacks--hardly $17 million worth of work--but the crowd of 54,648 apparently thought his debut was a smash anyway.

After the game, White--the Pro Bowl sack specialist who left the Philadelphia Eagles as a free agent after last season and signed one of the most lucrative contracts in league history--did a TV interview at the 50-yard line. As he spoke, the crowd broke into a sustained chant of “Reg-gie, Reg-gie,” making the place seem like Yankee Stadium during a Jackson-dominated World Series.

“That was really nice,” White said.

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At least one thing went right for the Rams, and it was somewhat of a surprise.

Offensive tackle Jackie Slater scored the first upset of the season when he called heads on the coin flip, and it actually came up heads.

Slater compiled one of the oddest streaks of futility in the league last season, losing each of the first 12 flips: four exhibitions and the first eight regular-season games. He finally snapped out of it when heads came up Nov. 8 against Phoenix.

Times staff writer Craig Stanke contributed to this notebook.