Charger Camp : Defensive End Lockette Lost for Year With Knee Injury

The Chargers, who have been stockpiling talent from the United States Football League at a furious pace, suffered a setback Tuesday when defensive end James Lockette underwent knee surgery and was lost for the season.

Lockette was acquired last week from the New Jersey Generals and was viewed as a promising addition. But he suffered a tear of the medial collateral ligament in Monday’s practice and underwent surgery Tuesday.

“He was coming along well and would have made a real contribution,” Coach Don Coryell said.

With his loss, Lee Williams, Chuck Ehin and Fred Robinson remain the likely starters. Earl Wilson, Tony Chickillo, Keith Ferguson, Keith Guthrie and Zach Barnes are fighting for the three remaining jobs.

The Chargers count 86 players on the roster and must be down to 60 by next Tuesday. Saturday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys will be the last chance for roughly a third of the players in training camp to make an impression on the coaching staff.

The cuts have come at a trickle so far, but there were a couple of names added to the list Tuesday.

Most prominent was veteran safety Tim Fox, who was waived. Fox, who was told not to report to camp this year, was offered around the league but there were no takers, largely because of his age, 31, and salary, $290,000.

Also trimmed Tuesday were rookie running back Billy White and defensive back Bill Yancy.

It was a painful day for veteran wide receiver Wes Chandler, who was jolted by defensive back Gill Byrd as he went for a pass in a 7-on-7 drill. Chandler, whose helmet was separated from his head, suffered facial cuts and injured ribs.

Chandler’s availability for this week’s game isn’t known.

The Chargers are still communicating with defensive back Mossy Cade. To be more accurate, Assistant General Manager Tank Younger has had talks with Cade’s new agent, Jon Teer.

“It’s a soap opera and nothing significant is happening at the moment, but the lines of communication are open,” Younger said.

The practice regimen slowed a bit for two young players, offensive lineman Jerry Doerger and running back Anthony Steels.

Doerger, obtained from Orlando of the USFL last week, played most of last week’s game against Cleveland. He was scheduled for heavy duty against Dallas, but a hamstring injury will curtail his playing time.

Steels, who has shin splints, may not play as much this week, either, according to Coryell.

This week’s game will be televised nationally by CBS, but will not be shown live in San Diego if it is not a sellout by 6 p.m. Wednesday.

Dallas Coach Tom Landry is entering his 26th season, but he said Tuesday he is not interested in the longevity record of 40 seasons held by the late George Halas.

Landry ranks third list on the list, behind Halas and Curly Lambeau, who coached 29 consecutive years.

Although the Cowboys have been distracted by the absence of running back Tony Dorsett, players say the overall atmosphere in training camp has been exceptional.

“We had a spirited and emotional game last week,” quarterback Danny White said of the exhibition opener.

Landry, who apparently has given no thought to retirement, seems eager for the season.

“It’s always interesting to take a team that nobody thinks will do anything, like our 1975 team, which had 12 rookies and made it to the Super Bowl,” Landry said.

The Cowboys always manage to have a quarterback controversy of one degree or another, and this year is no exception. Gary Hogeboom will start Saturday, but White will also play.

On the pressure associated with being a Cowboy, White said, “We could go to the Super Bowl and only win by two touchdowns and people would ask what’s wrong. They were asking questions when we were in the championship game three straight years (1980-1982). We fell off last year, but we hope to do something about that and live up to our heritage.”