TAKING COMMAND : Chris Miller, Falcons’ Second-Year Quarterback, Leaves Little Doubt

It is rare for a rookie quarterback to make much of an impression in the National Football League in his first season. Rarer still to do so in his first start.

So meet Chris Miller, rarest of the rare, who didn’t even wait until he got to the line of scrimmage.

Thrust into a starting role last season with the Atlanta Falcons, a team headed nowhere--which is the same general direction they’ve headed through most of their existence--Miller let it be known right away that he was taking command.

Kneeling in the huddle, the brash 22-year-old stared into the faces of veteran offensive linemen Bill Fralic and Mike Kenn and told them both to shut up, he was now running the team.

Never mind that the pair had a combined 13 years of NFL experience between them. Or that Fralic is 6 feet 5 inches and 280 pounds, Kenn 6-7 and 277.

Didn’t bother the young quarterback. He just wanted to let them know it was time to bury the past in Atlanta. It was Miller’s time.

Although Fralic and Kenn did shut up and listen to their new quarterback, Miller didn’t exactly back up his tough talk right away. The Falcons lost that afternoon to the San Francisco 49ers, 35-7, with Miller throwing 4 interceptions and getting sacked 3 times.

That was to be expected. For one thing, San Francisco was on its way to a 13-2 season, Atlanta to a 3-12 mark.

For another, Miller, the 13th pick in the ’87 draft, hadn’t even reported to the Falcons until Oct. 30 because of a contract dispute. He finally settled on a 5-year deal worth $2.8 million.

Miller had made his first pro appearance in relief against the Rams, then started the final 2 games of last season.

“I was able to get some game experience to prepare myself for training camp this year,” he said. “So it wasn’t a total waste.”

No argument in Atlanta. Seeing the difference Miller has made in the squad from the start of this season, nobody has to tell the Falcons to shut up. When Miller speaks now, his teammates are like the people in that brokerage commercial. They listen.

“There’s absolutely no doubt in our minds about Miller,” Atlanta Coach Marion Campbell said. “He’s strong, he has a great passing touch, he has great poise, he loves to win and he’s a leader and a fighter. He’s an escape guy, and he finds the guy who’s uncovered. He also has the attention of the players. They like him and that’s the key to it.”

The difference Miller has made in the team may not be readily discernible to the casual observer. The Falcons will come to the Coliseum Sunday to play the Raiders with just 3 wins in their 11 games. And Miller arrives with only a 71.9 quarterback ranking, placing him 11th in the NFC. He has thrown 10 touchdown passes--and 9 interceptions.

But he’s basically still a rookie playing on a bad team, made worse by a long string of injuries, particularly to the receiving corps. And he himself has been hurt.

Still, his presence has been felt. With Miller at quarterback, the Falcons have averaged 21.5 points and 324 yards a game. Without him, the totals drop to 11.4 points and 282 yards.

It doesn’t always require a long sheet of numbers to show what Miller means to his team. After leading the Falcons to a 34-17 victory over the 49ers earlier this year, Miller was knocked out of action the following week when he sprained an ankle against the Dallas Cowboys. The Falcons were leading 20-14 when Miller got hurt, but wound up losing, 26-20.

The Falcons lost the next 3 games while Miller recuperated.

He returned to face the New York Giants and had Atlanta up 16-9 with just 3:25 to play.

Again disaster for Miller. Again disaster for the Falcons.

Miller, hit by linebacker Carl Banks, suffered a pinched nerve in his right elbow and was finished for the day.

So was his team as the Giants pulled off a memorable comeback and won, 23-16.

A week later, it was Miller’s turn for heroics. He threw 3 touchdown passes, including a 49-yard game winner, to bring Atlanta from behind in a 27-24 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.

Such heroics wouldn’t surprise anybody who saw Miller play at Oregon. While there, the 2-time All-Pacific 10 quarterback broke 13 school records in a career that culminated with the most-valuable-player award in the Hula Bowl and a co-MVP honor in the Senior Bowl.

Some of those records Miller broke belonged to Dan Fouts and Norm Van Brocklin. But if there was anybody Miller seemed destined to emulate, it was Bo Jackson.

Like Jackson, Miller also excelled at baseball.

“Basketball and baseball were my first two sports,” Miller said. “I really only played my senior year in high school football. Most of the recruiters came to me for basketball, but then I messed up my knee in my senior year after our last high school playoff game, so I just basically ended up signing a football scholarship.”

The Toronto Blue Jays weren’t convinced. They knew all about 2-sport stars, having signed Danny Ainge and Jay Schroeder. So they drafted Miller. Not once, but twice, in 1983 and ’84.

Both times Miller told them, thanks, but no thanks, choosing instead to stick with football.

But finally, when the Seattle Mariners came calling in 1985, Miller decided to take the Bo Jackson route and play both sports. It would be collegiate football in fall and winter, pro baseball in summer

Miller missed the 1985 baseball season after breaking a hand while wrestling with a friend. But in ‘86, he finally picked up a paycheck for picking up a bat, playing with Bellingham of the Northwest League, Class A ball.

Heck, it wasn’t so hard. He appeared in 3 games, got 9 at-bats and had a flashy .556 average to show for his efforts.

So he was quickly moved up to Salinas of the tougher California League.

Hello curveball. Goodby baseball.

Miller struck out his first time up. The guy throwing the pitches was John Candelaria, then of the Angels, who was testing his elbow at Palm Springs after surgery.

“Candelaria’s curveball, man,” Miller said. “He would put it on the outside corner and I wouldn’t come close. That was enough of that. And it wasn’t just Candelaria. I hit against Mike Norris, Steve Howe and Gary Lucas, all of whom had pitched in the majors. It was just too much for me.”

Miller wound up hitting .101 in 27 games for Salinas and put away his bat.

He went with football and nobody has questioned him since.

Certainly nobody in the Atlanta Falcons’ huddle.