Rookie Farmer moves to No. 3 quarterback

MACOMB, Ill. -- Kirk Farmer's 8-of-13 passing for 130 yards in St. Louis' 7-6 preseason-opening loss has landed the rookie the Rams' No. 3 quarterback slot for now, coach Mike Martz said.

Farmer accounted for the Rams' only touchdown in the Friday night loss at Oakland and finished with a passer rating of 120.7. He nearly rallied St. Louis to victory after entering the game early in the fourth quarter.

"You don't know about quarterbacks until you throw them in a game," Martz said. "You get them prepared, you talk to them. You say, 'Man, this guy's ready to go. He knows his stuff. He looks good in practice.' Then you put him in a game, and he can hardly tell you his name."

But Farmer had looked anything but good in practice at Western Illinois University, often appearing too laid-back. Days into training camp, he began getting fewer practice repetitions, and Greg Zolman -- signed just days before camp -- began to put a stranglehold on the No. 3 quarterback job.

But in two series against Oakland, Zolman completed one of two passes after relieving Kurt Warner backup Marc Bulger late in the third quarter. So in came Farmer, the undrafted rookie out of Missouri.

The Rams marched 88 yards in 11 plays in their first series with Farmer, whose completions included a 20-yarder to Dane Looker and a 34-yarder to Kevin Curtis. Farmer's 9-yard touchdown pass to tight end Cam Cleeland with 6:13 to play averted what would have been the Rams' first preseason shutout since a 17-0 loss to San Diego in 1978.

On the Rams' next series, Farmer completed his first three passes, advancing the ball to the Oakland 43 at the two-minute warning. By then, he had completed eight of 10 passes. But Farmer went on to throw three incompletions and was sacked, thwarting the comeback bid.

After the game, Martz said Farmer "will be our third quarterback at this point."

"I was impressed with the way he dealt with the pressure. He made a strong statement on his behalf in this game," Martz said. "Those are always fun stories. Those are feel-good stories -- to have a kid come in like that and do as well as he did."