Noisy Day Ahead in Life of an Apprentice : Pro football: Inspiring as a reserve, shaky as the starter, Rams’ Rubley gets a dose of the Superdome.

T.J. Rubley’s hazing as the Rams’ starting quarterback continues Sunday at the Superdome, where loud crowds have become as much a part of the New Orleans scene as Bourbon Street.

Five weeks into his trial run, Rubley is still learning to deal with the hazards of the job.

He was sacked seven times in his starting debut Oct. 31 at San Francisco. He was benched for the first time in his pro career last Sunday in a 38-10 loss at Phoenix.

“Even though we wish he was playing at a higher level, there is no easy fix,” said Ted Tollner, who continues as Ram quarterback coach while moving in as head coach at San Diego State. “You have to go through all these experiences. You can’t talk about them, you can’t practice them, you have to go through them. That’s part of the growth pattern, to see just where he is.”

And just how far has Rubley come?

Coach Chuck Knox has been seeking that answer since Nov. 24, when he benched Jim Everett and gave the ball to Rubley, a ninth-round draft choice from Tulsa who had become a fan favorite with his scrambling skills and ability to rally the team as a backup.

Nearly three weeks later, Rubley has come under fire. He has heard this, though, when reporters were asking similar questions of Everett, who dresses two locker stalls away.

‘I’m going to be a good quarterback in this league, but it doesn’t happen overnight,” Rubley said. “Steve Young is an outstanding quarterback and he’s 32 years old. I have seven years to catch up.

“It takes time. Some of those people that talk on the radio, they went through apprenticeships in their jobs. I think maybe they forget about that. That’s what I’m going through. I’m trying to learn and become a better quarterback. I respect their opinion, but nobody is more of a critic of myself than I am.”

There’s no question that Rubley, a big hit as a pinch-hitter for Everett, has disappointed as a starter.

As a reserve, Rubley completed nearly 74% of his passes. He has completed 47.8% as a starter.

As a reserve, he threw three touchdown passes without an interception. As a starter, he has only one touchdown pass and four interceptions.

As a reserve, Rubley and the Rams are 1-1 and could have been 2-0 if Detroit hadn’t kicked a last-second field goal. He’s 0-3 as a starter.

“I don’t get discouraged about too much,” he said. “There are things that are humbling aspects, and you really have to look in the mirror and say, ‘You have to do this and you don’t have to do that.’ I’ve kicked around the things I need to work on and the things I’m trying to do hard.

“I’m trying to find a happy medium so I can progress and let my athleticism flow. That’s what I’m in search of now.”

He didn’t find it in Phoenix, where he completed only five of 15 passes for 89 yards with no touchdowns and an interception.

With the Rams trailing in the second quarter, 14-3, Rubley drove them to the Phoenix 20-yard line, but his pass to Troy Drayton was intercepted by Lorenzo Lynch at the Cardinal six.

“His composure and coolness were OK, but his execution wasn’t,” Tollner said. “He doesn’t get rattled real easy, and that’s encouraging.”

How effective can Rubley be, playing behind a patchwork offensive line, as he did against Phoenix?

“It’s difficult sometimes because you have a tendency to question yourself when everyone on the offense is sluggish,” Rubley said. “That is probably my biggest flaw. I’m in a hurry to point to myself and say, ‘OK, you need to do something. You need to make the play and quit making mistakes.’ I need to be a little more forgiving of myself.”

By the end of the third quarter, Rubley was on the sideline, watching Everett run the offense.

“It was the right thing to do,” Tollner said. “The game was getting away from us and we had some chances early. T.J. understands that.”

Rubley’s composure will be tested again Sunday in the Superdome. New Orleans’ defense held the Rams to six points and sacked Everett three times when the teams played in Anaheim on Oct. 3.

And the Saints’ crowd, known for pumping up the volume, will make it tough for Rubley to communicate.

“T.J. knows what it’s like to be in a dome,” Tollner said. “But he doesn’t know what it’s like to be in charge in a dome.”

Extreme measures will be used.

“You can try to mix the count up a little bit, make sure you speak clearly in the huddle so people can read your lips,” Rubley said.

Lip reading in the huddle?

“Oh yeah,” he said. “That’s all part of it.”

Playing His Role

In a reserve role, T.J. Rubley was an effective weapon for the Rams this season. Twice replacing Jim Everett at quarterback in the second half, he nearly pulled off a comeback victory over Detroit, then led the team past Washington. But as a starter, Rubley has struggled, completing only 47.8% of his passes with four interceptions and a touchdown in three losses.

RUBLEY IN RELIEF

Opponent Att. Comp. Pct. Yds. TD Int. Result Detroit 17 12 70.5 151 2 0 16-13 loss Washington 6 5 83.3 112 1 0 10-6 victory Totals 23 17 73.9 263 3 0 Record: 1-1

RUBLEY AS A STARTER

Opponent Att. Comp. Pct. Yds. TD Int. Result San Francisco 26 15 57.6 158 1 2 41-17 loss San Francisco 28 13 46.4 167 0 1 35-10 loss Phoenix 15 5 33.3 89 0 1 38-10 loss Totals 69 33 47.8 414 1 4 Record: 0-3

Source: NFL statistics