Rubley Receives Plenty of Support : Rams: Teammates, fans provide encouragement as he gets his big chance and almost pulls out victory.

T.J. Rubley swears he wasn’t nervous when he replaced starter Jim Everett on Sunday, but Ram cornerback Todd Lyght saw it differently.

“He had a nervous look on his face,” Lyght said. “I walked up and told him said, ‘Hey, it’s just like practice. Don’t get too nervous, because the game isn’t bigger than you. You can take control.’ ”

Rubley did so, leading the Rams to two second-half touchdowns in a 16-13 loss to the Detroit Lions at Anaheim Stadium.

“We were just trying to get something to pick us up, and that (change) was a good start for us,” said rookie tailback Jerome Bettis, who rushed for 113 yards in 23 carries. “We knew the game was going downhill and we needed something to change that. We were dragging along. We needed a second wind, or something like that.”

They got it from Rubley, a second-year player out of Tulsa who was promoted to second-string last week. He completed 12 of 17 passes, including nine in a row, for 151 yards and two touchdowns.

His scrambling skills--three rushes, 24 yards--added a new dimension to the Ram offense, and he regularly went to often unused receivers such as rookie tight end Troy Drayton (two catches for 35 yards), Ernie Jones (touchdown catches of four and 21 yards) and Todd Kinchen (four catches, 60 yards).

“I was very pleased about it because I felt shut out of the last four or five games,” said Drayton, who had caught only one pass in the last four games. “I got down on myself. I thought it was me.”

Rubley started the second series of the third quarter, after Everett completed only two of nine passes for 12 yards, was intercepted and was sacked by left end Robert Porcher on his last play.

As Detroit took possession, Rubley warmed up with third-string quarterback Mike Pagel, then took a few snaps from center Bern Brostek.

Rubley also received some encouragement from Bettis, who was one of the few players who approached both Everett and Rubley as the change was taking place.

“I told both of them to stay in the game,” Bettis said. “I told T.J. to settle down and that I would be there for him.

“And I told Jim to settle down and be ready if his call comes again. I didn’t want him to be destroyed just because they made a change. It’s not the end of the world. He had a bad game, just don’t lose it.”

Rubley entered the game to a standing ovation from the crowd of 43,850. How nervous was Rubley, who isn’t used to all this attention?

“I don’t get nervous,” he said. “I only get nervous when I’m not prepared. And I was prepared. It’s not like I’m a man of stone, though.”

Everett has taken most of the heat for the Rams’ 2-5 start and he was booed on the Rams’ first series, when he threw three consecutive incompletions, including one pass intended for Bettis that was nearly intercepted by cornerback Willie Clay.

“The fans are being a little too hard on him,” Bettis said. “He’s kind of like the scapegoat for the offense. All the blame is put on him. But that’s not fair.

“It’s the nature of the position, but still, you can make too much of one thing when everything is going wrong. If the pressure’s there, Jim’s not a scrambler. So you can’t expect him to do the things that T.J. can do. He’s a different kind of quarterback.”

Rubley completed two of his first four passes and scrambled for six yards and a first down on the first drive, which ended in a punt.

But in the fourth quarter, after the Rams fell behind, 13-0, he completed six consecutive passes for 71 yards--including the four-yard touchdown to Jones.

Detroit cornerback Ray Crockett said Rubley caught the Lions by surprise. Because Rubley hasn’t played in a regular season game, they had no film of him to study.

“We couldn’t watch him on film, and I think he had the advantage on us,” Crockett said. “Normally, it takes you time to adjust when a quarterback comes in. That was a smart move on their part. If you had time to scout him and everything, I think you could do some good things against him.”

Rubley caused more problems for the Lions on the next drive. He completed three consecutive passes, including a 24-yard gain to Kinchen that gave the Rams a first down at the Detroit 21. Two plays later, he went to Jones over the middle for the second touchdown.

Tony Zendejas’ extra-point kick sailed wide left, and Jason Hanson’s 18-yard field goal with four seconds to play gave the Lions a victory.

Although the Rams lost, Rubley left a lasting impression, one that could lead to a start next Sunday at San Francisco.

Coach Chuck Knox said he won’t make a decision until later this week. But Drayton warned not to rule out Everett keeping his job.

“Jim is our leader,” Drayton said. “T.J. played well today, but it’s going to come down to a coach’s decision. Jim has been our quarterback for I don’t know how many years. I don’t know what’s going to happen. I’m just going to sit back, wait, and watch.”