Rison Proves a Man of His Word Against Rams

ATLANTA —  After catching 12 passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns in Atlanta’s 31-13 victory over the Rams on Sunday, Falcon wide receiver Andre Rison still wasn’t finished with the Rams.

Rison, part-time football prophet, part-time trash-talker, helped the Falcons deliver on his guarantee that the Falcons would beat the Rams.

But in the locker room after the game, Rison hinted that the Rams had put a bounty on him and accused Ram cornerback Steve Israel, whom he had beaten all day, of taking a cheap shot at him.

“Israel took a shot at me about five yards out of bounds,” Rison said. “I guess that comes with the territory, when you make a comment (the prediction) and it all gets blown out of proportion.

“But my performance against No. 31 (Israel) shows that I know what I’m talking about. After he took a shot at me, I went back and (gave him a shot) to let him know where I was coming from.”

And the bounty?

“Did I say a bounty?” Rison asked. “You better go ask the Rams about that.”

Told of Rison’s allegations, Israel shook his head.

“That’s not true,” he said. “Nobody put a bounty on him and nobody took a cheap shot on him. I told him that on the field, that I wasn’t trying to cheap-shot him.

“I was coming up to make a tackle and he was along the sidelines. I’m just a player trying to get better. There wasn’t any bounty on him.”

The Rams’ six-defensive-back strategy was no match for Rison, who often found himself in one-on-one coverage with Israel on short sideline routes. When Rison did go downfield, he beat Israel over the middle for a 16-yard touchdown catch late in the first quarter, and added another 16-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

“I sat there the whole first half and wondered what type of defensive back would be able to stop Andre,” said James Lofton, the former All-Pro receiver who now does football previews for CNN.

“Would a Lester Hayes or Michael Haynes be able to stop him? Would Ronnie Lott be able to punish him enough? The guy is so tough, I don’t know.”

The Rams tried with Israel, sometimes with help from free safety Anthony Newman.

But there was Rison, strutting in the end zone after his second touchdown, and having a laugh with Falcon tackle Irv Eatman, a former Ram no less, as he pointed at a sign that read “Guaranteed” hanging from the second deck of the Georgia Dome.

“Andre saw that sign and told me, ‘I told you so,’ ” Eatman said. “Fortunately, we made good on his prediction.”

By the end of Sunday’s game, Rison had rubbed it in even more by setting the Falcons’ career receiving record.

He now has 368 catches, surpassing the 359 by Alfred Jenkins from 1975-83.

Rison, of course, was on his best behavior.

“The Rams’ whole sideline was talking trash to me all day and I didn’t say one word,” Rison said. “I just did what I had to do on the field.”

Which was catch everything new Atlanta quarterback Jeff George threw his way.

Rison has 26 receptions for 316 yards and four touchdowns in two games, a reflection of what he and George are capable of in the Falcons’ run-and-shoot offense.

So with the Kansas City Chiefs coming to Atlanta on Sunday, is Rison ready to offer another prediction?

“I’m not messing with Joe Montana,” Rison said. “No way.”