Everett Takes Some Hits, Keeps on Passing : Rams: Quarterback suffers partial dislocation of left shoulder but refuses to remain on the sideline.

SAN FRANCISCO —  The whispers about his lack of intestinal fortitude began on this very field, on a play during the 1989 NFC championship game when he dropped back to pass and then flopped to the ground in the fetal position. And no 49er pass rusher was within striking distance.

That phantom sack might have been the beginning of Jim Everett’s seasons of discontent. He dropped from being the fourth-ranked passer in the league in 1989 to 12th in 1990. And after three games in ‘91, he had sunk to No. 25.

Everett did not lead the Rams to victory over the 49ers at Candlestick Park Sunday. In fact, he completed only 17 of 35 passes for 219 yards and one interception. And he still has not thrown a touchdown pass this season.

But nobody was questioning his valor when the final seconds ticked off the clock in San Francisco’s 27-10 victory.

Early in the third quarter, Everett tried to slide away from pressure and collided with Ram tackle Duval Love. Everett, who extended his left arm to bounce off the backpedaling Love, was spun around and collapsed on the ground in obvious pain. He suffered a subluxation--a partial dislocation that pops back into place--of the left shoulder and momentarily lost all feeling in his left arm.

Backup Mike Pagel took over for the next series, but Everett was back behind center the next time the Rams got the ball. He completed his first two passes for 32 yards and then connected with Flipper Anderson for 12- and 16-yard gains to give the Rams a first down on the San Francisco 15.

Two plays later, Everett’s pass intended for Aaron Cox was intercepted in the end zone by Todd Bowles. Had Cox run the pattern the way Everett thought he would, the Rams would have had a 17-13 lead, and who knows how that would have affected the final outcome.

There was no doubt--in the Ram locker room, anyway--that Everett showed his moxie.

“I think you’ve got to take your hat off to him for the way he stood in there firing in the second half,” Pagel said. “Whatever raps he’s gotten, well, he was really hurting, you could see that, but he stood in there like a man and took some hits.”

Cleveland Gary, who suffered through a 12-fumble season last year, knows what it’s like to feel the heat from the media. He also said Everett’s apparent tentativeness was merely a lack of offensive rhythm by the entire team.

“You can’t put all the weight on the quarterback,” Gary said. “Jim’s a winner and he’ll be back, although I don’t think he’s ever left, really. The guy certainly proved himself out there today.”

Coach John Robinson allowed Everett to stay in the game, even after the 49ers had run up an insurmountable lead, because “he wanted to stay in and it was good for him to do that.”

“He was determined,” Robinson said. “I think Jim played his butt off. He overcame some real pain.”

For his part, Everett says he never felt he had anything to prove in the first place. He got back into the game as soon as he could and stayed in because he wanted to help his team beat its “arch-rivals” and because he wasn’t about to concede defeat until the final gun.

“You guys can decide what I proved,” he told reporters after the game. “I was out there because you never know what’s going to happen in this league. We’ve pulled out miracles before. It’s just my belief in this team.”

Everett thinks the offense is making progress, despite the Rams’ 1-3 start and more injuries to the line. Guard Bern Brostek was hurt on the first series, forcing Tom Newberry to move from center to guard and Doug Smith to come off the bench and play center.

“We’re starting to do things more correctly, but we just didn’t do it when we had to,” Everett said, pointing to Bowles’ interception as an example. “I thought Aaron would continue across the field and he thought there would be another hole deeper in the end zone. It was just miscommunication.

“I thought we had a touchdown. I saw (Bowles), but I thought we would be in front of him.”

Next Sunday’s game against Green Bay is shaping up as a must win for the Rams and, despite the rash of injuries--receiver Flipper Anderson (lower back) will be out at least a month--Everett is confident the Rams are a team on the way up.

He also hopes to be on the rise in those quarterback rankings, if his left shoulder and right arm will cooperate.

“We’ll see about next week,” he said, “but I imagine it’s something I can play with.”

He proved that Sunday, didn’t he?