NOTES : Realignment Support Strong, Tagliabue Says

Coach John Robinson has long been a proponent of divisional realignment, and NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue said Sunday it could become a reality in the near future.

Although he gave no timetable for the possible restructuring of the league’s six divisions, Tagliabue said there was “strong support” for realignment in discussions among team owners last week in Dallas.

“It could really benefit the fans to create more geographic rivalries, such as the (Tampa Bay) Buccaneers and the (Miami) Dolphins playing a home-and-home series,” said Tagliabue, in Atlanta Sunday for the Ram-Falcon game.

The Rams, members of the NFC West, play home-and-home series with Atlanta, New Orleans and San Francisco.

Tagliabue said one possible realignment would be to place Atlanta, New Orleans, Houston, Dallas and Miami in a division. Another would be to swap Tampa Bay from the NFC Central to the AFC East in exchange for Indianapolis, allowing each to play more teams from its own region.

Robinson has said he would favor a division of California teams--Rams, Raiders, 49ers and Chargers.

“There are a lot of examples,” Tagliabue said. “But we’re nowhere near a consensus yet, and we’ve had no coherent discussions. We’ll be putting together a plan on it, though, and it’s a good prospect that it will happen.”

Add Tagliabue: Several American Indian groups have protested the Atlanta Braves because of their nickname and tomahawk-chopping fans. But Tagliabue said he hasn’t heard any recent complaints about the nicknames of the Kansas City Chiefs and the Washington Redskins.

“Of course, I’ve been out of the office for a better part of a week,” he said.

Tagliabue said he doesn’t think the Chiefs’ and Redskins’ nicknames are offensive.

“How many people think of a steel worker when you hear of the Pittsburgh Steelers?” he asked.

“How many think of Paul Revere when you hear of the New England Patriots?

“When you hear of the 49ers, you think of Jerry Rice or Joe Montana, not some guy with an ax up in the mines. I think the nicknames bring out the positive aspects of the subject.”

Last Add Tagliabue: Although many fans argue otherwise, Tagliabue said the league’s penalizing of players for end-zone celebrations isn’t taking the fun out of the game.

“The penalty is enforced once a week out of 14 games,” Tagliabue said. “It doesn’t take away from the fans’ enjoyment.

“What they (players) are doing isn’t celebrating, it’s a version of taunting. The first time, it’s for fun. The second time, you’ve got a fight.”

Quotebook: Quarterback Jim Everett, on the Rams’ sinking playoff hopes: “We’ve put a lot of pressure on ourselves now. We’re 0-3 in our division (losses to Atlanta, New Orleans and San Francisco), and that’s putting a lot of pressure on yourselves.”

Add Quotebook: Defensive end Kevin Greene, on the Ram defense giving up 399 yards total offense: “I thought we played terrible. On a loss like this, you have to just turn it around next week and come back with a full head of steam.”

Chops and Chants: The frenzy over the Braves carried over to the Falcons Sunday, when the fans in Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium sang Indian war chants and performed the tomahawk chop. Some even waved their foam tomahawks.

Falcon cornerback and Brave outfielder Deion Sanders wore his Braves cap on the bench, and cornerback Tim McKyer waved his hand in the chop motion at the Ram bench after the Falcons scored their third touchdown before halftime.

Even the state transportation department got into the act. The trailer signs that normally carry messages such as “Left lane closed ahead,” were all flashing, “Go Braves.”

Taking Offense: How sorry was the Rams’ offense in the first half? They had only 93 total yards and four first downs. They had just 39 yards rushing and 24 of those came on a first-down draw play from their 18-yard line with 16 seconds remaining before halftime.

Both Jim Everett and Chris Miller attempted 16 first-half passes. Miller completed 13 for 182 yards and two touchdowns. Everett completed five for 55 yards.

The Falcons converted four of six third-down plays. The Rams picked up one first down in six third-down attempts.

No Neon: Sanders, the Falcons’ No. 1 kick returner, did not return punts or kickoffs Sunday because of a thigh injury.

“Deion didn’t practice a single day last week,” Coach Jerry Glanville said. “He has a knot in his quad the size of a baseball, and we were told if he took one shot in it, he’d be out for a long time.

“Being the competitor that he is, he wanted to play, but we weren’t going to let him return kicks.”

Ram Notes

The Rams’ 17-point loss was their worst to the Falcons since 1982, when they were beaten, 34-17, in Atlanta. The Rams still lead the series 35-12-2. . . . Tony Zendejas remained the NFL’s only perfect kicker this season with his two extra-point kicks Sunday. Zendejas is nine of nine on field goals and 15 of 15 on extra-points. . . . The Falcons’ Norm Johnson, a former Pacifica High standout, kicked a 44-yard field goal with 14:07 left in the third quarter. Johnson, cut by the Seattle Seahawks earlier this season, has converted all seven of his field-goal attempts inside 45 yards this season.

Times staff writers Tim Kawakami and John Weyler contributed to this story.