Ram Quarterbacks Come Out of the Woodwork

Shocking as it may sound, Ram fans, there are actually teams in the National Football League worried about the quarterback position.

Take the Colts. They’ve had to rely on rookie Jack Trudeau, and Blair Kiel, a guy who until five days ago was looking for work in Canada. If Trudeau, who was injured in the Colts 24-7 loss to the Rams, had not been able to make it back, punter Rohn Stark would have been the Colts’ backup against the New York Jets. Elsewhere, there are teams fighting the war of attrition in San Francisco and Green Bay.

Have you ever?

Of course, the Rams have no such quarterback problems. How do they do it?

Volume, volume, volume.

You can’t move two feet at Rams Park without running into one of them.

Jim Everett arrived in Los Angeles Monday afternoon and made it to camp. His agent, Marvin Demoff, met with John Shaw, Ram vice president, from 3 to 5 p.m. to discuss a contract.

Steve Bartkowski wore a broad smile after his best performance as a Ram. Bartkowski was 18 of 26 for 162 yards and a touchdown.

“This is the best I’ve felt after a game since I’ve been here,” he said. “A lot of it has to do, of course, with the guys in front of me.”

Bartkowski was not sacked. “No one even got close,” he said.

“I’ve never seen a pro game where a quarterback had the luxury of the protection I had.” Monday also marked the reappearance of Dieter Brock, who injured his back two weeks ago. Brock, who has been on the injured reserve list since Sept. 2, is scheduled to be reactivated next week.

Brock threw for several minutes with Bartkowski and quarterback Steve Dils. If a pickup throwing contest between the three was any indication, Brock is fine.

Asked about Everett, Brock said: “They’ve got to think of the future. You look at the age of myself (35) and Bartkowski (33), you’ve got to figure someone will have to play in the future. It’s very understandable.”

And then there’s Hugh Millen. Remember him? He’s the rookie from Washington on the injured reserve list with a broken ankle.

Millen had been motoring around practice with crutches, but Monday he showed up with a sleek-looking cane and a new pair of running shoes. When reporters caught up to him, he was getting set to lift weights.

“It’s amazing what having a new quarterback in camp (Everett) will do to speed up your rehabilitation,” Millen cracked.

Just another day at ‘Quarterbacks R Us.’

Ram Notes Ram Coach John Robinson listed linebacker Carl Ekern, who has been bothered by a groin pull, as “very doubtful” for Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Other less serious injuries: Eric Dickerson has sore ribs and Dennis Harrah a slightly strained knee. . . . Indianapolis Colt owner Robert Irsay asked the National Football League to review the tapes of Mel Owens’ sack of Jack Trudeau, which put Trudeau out of the game with a twisted knee. Irsay intimated that Owens had hurt Trudeau on purpose. But Colts Coach Rod Dowhower said that if the injury was anyone’s fault it was the rookie quarterback’s. “There’s no need to look at the tape,” Dowhower said. “If it’s being done, I don’t know about it. If Trudeau had not been indecisive, he would have not been sacked.” Said Robinson: “We would be the last team you would accuse of that (trying to hurt someone). It was just a twisting-type tackle. I’m sure emotion and some disappointment was involved. I’m sure it will soon be forgotten.” . . . Ken Stabler, speaking at halftime of the Ram-Colt telecast, said the wear and tear of Indianapolis’ artificial surface would keep Bartkowski out for four days. “Kenny knows,” Bartkowski said. “Just playing on it--pivoting, moving--really takes its toll. Especially on knees as old as mine.” But Bartkowski added he expects to practice with the team Wednesday.