Rams Have No Chance to Rest on Their Laurels : Four Days After Beating Broncos, They Play the Seahawks Tonight at Anaheim

The sleepy-eyed Rams, who only hours ago were turf-dancing on the grounds of London’s Wembley Stadium, have showered and shaved and deemed themselves fit for tonight’s Times charity exhibition game against the Seattle Seahawks at Anaheim Stadium.

Sure, the games were squeezed a little close together, but it’s nothing a pot of hot coffee can’t fix. The Rams arrived home Monday at 5:30 a.m. after flying all night from London, where a few hours before they had defeated the Denver Broncos, 28-27, in America Bowl ’87.

The team took Monday off and practiced lightly Tuesday night and once again Wednesday.

Still, the pace in recent weeks has been a little rough.

“After Thursday, I think we’ll catch our breath and then go ahead with our long-range planning,” Coach John Robinson said.

The good news is that the Rams don’t have to play again until Aug. 23, against the Chargers in San Diego.

And, really, no one twisted any arms and made the Rams go to London, so you’ll hear few public complaints.

“We’re rested and ready to play,” Robinson said. “We will not acknowledge that we’re tired. It’s stupid to accept the premise that you’re not ready to play.”

And that means everyone will be ready to play, even such key Ram starters as Jim Everett and Eric Dickerson, who figured to make only token appearances.

Everett, though, will play the entire first half, and Dickerson may play that long, depending on the condition of his hamstrings, which tend to tighten early during exhibition games.

“Obviously, I get sensitive about Eric,” Robinson said. “But I think he’ll play as much as he did Sunday.”

Of course, Robinson will take another long look at his free agents and draft choices, particularly second-round choice Donald Evans at defensive end and third-round pick Cliff Hicks, the cornerback from Oregon.

The third-rounder definitely won the battle of London, as Hicks surprised perhaps even himself with a great end-zone interception and a 47-yard kickoff return.

“Hicks played the game like he’s been playing for a long time,” Robinson said.

Hicks will get even more time because starting cornerback LeRoy Irvin, who has a strained hamstring, is not quite ready to return.

Evans had a rougher time of it against the Broncos, though Robinson expected as much. Evans missed two weeks of training camp in a contract dispute and is paying the price.

Robinson, though, is not backing off his commitment to Evans and plans to throw the Winston-Salem State rookie right back amid the wolves.

“Evans will play a great deal,” Robinson said.

A great deal more than many of the Seahawks, who enter their first game with a long list of no-shows, the best of which include:

--Curt Warner, the AFC rushing champion, who is back home in West Virginia to be with his ailing grandfather.

--Tony Woods, the team’s first-round pick from Pittsburgh, who had looked sensational at linebacker until straining a tendon in his ankle about two weeks ago.

--Jeff Bryant, the team’s outstanding defensive end, who has a foot injury.

--Blair Bush, the starting center, who had off-season knee surgery and is not quite back to full strength.

--Norm Johnson, the kicker, who has a groin injury.

--Brian Bosworth, the holdout. Though he certainly won’t play in this game, there are reports in Seattle that the former star Oklahoma linebacker is close to signing. Seahawk General Manager Mike McCormack canceled a trip to California Wednesday to continue negotiations with Bosworth’s agent, Gary Wichard.

--Fredd Young, the Pro Bowl inside linebacker who was holding out until Wednesday, when he finally came to terms.

Among the participating Seahawks will be quarterback Dave Krieg, who will start and play about a half, according to Coach Chuck Knox. It’s a departure in that Knox normally doesn’t start his first-team quarterback in early exhibitions, but this year he seems intent on picking up right where Seattle left off--with five straight wins at the end of last season.

Krieg was hot down the stretch and finished third in passing among NFL quarterbacks with a 91.0 rating.

Starting Krieg might also be a way to quiet any possible quarterback controversy between Krieg and newcomer Jeff Kemp, obtained in the off-season from the San Francisco 49ers.

“Krieg is No. 1, there’s no question about that,” Knox said.

Also returning tonight is All-Pro safety Kenny Easley, who missed the final five games last season because of ankle surgery. Knox said Easley will play about one quarter.

Ram Notes Update on Eric Dickerson Lawsuit I: The National Football League Players Assn. has sent a letter advising Dickerson’s former agent, Jack Rodri, that he is under investigation by the association for possible infractions. In May, Dickerson filed a $12.5-million suit against Rodri, charging mismanagement and fraud. The action against Rodri was conducted within rules of the NFLPA’s disciplinary section, and penalties, according to NFLPA legal staffer Tom DePaso, could range anywhere from “a letter in his file to suspension.” Rodri, who maintains his innocence, has petitioned the association to settle the dispute through arbitration under the NFLPA’s Section 7 grievance codes.

Linebacker Mel Owens, who missed Sunday’s game with a bad back, will play tonight. . . . The Seahawks were 5-6 at one point last season before winning their last five games, which included lopsided routs of the Raiders, 37-0, and the AFC champion Denver Broncos, 41-16. In that five-game span, Seattle averaged 33 points and more than 400 yards of offense per game. After all that, Seattle still missed the playoffs, but many are touting this team as the future AFC champion. “But we’ve got to come and do it,” Coach Chuck Knox said. “We weren’t even in the playoffs last year. I don’t realistically see how people can pick us to win the Super Bowl.” . . . Knox, who led the Rams to five straight division titles in the 1970s, will be making his first coaching appearance at Anaheim Stadium.