PARTY TIME IN DIXIE; OFT-IGNORED FALCONS SALUTED BY A CITY OF SURPRISED FANS.

Byline: Paul Newberry Associated Press 

Start flapping those arms and jump on the bandwagon - the Atlanta Falcons are going to the Super Bowl.

The city awoke Monday with a giant ``Dirty Bird'' hangover, celebrating a gritty team that pulled off a stunning upset in the din of the Metrodome. The city conveniently forgot all those years when the Falcons were treated like the crazy uncle that everyone in the family tries to ignore.

``Go Braves - and take the Falcons with you,'' was a popular bumper sticker in the 1980s when both teams were at the bottom of their respective sports.

Well, the Braves have tomahawk-chopped their way to seven straight postseason appearances in the 1990s, but it took the NFL's winningest coach and a strutting group of has-beens and never-weres to take the Falcons to their first championship game after 33 years.

Atlanta, which defeated Minnesota 30-27 in overtime Sunday for the NFC title, will meet the Denver Broncos in the Jan. 31 Super Bowl in Miami.

The team will begin its preparations on Wednesday, which left a couple of days to savor the moment. Actually, the party began Sunday night when the team arrived at Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport and was greeted by more than 5,000 people. Nary a mention was made of those three years when the team failed to sell out a home game.

``You felt like you were in a dream world,'' said linebacker Jessie Tuggle, who has been with the Falcons for a dozen, mostly losing seasons. ``You always talk about being in a Super Bowl and now we've done it. We earned the right to go to Miami. It means a lot when it all sinks in, the way everything fell together.''

Another 4,000 or so revelers jammed the team's suburban training complex, creating a rush hour-like traffic jam in the middle of the night. The scene was surreal when the players appeared on a second-floor balcony, saluting the crowd that had spilled onto the practice field below.

``It was absolutely nuts,'' Tuggle said. ``It was like a rock concert in Suwanee, Georgia.''

Coach Dan Reeves, who underwent heart-bypass surgery just five weeks ago, endured a whirlwind schedule Monday. After getting only 4-1/2 hours of sleep, he appeared on ABC's ``Good Morning America,'' stopped by Piedmont Hospital for a routine check-up, and held his usual postgame news conference in Suwanee.

After Reeves was hired as coach, the Falcons lost seven of their first eight games in 1997. Since then, they have won 22 of 26 - doubling the franchise's playoff victories from two to four in the span of eight days.

``It's incredible when you think about it,'' Reeves said, ``coming from 1-7 halfway through you first year to be in the Super Bowl in the second year. I can't say enough about our players.''

But much of the focus will be on Reeves at this Super Bowl. He'll be facing the team he coached for 12 years and took to three title games. He'll also be facing the coach (Mike Shanahan) he fired for alleged subordination and the quarterback (John Elway) who said playing for Reeves was ``hell.''

It would be a stretch to say Reeves has a close relationship with his two ex-cohorts from Denver, but they did have a reconciliation of sorts when all three wound up playing golf on the same day at Augusta National last summer.

Reeves walked over to a group from Denver, congratulating Shanahan and Elway on winning the Super Bowl last year.

``The focus should be on the football game,'' Reeves said. ``What's done in the past is done. I can look myself in the mirror and say I did what was best for my football team at the time. You have to make some tough decisions. I can't change them.''

Besides, there are new debts to pay.

Reeves said he fulfilled his promise to perform the ``Dirty Bird'' dance in downtown Atlanta, stopping his car on Peachtree Street in the predawn hours and flapping his arms with no one around Monday. His players said that's not good enough.

Reeves also chuckled at the NFL, which clearly expected Minnesota to make the Super Bowl. On Sunday, while meeting with two league officials about the schedule of events in Miami, Reeves noticed the itinerary was sprinkled with references to the Vikings. Then, on Monday, the NFL faxed him a memo that included another faux pas.

``You could tell they weren't expecting us because it said, `Atlanta Falcons, head coach Denny Green,''' Reeves said, grinning with satisfaction. ``They had changed the team from Minnesota Vikings, but they forgot to change the head coach.''

SUPER BOWL XXXIII 

Atlanta vs. Denver

Miami, Fla.

Jan. 31, 3:18 p.m.

TV: Ch. 11

CAPTION(S):

Photo

Photo: (Color) Chris Chandler, left, and Eugene Robinson were among the Falcons greeted by more than 5,000 fans in Atlanta.

Jim Mone/Associated Press