A Quiet Day, for a Change : Chargers Tries to Forget Bass, Prepare for Seattle

There was no more blood-letting and no headline news involving franchise-players, but the tension level was nearly off the scale Wednesday as the Chargers, badly in need of a normal, uneventful day, tried to focus on something routine, like the next game.

After three consecutive days of stunning developments, there was a definite sense that players and coaches alike were stepping lightly and looking over their shoulders, wondering what might come next.

That brief upbeat moment, Monday’s signing of Gary Anderson, was almost lost in between Sunday’s knee injury to Dan Fouts and Tuesday’s firing of Tom Bass. The sequence of events left the Chargers shaken and, for the most part, grimly silent.

Coach Don Coryell and defensive backfield coach Jim Wagstaff talked around the sensitive subject of the dismissal of Bass. But several players who normally grant interviews waved off reporters, and new defensive coordinator Dave Adolph again refused an audience.

After a lifetime in the profession, Coryell found himself in a novel position, that of having a staff change imposed upon him with the season in progress.

Coryell had been too upset Tuesday to field questions about the firing of his longtime compatriot, Bass, but he did his best Wednesday to put aside emotion and address reality.

“Coaching football is the best profession in the world,” he said. “Right now, though, we have a tough situation. We have a tough game against Seattle coming, and we can’t think about what happened in our last game or what happened Tuesday. It isn’t easy, but we have to wipe it from our minds.”

When asked if he had ever been involved in a more difficult situation, Coryell gave his stock response, that he doesn’t think in terms of greatest wins, most memorable moments or most difficult circumstances.

“I can’t say this was the worst,” he said. “It’s very sad for me. But I’ve learned you accept things and go on. If you don’t, you fall by the wayside. I’ve wiped my mind clean.”

Coryell volunteered a few comments on his defensive coordinator.

“Dave Adolph wants to be isolated and concentrate on his job, and I can understand that,” he said. “You can look at his record and see he’s been successful in high school, college and pro football, and he survived a coaching change in Cleveland last year, which shows how much they respected him.”

Adolph doesn’t have free reign to retool the defense, but basically, he’s on his own, according to Coryell.

“I don’t think it’s wise to say what changes we might make on defense,” Coryell said. “We don’t want to lie about it or deceive anybody. How much can you change in a day or two? I don’t think Dave’s ideas will be radically different than what we’ve done.”

Coryell said he spoke to the team Wednesday about the week’s developments.

“It’s been a shock, but it’s over and we have to go to work,” Coryell told the players.

He said he still thinks the defensive personnel includes more speed and athletic ability than the Chargers have had in years.

“I think our guys are what we thought they were in training camp,” he said, “and I think they’ll get better.

“A defense doesn’t just come out of nowhere. It doesn’t happen overnight.”

That message has been aired endlessly by Charger staff and players, but the louder message broadcast from on-high is that big improvement had better come out of nowhere, or somewhere, and shortly.

The message from Wagstaff to his defensive backs this week is simple: a return to the basics of training camp.

“We’ll emphasize doing a better job on coverage and look for more opportunity to get after people with bumping and man-to-man stuff,” Wagstaff said. “We’ve got some young people who can run and we worked in camp to develop man-to-man skills, so we’re going to work like crazy to do a good job in those areas.”

Wagstaff said the challenge is to find the strengths of his players and develop them, while blocking out the negative thoughts and distractions.

“Whether we like it or not, this is a building program,” he said, “and if it’s not successful, they’ll get someone else. But I won’t look back. I feel good about the kids I have.”

Wagstaff formerly spent eight years as an assistant under Chuck Knox, who’s now in charge of the Seattle Seahawks. Knox predicted the firing of Bass could make the Charger defense highly emotional this weekend.

“Well, it could go either way,” Wagstaff said. “It may give us a lift. Our guys may be trying harder. I know our kids will be busting their fannies, but they have to do it within our scheme.”

Like Bass a day earlier, Wagstaff said he can’t and won’t change his philosophy of coaching.

“When I came here, people were pretty excited (about his hiring),” Wagstaff said. “I haven’t changed any. But there’s a lot you can’t control. You need some luck. My biggest problem here has just been a lack of consistency in personnel and staff.”

There were no staff changes in all his years with Knox, Wagstaff said.

“Look how long the instrumental people in our offense have been here,” he said, underscoring the need for stability.

The approach of the San Diego defense isn’t going to be radically different, he predicted.

“We can’t overhaul the whole thing,” he said. “We’ll do the same base things. We were in the right lane. I’ve been with winning teams and I know what it takes to win. Right now, we just want to help our kids flow through all this.”

Wagstaff specifically wants to help rookie Wayne Davis with this week’s assignment, guarding Seattle’s Daryl Turner, who scored four touchdowns against the Chargers in an earlier meeting.

“I felt confident he’d shut the guy out, based on his play in four exhibitions and one regular-season game,” Wagstaff said. “I mean, he hadn’t made a bad play until that Sunday against Seattle. It was a helluva shock, but I do think he can cover Turner, and we’ll do things to help him. I won’t leave him out there by himself all day.”