Barber’s Protest Is Not Catching : Rams’ Remedy Is to Let Him Catch a Plane for Denver

Somewhere, Mike Barber knows, the sun is shining, birds are singing and the air is filled with footballs.

Two out of three in Anaheim wasn’t good enough. He hopes he’ll find his pass-happy paradise in Denver, where the Rams sent the veteran tight end Wednesday for a 12th-round draft choice in 1986.

“I’m the loser in this, because the Rams are a great organization,” Barber said. “They’ve been very nice to me. But they’ve got to throw the football.”

That was the recurring theme of his parting comments. Acquired in a trade from Houston in 1982, he led the team with 55 receptions two seasons ago but caught only 7 before injuring a knee in ’84. In the first five games this season, he caught only one pass, although he was still in the starting lineup.

Barber, 32, had discussed his role with Coach John Robinson several times since training camp.

“I came into this season all pumped up,” Barber said. “He said I was going to catch a lot of footballs. I said, ‘Hey, that’s great.’

“I did play at least 70% of every game, just like John Robinson promised me, but even though I was in the game I really wasn’t. I was always the backside blocker, and the Rams aren’t throwing the football like they need to be throwing it.”

Monday he approached Robinson again.

“I walked in the office and said, ‘Hey, it ain’t workin’.’ And (Robinson) said, ‘OK, you’re out. I’ll trade you or waive you,’ ” Barber said. “I was hoping to communicate, but I guess I caught him at a bad time. His response took me off guard.”

Guard Dennis Harrah, the Ram offensive captain, said: “Any time you go up to the head coach and ask for something, you usually get it. Mike asked for it--and Mike got it.”

At first, the Rams announced that Barber had been put on waivers. A few minutes later Robinson returned to the press room at Rams Park to announce the trade.

The Broncos first had said that they weren’t interested, then called back after Barber had been waived but before it was too late to recall the waiver.

Robinson said: “This isn’t some frivolous thing. It’s important for a person to want to be where they are.”

Barber said: “I love it. I think it’s great. It’s nice to go to (another) winner. It couldn’t have worked out any better for me.”

The Broncos, defending AFC West champions, are 3-2, in a four-way tie for first place.

“My thinking going into the season was that we were going to throw the football, instead of (on) third and 24, running the draw and hoping to get 5 or 10 yards out of it before punting,” Barber said.

The Ram offense ranks 25th in the National Football League this week because, Barber said, opponents are stacking their defenses to stop the run.

“(They) just put eight people up on the line of scrimmage, and we don’t have enough people to block ‘em,” he said. “It’s expecting us to do it against all odds.

“I believe from my heart that John Robinson will solve the problem. He’s a winner, and he knows he’s got to do that, and he’s got the talent to do that. I don’t see them paying Dieter Brock as much as they paid him just to hand the football off.”

Despite their offense, the Rams are unbeaten atop the NFC West.

Ram Notes With Mike Barber traded to Denver, the Rams filled the roster by re-activating Jim Laughlin, a free-agent linebacker who was waived during training camp. They now have only two tight ends: David Hill and Tony Hunter. Robinson indicated that the Rams would try to sign a third tight end next week.