Rams Expect Everett to Come Out Firing : Pro football: The team will be relying on Jerome Bettis and Chris Miller to lift it to 4-4, heading into a bye week.

NEW ORLEANS — No, the Rams will not collectively yell, “Boo!” at Jim Everett today in the Superdome in an effort to rattle their former starting quarterback.

The plan of attack all week has been to say nice things about Everett, recall the good old days when Everett was on target and gloss over the frazzled Everett of recent years.

“I expect Jim to come out and play well, and we better be ready,” said Darryl Henley, Ram cornerback. “Jim will accept a challenge. Take away the past few years and Jim could have run for mayor here. He put up big numbers, has a real strong arm and you know it’s gut-check time for him now.

“I’m telling you we better be ready. No one has ever said Jim Everett isn’t smart, and he has good football savvy and I know he will calm himself down and prepare himself to play well.”

The Rams will try to keep pressure on Everett and will certainly blitz him, but they will also concentrate on wide receiver Michael Haynes, whose specialty is catching the deep pass.

“I think they are going to throw the ball deep a lot more than they have because you know Jim’s going to be fired up,” said Todd Lyght, Ram cornerback. “Jim’s played in a lot of big games, so you know he’s going to handle the pressure. We can’t concern ourselves with Jim Everett. What really matters is what we do.”

The Rams will rely on Jerome Bettis and Chris Miller to lift them to 4-4 as they head into their bye week.

Bettis ran for 212 yards in 28 carries last December as the Rams ended a seven-game losing streak against the Saints with a 23-20 victory in the Superdome. Bettis, who gained 102 yards in the Rams’ first game against New Orleans last season, will face a defense against which San Diego’s Natrone Means gained 120 yards and Chicago’s Lewis Tillman gained 100.

“Nobody knows how good Bettis is better than we do,” said Jim Mora, New Orleans coach. “This guy is as good a back as there is in the league right now, and to slow down the Ram offense, you better do a great job against him.

“We’re worried about that because we have not done a good job against good running backs this year. This is a major concern to me.”

Bettis, who is averaging a league-high 26 carries, has limited his practice the last few weeks because of the pounding he has taken in running 182 times for 660 yards.

“I think we’re extra cautious in the running game because they have been getting beat up by the running game,” Bettis said. “When you’re in desperate situations you do desperate things and this is a must win for them, so I expect them to pull out all stops to shut down the run.

“That means we’re going to have to mix it up. That’s what it’s all about for this team. If Chris Miller has a great year, this team has a great year. We have all the pieces of the puzzle together and the last piece is the quarterback. If our quarterback has a great year, we’re on the move.”

Miller, 2-3 as Everett’s replacement, has passed the ball well the last two weeks after being handicapped by a series of injuries. He practiced without problems last week, has taken a liking to tight end Troy Drayton, throws deep as well as almost anybody else in the NFL and appears prepared to kick-start a Ram offense that has failed to score 20 points in a game this season.

“We’re going to try and pound them with Bettis early--that’s what the coaches are talking about,” Miller said. “But when we have to throw, I’ll be ready.”

Although still looking for more consistency on offense, the Rams have jumped on their last four opponents in the first half. They held on to defeat Kansas City and the New York Giants, but second-half swoons cost them victories against Atlanta and Green Bay.

“That’s the key in this game,” Lyght said. “The mark of good teams is the ability to finish their opponent off, and we haven’t done that. . . . “We’ve been here so many times with the chance to turn the corner, and have blown it. Here we are again with a chance to do something in the second half of the season.”

A victory for New Orleans (2-5) is also essential to their well-being the remainder of the season. For the Rams, who have a favorable schedule down the stretch, it’s a chance to win four games before the end of October for the first time since 1989.

“This is an important game for the team to win, so it’s important for me to play well,” said Everett, who has completed 62.8% of his passes with nine touchdowns and seven interceptions. “I admit I’ll have a little extra emotion for it, but the real thing is how the team does, not how I do.”

The Rams agree.

“The matchup with Everett means nothing,” said Sean Gilbert, Ram defensive tackle, who will sit out because of a sore shoulder. “Everett’s with another team, God bless him. I wish him all the luck and hope he can find some way in his heart to have a bad game against us. Or, at least have a good game and still have us come out on top.”