Falcons’ Riggs Runs Rings Around the Rams : Atlanta Back Steals the Spotlight From Eric Dickerson by Gaining 141 Yards

Running back Gerald Riggs had a burden lifted from his massive shoulders Friday when he finally agreed to a new contract after months of negotiations with the Atlanta Falcons.

But not to worry, Atlanta fans. The chip is still firmly in place.

Riggs, who led the NFC in rushing last year, doesn’t feel he gets his due . . . from the fans, the media or the Atlanta ownership. And that drives him to run with a vengeance.

His new contract will pay him about $700,000 a season for the next three years, but Riggs still believes he has something to prove. Especially when he goes head-to-head with the likes of Eric Dickerson.

“You guys are always going to play up Dickerson,” he told reporters after the Falcons’ 26-14 win over the Rams Sunday at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. “He’s always the one to watch. But I try not to focus on that too much.”

Of course Riggs has had problems focusing on anything the last week. His helmet and the turf collided rather violently during last week’s game against Philadelphia, leaving him with double vision, not to mention an all-pro headache.

His vision was still a bit fuzzy Sunday, but that didn’t stop him from running through--and more often over--the Rams for 141 yards on 35 carries, including a touchdown run of four yards.

“My eyes are still a little blurred but those guys out there are big enough that I could see them,” he said after the game.

So were the holes. Atlanta’s offensive line opened some gaping alleys in the Ram defensive line, and when the 6-1, 230-pound Riggs gets to go one-on-one with a defensive back, he usually comes out first . . . and gets up first.

Just ask Vince Newsome. The Ram free safety went helmet-to-helmet with the Falcon workhorse at the conclusion of a nine-yard run in the fourth quarter and is probably still reeling from the resulting collision.

“When the offensive line takes care of the guys up front like they were today, I can take care of the rest of them,” Riggs said. “The way I run, I’m already low, so I got the best of him (Newsome) on that one.

“They (the offensive line) were opening things up all day and we were able to pop some long ones.”

Riggs, known more as a three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust back than an explosive game-breaker, was thundering through the Ram secondary all afternoon. He had 7 rushes of 9 yards or more, including a 19-yarder, a 17-yarder and two 12-yarders.

“He ran superbly and he ran tough, as always,” Atlanta Coach Dan Henning said. “I don’t know how many yards he finished with, but he earned every single one of them.”

That’s pretty much the way the Rams saw it, too. The fact that Riggs was the only runner in the Atlanta backfield most of the time didn’t seem to help. Atlanta’s offense doesn’t offer many surprises, but that doesn’t make stopping Riggs any easier.

“The Falcons don’t go a lot outside,” Ram defensive end Reggie Doss said. “But with Riggs, one guy with a shoulder is not going to bring him down. You have to gang tackle him and we didn’t do a very good job of it today.”

The Rams, of course, aren’t the only ones who have come up a tackler or two short of corraling Riggs. Despite missing all of training camp because of the contract dispute, seeing limited action in Atlanta’s opener and missing three quarters of last week’s game, Riggs has gained 578 yards this season.

Dickerson, who carried the ball 16 times and gained 73 yards Sunday, has 730.

“The holdout was something I wished hadn’t happened,” Riggs said. “But I always stay in good shape and I don’t think that’s been a factor.

“Signing was a big load off my mind. . . . I wasn’t able to get into the game like I wanted to. But last night, I was able to really get cranked up.”

The Rams noticed. So did the fans. And maybe even the press notices of this Riggs-Dickerson matchup will help soothe Riggs’ wounded ego.

“Sure, there is some satisfaction,” he said. “But Eric’s a great back and he’ll have some other big days. And I felt like I had to have a great showing today to show I was (physically) all right, too.

“I tell you this, though, playing against 11 guys is a lot easier than 22,” he said, refering to his double-vision problems.

If Gerald Riggs has something to prove, though, it could take a small army to keep him from getting his yards . . . and, of course, his due.