Bartkowski Has the Falcons Stirred Up : Atlanta’s Offensive Line Upset Over Remark Made by the Ram Quarterback

The great thing about today’s game between the Rams and the Atlanta Falcons is that finally, after all these years, it actually means something.

The Falcons haven’t been this fired-up about playing the Rams since, well, since Steve Bartkowski had cartilage in his knees.

There was a stretch in this decade when the best Atlanta fans could do was concede two annual losses to the Rams and check to see when the Saints would come marching in.

But no more. The Falcons and the Rams take 4-1 records into Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Atlanta fans have gotten so crazy that they’ve taken to meeting the team at the airport after road games.

“That’s something new and different,” Falcon Coach Dan Henning said.

In fact, there’s something new and different about this whole team--it’s good.

The Falcons haven’t been able to say that since 1980, when Bartkowski was quarterback and Atlanta was champion of the NFC West.

But, as you know, Bartkowski is with the Rams now, which has stirred things up even more in Atlanta.

The Falcons haven’t had much use for bulletin-board fodder in recent years, but they’re quickly trying to turn a lopsided series--the Rams lead, 28-8-2--into a Hatfield-McCoy affair.

The player being verbally pinned to the board this week is Bartkowski, who spent 11 seasons with the Falcons before being released last season.

It seems that some Falcon offensive linemen have taken exception to the lavish praise Bartkowski has given his new, count the All-Pros, offensive line with the Rams.

For years, Bartkowski stood like a human rag doll in the Falcon pocket, raising the old chicken/egg question: Was that because the line was so bad or because Bartkowski was so immobile?

The Falcons allowed 69 quarterback sacks last season, tops in the NFL, yet the line is upset that Bartkowski said earlier this year, “The game has a different perspective from the upright position.”

It was enough to make Atlanta tackle Brett Miller go on a local radio station earlier this week and say that he wished he could play defensive end against the Rams and their quarterback.

Bartkowski, about as mild-mannered as they come, has tried his best to deflect a controversy that he says was created over a couple of innocuous quotes.

“It’s enough ado about nothing,” Bartkowski said. “Anyway, they don’t have to worry about shutting me down. Teams have been shutting me down every week.”

Bartkowski will be back in the Ram lineup after missing a week with a knee injury. He even went out of his way to praise the upstart Falcons.

“They’ve got a lot of guys that deserve to win,” he said. “They’ve worked hard and labored in obscurity their whole careers. It’s about time their fortunes took a turn for the better.”

That’s hardly the stuff to fuel the Falcons’ fire, but chances are, they don’t need any more motivation.

And besides, as Falcon quarterback David Archer said, what good does it do to have your offensive linemen mad at the opposing team’s quarterback?

“They’re not lining up against Bart,” said Archer, who took over for Bartkowski last season. “A few of our guys on the line have had a problem with some of the things that Bart has said. Maybe they’ll want to protect me more. The offensive line is a little more motivated.”

And although Bartkowski may have caused a few of his own sacks in Atlanta, it should be said that the Falcons did dump him in favor of Archer, a fleet-footed scrambler who can throw on the run.

Archer, a free agent from Iowa State, has added a spark to the offense that hasn’t been seen in many years.

He’s the NFC’s fourth-rated passer, having thrown for 1,104 yards and 6 touchdowns in 5 games.

Archer is as spunky as Bartkowski is nice.

Last week, when Philadelphia safety Andrew Waters took a shot at Archer’s legs while both were out of bounds, Archer got up and walloped Waters in the face.

Archer was mad; Waters was ejected.

“I’m not going to take crap on the field,” Archer said. “When someone takes a cheap shot at you, I don’t feel it’s in the best interest of the game or my health.”

Henning agreed, to a point.

“I just wish he would have used his left hand,” he said.

Ram Notes

A win would give the Falcons a 5-1 record and the best six-game start in franchise history. . . . Eric Dickerson is leading the NFL in rushing with 657 yards in five games, an average of 131.4 yards a game. Yet, Dickerson has never fared well against the Falcons. His average against the rest of the league is 117.2 yards a game; against Atlanta, it’s 88.2. Dickerson gained just 67 yards in two games against the Falcons last season. . . . Mike Blatt, agent for holdout wide receiver Henry Ellard, met with Colt general manager Jimmy Irsay in Indianapolis Saturday. Blatt has tentatively reached agreement with the Colts on a contract that would pay Ellard $1.39 million for three years. The deal can’t be completed, though, unless the Rams make a trade with the Colts before Tuesday’s NFL trading deadline. A Ram source said Saturday that the team has no intention of trading Ellard. The Rams, however, had granted Ellard permission to negotiate with the Colts.