A LOOK AT TWO OF SUNDAY’S RAIDER, RAM OPPONENTS : DAVID ARCHER : Quarterback Helps Falcons Take Wing

A funny thing happened to the Atlanta Falcons when they got home from Dallas the other day. More than 1,000 fans were waiting at the airport to greet them.

They hadn’t won the Super Bowl or a playoff game. Heck, it was just the third week of the season, and even though beating the Cowboys is always nice, Dallas is a dynasty in decline.

But there they were, more people than were in the stands at the end of some of the Falcons’ home games last year.

Atlanta is burning again, this time with Falcon Fever.

Truth is, though, that the 4-1 Falcons have beaten three other teams--New Orleans, St. Louis and Tampa Bay--with a combined 2-13 record. And last week, they were shut out at home by Philadelphia.

Truth is, Atlanta isn’t a super team.

That’s not to say, however, that the 1986 Falcons aren’t a marked improvement over the teams that finished 4-12 each of the last two seasons. They lead the NFL in total offense and are second only to Chicago in rushing offense, which is impressive no matter whom you’ve played.

Even in the lean years, though, Atlanta had a solid running attack. Gerald Riggs, the back in the Falcons’ one-back attack, led the NFC in rushing last year with 1,719 yards.

So much for highlights.

This season, however, there are a number of reasons to believe that the Falcons have turned the corner. Three come right to mind:

--Coach Dan Henning’s determination to rebuild on a foundation of the nation’s best young linemen.

--A defense redesigned and revived by Marion Campbell, whose Philadelphia teams allowed the fewest points in the NFL during his six-year stretch as defensive coordinator.

--The maturation of 24-year-old David Archer, who came into camp in 1984 as a free agent and the team’s No. 4 quarterback.

Archer, the prime mover in the Atlanta offense, is about as low-key as football players get. In the locker room, his voice is barely audible over the pre-practice din that always accompanies a winning record.

But on the field, he takes charge. And he doesn’t take attempts at intimidation lightly.

When Philadelphia safety Andre Waters--the same guy who launched himself at Steve Bartkowski’s knees two weeks ago--went for Archer’s legs last Sunday, the kid with the choir-boy face threw a crisp right cross into Waters’ chin.

This year, Archer has thrown a few complete passes, too, which may come as a shock to those who saw him play early last season. He gained a reputation as a scrambler after taking over for Bartkowski in the final 11 games of the year, but this season he emerged as the NFC’s top-rated passer for the first three weeks.

Archer has completed 50% of his passes for 1,104 yards and 6 six touchdowns. He has thrown just two interceptions.

Henning, who believes it’s what’s up front that counts on offense as well, isn’t surprised. Because of injuries, 10 different offensive lineman started last year and no one played the same position all season. Falcon quarterbacks were sacked 69 times in 1985, one short of the NFL record.

“The stability of an offense is built around the offensive line,” Henning said. “When Dave ran last year, it was a matter of survival.”

The Falcons were 4-7 with Archer behind center and, with a little luck, could have been 6-5. But what Archer got the most out of last season was experience.

“I played pretty well the last three or four ballgames,” he said. “I felt like I knew what I was doing and I made some plays for us that helped us win the last two.

“Sometimes I may have made a decision to run before the ball was snapped or before I’d read the coverage. That’s something I think I’ve overcome. I feel comfortable back there because we have a good group up front.

“I try to make it efficient when I run. I’m not going to break anyone’s back rushing for 75-80 yards, but if I can pick up three or four first downs on third-down situations, that’s going to break someone’s back.”

Archer has run just 29 times this season, and almost half the time, he has picked up a first down.

That’s reasonable consistency, and consistency is everything where Dan Henning is concerned.