Ram Notebook : Lansford Gets a Kick Out of Booting Way Into Record Book : Kicker Moves Ahead of Waterfield as Team’s All-Time Scoring Leader

All told, five members of the Rams were either close to, tied with or in possession of team or personal records after the Rams beat the Falcons, 22-7, Sunday at Anaheim Stadium.

Kicker Mike Lansford became the Rams’ all-time leading scorer. His 10 points Sunday--on field goals of 35, 36 and 32 yards and one conversion kick--gave him 574 for his career, inching him ahead of Bob Waterfield. The former quarterback and kicker had scored 573 points in his 8-year career with the Cleveland and Los Angeles Rams.

Lansford has stuck to kicking in his 7 seasons, and with 119 field goals, he’s only 1 behind all-time team-leader Bruce Gossett.

“I don’t feel like a great kicker, but a good kicker,” Lansford said. “I think it proves that I’ve been here 7 years and I’ve been very consistent. Hopefully, I can be consistent for another 7 years and put a tremendous distance between me and Bob Waterfield and any other punk coming up.”

Then striking his best mad scientist pose, Lansford added, “They’ll never touch Mike Lansford!”

Lansford was asked if he knew who Waterfield was, since receiver Henry Ellard recently admitted he didn’t know who Tom Fears was. By the way, Fears is the Hall of Famer who holds the club record for receptions in a season.

Lansford, who was born in Monterey Park and attended Arcadia High School, explained that he had been a lifetime Ram fan and, of course, knew who Waterfield was. He also explained why Ellard drew a blank on Fears.

“News travels slow to Fresno.”

Ellard was raised and still lives in Fresno.

Ellard’s 6 receptions for 72 yards Sunday give him 80 catches for the season, 4 shy of Fears’ mark set in 1950.

“Henry Ellard is right with the best in the league,” Ram Coach John Robinson said.

Therefore, Ellard was afforded the honor of double coverage for much of Sunday’s game. That opened up things considerably for tight end Pete Holohan, who had the best receiving day of his career.

Holohan caught 8 passes for 126 yards. His previous high was 7, which he did 3 times while playing for the San Diego Chargers.

Asked if the reason for his big day might have had something to do with any messages he was relaying to Everett, Holohan nodded.

“I kept telling him, ‘Thank You,’ ” said Holohan, who has tied a personal-high with 56 receptions this season.

His spectacular, one-handed catch early in the second quarter later elicited a “That was amazing” response from Everett.

Holohan stopped the pass with his right hand, tipped it and then grabbed it as he was falling.

“I lost it in the sun after I tipped it,” he said. “As I was falling, the ball came over my head. I looked up and there it was.”

Asked where the catch ranked for him, Holohan said, “the best.”

Late in the second quarter, Holohan caught a ball over the middle near midfield and appeared to have a chance at the end zone. But he was brought down from behind by defensive back Scott Case at the 30.

“They told me I could have scored if I would have turned upfield,” Holohan said.

But Holohan doesn’t have much experience with open-field running. Sure-handed, he is used as a possession receiver and specializes in catching the ball in traffic.

Thus, the sight of uncluttered green threw him.

“I looked up and I was frightened because there was no one in front of me,” he said.

Everett, who has already set the Ram record for most yards passing in a season (3,763), broke the team record for most completions in a season Sunday. Everett, who hit on 24 of 33 passes for 303 yards, has 289 completions, breaking Vince Ferragamo’s mark of 274 set in 1983.

“I’m just a piece of the puzzle,” he said. “I’m glad to be a part of it.”

Said Holohan: “Jim gets better with every game.”

Other notables:

- John Robinson, who tied Chuck Knox for most Ram coaching victories, including playoffs, at 57.

- Greg Bell, who set a personal record for rushing yardage. Bell, who gained 66 yards in 19 carries, has rushed for 1,124 yards this season, besting his previous high of 1,100 yards with the Buffalo Bills in 1984.

Bell scored on a 1-yard run in the second quarter to bring his season total to 17 touchdowns. He’s 3 short of Eric Dickerson’s team record set in 1983.

- John Settle, Atlanta running back, was one person who didn’t get his record, not this week anyway.

Settle came into the game having gained 929 yards and needed 71 to become the first free agent since the 1970 merger to rush for 1,000 yards. But Settle was held to 27 yards in 10 carries.

Settle will try again next week, but that’s no sure thing since Atlanta’s last game is against New Orleans in the Superdome.

Not a record, but definitely a milestone, was nose tackle Greg Meisner’s second-quarter interception of Falcon quarterback Chris Miller.

The interception was kind of second-hand as linebacker Mike Wilcher deflected the pass. Meisner gathered the fluttering ball and headed upfield for 20 yards before being brought down from behind by Miller.

On the next play, Everett completed a 28-yard touchdown pass to Ellard.

It was Meisner’s first interception as a pro, but not his first ever.

“I got one as a freshman (at the University of Pittsburgh),” he said. “It was against William and Mary.”

Meisner said he returned the ball that time about 40 yards. When a reporter seemed a bit surprised by the distance, the 269-pound nose tackle explained, “I was a 205-pound outside linebacker back then.”

With next week’s game against the San Francisco 49ers qualifying as a bona fide mega-match, a quick sampling of what they’re saying:

- Everett: “We have to grow up quick. Everyone talks about how young we are, well, we better grow up.”

- Robinson: “It comes down to be our biggest game.”

- Ellard: “It’s everything.”

- And a remarkably understated Kevin Greene: “That’s going to be a good game, guys . . . a good game.”