PRO FOOTBALL: RAMS 17, NEW YORK GIANTS 10 : Farr, Gandy and Belin Look Impressive in Fill-In Roles : Rams: Pressed into duty because of injuries to starters, they step in without missing a beat.

In a typical case of rookie panic, Ram defensive tackle D’Marco Farr headed out of the Anaheim Stadium locker room for the parking lot, only to be stopped by assistant head coach Joe Vitt.

Confronting a rookie free agent who was an hour away from making his first NFL start, Vitt figured he had to make the play. No way was Farr going AWOL.

“Wait, you can’t leave,” Vitt told him. “What are you running from?”

Farr laughed. “Nothing,” he said, “I’m just going to my car to get my gym bag. I left it there.”

Vitt’s response: “OK, you better be back here in five minutes. You’re not running away from us.”

Sure enough, Farr came back, suited up and played admirably in a fill-in role for Pro Bowl tackle Sean Gilbert in the Rams’ 17-10 victory over the New York Giants.

Farr, a rookie free agent from Washington, finished with three tackles, deflected a Dave Brown pass and helped hold Giant running back Rodney Hampton to 44 yards in the second half.

“Oh, my Lord,” Farr said of tackling the 230-pound Hampton, “he’s a big man. That should be illegal. It (a running back’s weight) should be limited to under 200 pounds.”

Farr, 6 feet 1, 270 pounds, was one of three young Ram players pressed into starting duty Sunday because of injuries.

Rookie Wayne Gandy made his first NFL start, replacing right tackle Jackie Slater (torn triceps) and second-year guard Chuck Belin started at left tackle for Tom Newberry, who moved to center in place of Bern Brostek (broken leg bone).

“They hung in there and made the plays, especially when we had a lot of new people in there,” Ram Coach Chuck Knox said. “I thought the people who went in there and played for our starters did an outstanding job.

“They were not going to be denied today.”

Gandy wasn’t. The Rams’ top draft pick (16th overall), Gandy had been a bust so far this season. He was called for several foolish holding and offside penalties, including a key holding penalty on second and goal at the Green Bay two-yard line last week.

“This was a chance to get a lot of people off my back and show them I can play at this level,” Gandy said. “I’ve had some rough times, and I’ll have some rough times in the future. Hopefully, I can keep struggling and struggling and get better.

Gandy was called for holding once in the second quarter, but did a good job blocking Giant end Keith Hamilton, who had 11 1/2 sacks last season. But was one good game enough to get the monkey off Gandy’s back?

“I haven’t seen any monkeys in my career,” Gandy said. “I don’t have any at my house, and I haven’t seen any at Rams Park.

“I’ve been here 10 games and had five penalties called on me in one (exhibition) game. What else can happen? I’ve had all the bad . . . happen to me. What else can happen?”

Another start, perhaps? Slater is expected to be out through the bye week, meaning Gandy will be protecting Miller again Sunday in New Orleans.

“Wayne showed his versatility today,” Slater said. “He’s a natural left tackle and came over to the other side and did a hell of a job against a very talented defensive player (Hamilton). He should be awfully proud of himself.”

After the game, Ram quarterback Chris Miller praised the play of Belin and Gandy.

“They did a great job,” he said. “We had a couple sacks in the second half but that was mostly because of a scheme we weren’t prepared for. I had a lot of time to step up and find my guys and throw. It’s nice to have guys who can step in and get the job done.”

Farr was waiting for just such an opportunity. He wasn’t drafted last spring, mainly because he was small for an NFL lineman. But the Rams took a chance on him and he made enough of an impression in training camp to make the team.

“I had a talk with myself and said, well, this proves that my life is not finished, this is not where it will end,” Farr said. “I kept pushing and made the team and I figured when the time came that I had to start and I’m not going to run from it.”

Farr’s performance Sunday drew rave reviews from his teammates.

Cornerback Todd Lyght: “D’Marco got in there and started yelling at us like he was the captain. He was trying to be a leader. I got to look up to that.”

Defensive tackle Jimmie Jones, who drew most of the double-teams with Gilbert out of the lineup: “I kept talking to him, trying to get him lined up right. He knew they were going to run at him. I said, ‘They’re coming at you, you make the plays.’ He did.”

Defensive end Fred Stokes, who lined up on the right side next to Farr: “D’Marco had some exposure and a little time coming in and out so this wasn’t like it was the first game he was thrown in. It wasn’t a Tommy Maddox situation, where he hadn’t been in at all.”

“They picked our side a little bit. I told Sean, ‘Hey, I didn’t realize how much I missed you.’ ”

Farr replaced the injured Gilbert in the first half last week in Green Bay. And when Gilbert was forced to miss a start for the first time in his three-year NFL career, Farr was ready to take over the starting role.

“This was like a dream come true,” he said.

After the game, Farr met with reporters, showered and changed quickly and left for a post-game celebration only a true pro wrestling fan could love.

Farr had backstage passes to wrestling bouts at The Pond, and was eagerly awaiting a chance to see his longtime idol--Hulk Hogan.

“I’m going to meet the man,” Farr said. “The Hulkster.”