Verdict Is In on Glanville’s Rebuilding Job

The changes have begun at the top, with the helmet, which is now colored Alcatraz Black, a stylish replacement for the old No. 1 Draft Pick Red.

But that’s just setting the tone. More changes, sweeping changes, are already under way.

New team name: The Atlanta Falcons and the Snowman.

New stadium name: The Big House of Pain.

New fight song: Back On The Chain Gang.

It hasn’t taken long for new Falcon Coach Jerry Glanville to fashion a team in his own image. Scorned as NFL Public Enemy No. 1 during his years in Houston, Glanville has spent his first few months in Atlanta trying to surround himself with Nos. 2 through 10.

With his first Falcon draft choice, Glanville selected Washington State running back Steve Broussard, noted for his explosiveness in the open field and in a crowded bar. “We know we didn’t draft a choir boy,” gushed Ken Herock, Atlanta vice president of player personnel. “He’s had some problems controlling his temper in the past. He’s a kid who, when he’s challenged, is going to come back at you.”

With his second choice, Glanville picked Jackson State linebacker Darion Conner, whom the coach described, admiringly, as “a borderline trained killer.”

With his sixth choice, Glanville tabbed Mike Pringle. Pringle, the record-setting Cal State Fullerton tailback, has had the worst week of public relations since Joseph Hazelwood tried to parallel park the Exxon Valdez.

Seven days ago, Pringle was just another young running back with promise.

Now he has a past.

And his police record seems to grow by the day. The arrest count is now up to four, including an April 11 incident that resulted in a misdemeanor battery charge and carried with it an interesting footnote. Broussard, a former running mate of Pringle’s when both played at Washington State, also was at the scene.

Apparently in an advisory capacity.

“In this case, he has independent witnesses who say he was provoked,” Herock says of Broussard. “Basically, we feel he’ll be cleared of any wrong-doing.”

Basically, Pringle feels the same way about himself.

“I think the charges will be dropped,” he said the other day. “If the system works, there shouldn’t be any problem. As a criminal justice major, I believe I know what I’m talking about.”

At the very least, Pringle’s next term paper will be well-researched.

Broussard and Pringle must have been holy terrors in the same Washington State backfield. Just wait until they team up again in Atlanta. Mr. Inside and Mr. Let’s Step Outside.

For the record, Glanville says he doesn’t approve of such behavior.

“We’re looking into the (Pringle) matter,” he says. “We don’t want this kind of thing going on with our people. If they’re going to be part of our family, they’re going to play by our rules.”

It is good to know that Glanville considers his team a family. So did Don Corleone. Glanville’s also includes a second-year linebacker named Aundray Bruce, who was arrested in March for allegedly pointing a weapon at a pizza deliveryman. That’s not the prescribed penalty for failing to deliver a large pepperoni in 30 minutes or less.

If Glanville wanted the outlaw image, he’s got it. His employers, though, want a good football team.

There’s a chance Glanville may have that too.

The Jeff George trade was, for lack of a better word, a steal. In exchange for their first of two first-round draft choices, the Falcons added a Pro Bowl blocker (Chris Hinton) and an all-rookie wide receiver (Andre Rison). They still have Chris Miller at quarterback, which isn’t a bad alternative to George, and now Miller has two of the best young targets in the league in Rison and Shawn Collins.

Atlanta’s defense remains long on potential, with a nucleus of Bruce, Deion Sanders and Tony Casillas, and the Falcons’ biggest deficiency--a running game--could be corrected by Broussard and Pringle.

The NFC West already housed the best two teams in the league, along with a 10-6 New Orleans club that barely missed last year’s playoffs. If Atlanta arises, winning the division could be a tougher haul than winning the Super Bowl.

For the Rams, their challenge has just multiplied. Instead of simply chasing the 49ers, the Rams must now also look out below. Fending off the Falcons soon may become a full-time job.

At any rate, the warning has been issued. Look out for the Falcons.

And, at the same time, be on the lookout for them.