Ready or Not, Rubley Finds His Future Is Now : Pro football: Competition may have begun in household, but now it’s in NFL as the Rams’ starting quarterback.

Bob Rubley figures he won’t get to watch his youngest son, T.J., start for the first time as the Rams’ quarterback Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers.

Most Ram games aren’t televised in Davenport, Iowa.

Coach Chuck Knox made it official Wednesday--Rubley will replace Jim Everett, the starter since 1986, in hopes of turning around a 2-5 season.

“T.J. will start this week for reasons we indicated after Sunday’s game,” Knox said. “We felt that we needed to energize the quarterback position.”

Bob Rubley has seen that happen with his son before.

He watched as Theron Joseph Rubley scrambled around the snow-covered front yard 17 years ago in Davenport, his six older sons in hot pursuit.

He watched as T.J. became an all-state quarterback at Davenport West High, then later as T.J. starred at the University of Tulsa.

And he watched as T.J. was taken in the ninth round by the Rams in the 1992 draft, becoming the team’s leader in less than two seasons.

But before proving himself in high school and college and making a splash in the NFL, Rubley had to prove himself to his older brothers.

“The boys used to dress T.J. up in full uniform, helmet, the works,” Bob remembered. “Then they would line him up and try to get him to run through them. They always tackled him, always roughed him up.”

After one particularly rough session, Bob stopped his sons and asked them why they gave T.J. a mouthpiece to wear when they played.

“So we don’t have to hear him cry,” they answered.

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Bob and Anita Rubley got the phone call Tuesday night from the Rams’ new starting quarterback.

“They told me, ‘Congratulations,’ and to have fun,” T.J. said. “That’s the way my family is. They aren’t going to put too much pressure on me.”

He already has enough.

After observing Everett’s erratic play all season, Knox promoted Rubley to second string last week. Rubley had shown promise as a rookie last season and in the exhibition season, but began the regular season behind Everett and Mike Pagel.

As a third-string player, he ran the scout team’s offense and didn’t work with the top players, so he thinks he needs more time to properly prepare.

“I have the confidence to play,” he said. “I’m a starter at heart, so I feel more comfortable off the field now. Now it’s a matter of getting the X’s and O’s down, and executing the offense.”

Ready or not, the 6-foot-3, 205-pound quarterback with a strong right arm and knack for elusiveness has the Ram offense in his hands.

“His preparation starts today,” quarterback coach Ted Tollner said. “He has a full week of preparation, and by no means can he not get prepared in that time. I would be disappointed if he said that. He’s a fast learner.”

Rubley, 24, had no choice but to learn quickly last Sunday. He took over in the third quarter against Detroit after Everett completed only two of nine passes for 12 yards, with an interception.

Rubley went in to a standing ovation from the fans, then completed 12 of 17 passes for 151 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns in a 16-13 defeat.

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Ushering in starting quarterbacks has been nothing new for Bob and Anita Rubley. T.J. was their fourth son to start for three years at quarterback for Davenport West.

Terry, 36, was first, followed by Todd, 32, Trent, 28, and T.J. Ted, 38, and Tim, 41, were multisport stars at nearby Davenport Assumption. Tom, 39, was born with limited motor skills on his right side but has overcome the handicap and drives in local road races.

“I think all the boys looked up to Tommy because they realized everything he has gone through,” Bob said. “He set a great example for them.”

T.J. started his first high school game as a sophomore in 1984, completing nearly half his passes in a victory over Moline (Ill.) High. He started his first college game as a freshman at Tulsa, throwing for a career-high 386 yards in a 39-28 loss to Oklahoma State.

Competition started young in the Rubley household, whether it was battling for position at the dinner table or under the boards in a basketball game.

“It was very competitive,” T.J. said. “We have an adage in our family, ‘Remember, there’s always someone better.’ You could be the Little League all-star, MVP, pitch a no-hitter, then come home, play whiffle ball and your older brother would beat you, 4-0, in two innings.

“Growing up in that family has allowed me to be honest. When I say I want to be good, I feel I have the true definition of what good is.”

It was defined by Terry, a two-time All-Big Eight selection at Iowa State; Trent, who also played for the Cyclones; and Todd, who played at Auburn.

So who’s the best quarterback in the family? Bob won’t rank them. T.J. votes for himself, but only because he was the youngest.

“It’s only because I’ve learned from my brothers’ experiences and they’ve shared them with me,” he said. “When they’ve thrown three interceptions in a game, they sat me down and they’ve said, ‘Look, here’s what I did. This is my mistake. Don’t do that.’

“By their mistakes, because they’re pioneers, I’ve been able to learn. It’s not that I’m the most gifted, the fastest, the tallest or had the strongest arm in my family.” Lessons were taught early and often. When the neighbor kids went roller skating or to the movies, the Rubleys brought home West High game films and watched them.

“T.J. loves watching films,” Bob said. “He would sit there and watch all day with his brothers. He knew all the offenses and defenses before he even got to high school.”

Rubley was highly recruited in high school, where he threw for 4,009 yards and 38 touchdowns in three seasons.

At Tulsa, he started 47 games, an NCAA record, school officials believe, although the NCAA does not keep track of that.

He also set school records for passes, 1,336; completions, 682, and touchdowns, 73, breaking marks set by Jerry Rhome, now the offensive coordinator with the Phoenix Cardinals.

Tulsa was 3-8 in Rubley’s freshman season, 4-7 the next season and 6-6 his junior year. The Golden Hurricane had started the 1990 season 1-2 when Rubley injured a knee. He underwent two operations, and the NCAA granted him an extra year of eligibility.

Rubley had bought a million-dollar insurance policy before the season, and wondered if he should collect the insurance money and quit, return to Tulsa or declare for the NFL draft.

He returned, leading Tulsa to a 10-2 record that included a 28-17 victory over San Diego State in the Freedom Bowl.