Miller Is Down, but Not Yet Out : Rams: Oft-injured quarterback says he’s day-to-day because of sore shoulder. Chandler will start against Chiefs if Miller can’t play.

The Rams’ latest quarterback situation was painfully clear Monday afternoon when Chris Miller and Chris Chandler walked side by side on their way to a team meeting.

Miller, the incumbent starter, had his right throwing arm bent at his side and rubbed his sore right shoulder with his left hand.

Chandler, the backup, walked pain-free.

So who will the Rams start on Sunday against a Kansas City pass rush that features Derrick Thomas and Neil Smith?

The Rams remain mum, but Chandler, acquired in the off-season as an insurance policy for the often-injured Miller, said he’s preparing himself as if he is the starter.

“I always do anyway,” he said. “But considering he (Miller) is all banged up, it adds a little more importance.”

Miller said Monday: “There’s no way I can throw today or tomorrow, but maybe in a couple days. Right now, it’s just day-to-day.

“I’ve definitely felt better, but I’m going in and getting treatment and doing the things I need to do to get ready.”

Ram Coach Chuck Knox stuck with his tradition of not making personnel decisions on Mondays. But Knox said Chandler would get the start Sunday if Miller isn’t healthy.

“We’ll wait and see what develops,” Knox said. “If Miller isn’t ready to go, Chandler will. We’ll know more on Miller’s situation in a couple days.”

Miller has come back from two knee surgeries in the last two seasons, missed the exhibition opener with a sore abdomen and received three pain-killing injections in his rib cage for the Atlanta game.

Sunday, he received an injection for a nerve he pinched in his right shoulder when he was sacked by San Francisco’s Dana Stubblefield in the second quarter of the 49ers’ 34-19 victory at Anaheim Stadium.

During his seven seasons in Atlanta, Miller was often criticized for his lack of durability. Does Knox have similar concerns now, after the team invested a three-year, $9-million contract in Miller?

“The injuries he had before were to his knees,” Knox said. “It’s unfortunate that he has the rib cartilage and now the pinched nerve. But those things happen. That’s the game.

“The concern we had about him when we brought him here was about his knees. But that was cleared up. There are a lot of guys who get banged up around the league. Look at how many quarterbacks were out last year.”

Through three games, Miller has the lowest completion percentage in the league (24 of 55 for 43.6%) and ranks 26th in the league in passing efficiency. He has thrown two touchdown passes, has had four passes intercepted and hasn’t brought any consistency to a Ram offense that ranks 24th in the league.

The Rams have a capable backup in Chandler and a promising young passer in third-stringer Tommy Maddox, a former UCLA standout the Rams acquired last month in a trade with the Denver Broncos.

Maddox, inactive for the first three games, would move to the No. 2 spot if Miller goes out. Maddox has been running the scout squad in practice while learning the Rams’ offense, but hasn’t worked with the top offensive units.

“He knows the offense pretty well,” Knox said. “He just needs to get some repetitions in practice.”

Knox coveted Chandler in the off-season, pursuing him for a while as a possible starter.

Last March, Chandler visited Rams Park the same day the team signed Miller. The Rams signed Chandler to a one-year, $600,000 deal a few weeks later and made him the backup.

Chandler lost battles for starting jobs with Vinny Testaverde at Tampa Bay and with Steve Beuerlein at Arizona.

He has started 39 games in a seven-year NFL career with Indianapolis, Tampa Bay and most recently, Arizona.

He started 13 games as a rookie in Indianapolis in 1988, completing 55.4% of his passes with eight touchdowns and 12 interceptions. In 1992, he started 13 games with Arizona before losing his starting job to Beuerlein last year.

In his last regular-season start, Arizona’s 20-15 loss at Dallas on Nov. 14, 1993, Chandler completed 27 of 46 passes for 214 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

Chandler has come off the bench the past two games in relief of Miller, completing 18 of 32 passes (56.3%) for one touchdown and no interceptions.

Most of his work has been in the Rams’ shotgun formation with four wide receivers, when they were trailing late in games against Atlanta and San Francisco.