Fouts, Raiders Ready to Hook Up for Another Monday Night Melee

The San Diego Chargers are back for another of their famous Monday night dates, pitting the unsinkable Dan Fouts against the unthinkable Raider defense, a rivalry that has survived blitzes, taunts and aerial bombardments until all that remains is respect.

Raider Coach Tom Flores, after ticking off a long list of Fouts’ virtues--”such a great touch, the quick delivery, the anticipation of his receivers, tough to get to”--arrives at the one he really likes, Fouts’ ferocity.

“I admire him,” Flores says. “He’s a tough guy.”

Flores comes by his admiration honestly. Fouts has thrown 29 touchdown passes against the Raiders lifetime, more than against any other opponent, including the six he dropped on them in the memorable 55-21 rout in 1981.

Fouts has lost 15 of his 20 starts against the Raiders, so it isn’t hard for him to be gracious, either. His former employer, Gene Klein, and Al Davis engaged in the purest kind of hatred--Klein is still suing Davis, claiming the Raider owner caused his heart attack--but Fouts says it didn’t reach the field.

Fouts: “I’ve enjoyed playing against them ‘cause I know most of them. I’ve played in a few Pro Bowls with quite a few of them. They’re super guys. I enjoy the way they rally around each other. As far as the hype goes, it never really bothered me.”

Since they’re such good friends, the Raiders probably don’t even try to intimidate him?

“Well, you know,” said Fouts, laughing, “how can you intimidate somebody that’s heard all the lines before?

“I look forward to their antics and everything each game. I kinda grade them once in a while.”

Any favorites?

“You writing for the Berkeley Barb?” Fouts asked. “There are a lot of bleeps. I wish I could tell you.”

His nomination as most imaginative Raider?

“They all have their moments. I guess their spokesman has to be Lyle (Alzado). He’s the guy who’s probably parlayed it into the most cash.”

Since Howard Cosell is missing and concerned that no one is “developing the story line properly,” we offer several. Take your pick.

--Fouts’ long-time mentor and air controller, Coach Don Coryell, is under major heat. He has 21 new players, a new owner who just fired his defensive coordinator, and orders to go at least 8-8 or face the consequences.

Coryell may be behind whatever success the franchise has enjoyed since Sid Gillman. But right now he’s 3-4 and starting a four-game stretch against the Raiders and Broncos, neither of whom he beat last season. If he doesn’t break through, the Chargers will be 3-7 and you won’t be able to find Jack Murphy Stadium under all the coaches’ resumes.

--New owner Alex Spanos has spent more than $5 million on new talent--mostly Charger draftees whom Klein allowed the USFL to outbid him for. They’re talented players, or intriguing prospects such as Gary Anderson, Tim Spencer, Trumaine Johnson and Lee Williams.

However, most of them play on the offense which didn’t need as much help. Some arrived late. Several key veterans--Fouts, Kellen Winslow, Wes Chandler--are coming off injuries. Fouts said last week that the Charger offense has more talent than he’s ever seen on a football field. But since half of it is limping and the other half doesn’t know the plays, it may be a season away from reaching critical mass.

Even Coryell, from his vantage point on Spanos’ skittle, seems to agree.

“We have a long ways to go before we can really compete with the great teams in this league, obviously like the Raiders,” Coryell said last week.

Said a Charger official: “We’re a team in transition. We’re trying to get ourselves together before Fouts (who is 34) retires.”

--The return of Kellen Winslow. The all-universe tight end was leading the NFL with 41 catches a year ago, when he was hit by the Raiders’ Mike Davis and Jeff Barnes and suffered a grievous knee injury.

There was a report that the Chargers would bring him back a week before the Raider game, or a week after, but not the week of the Raider game. A Charger official says Winslow wanted to come back tonight. Like the San Diego Chicken (said the official), who staged his own comeback by climbing out of an egg.

Winslow returned last week, catching two passes at Minnesota. He’ll play tonight, with or without egg.

--The return of the Raiders. They’ve won four straight since their back-to-back wipeouts at the hands of the Chiefs and 49ers. A win would get them through the first half of the season 6-2, in a tie for first place in their division, heading into the Seattle-Denver phase of the schedule. That wouldn’t be bad for having played with battered quarterbacks and basically hanging on by their fingernails.

They’ve done it mostly with tough defense. Last week they held the Cleveland Browns’ second-rated rushing game to 2.8 yards a carry. Shutting down the Chargers, however, especially with Fouts, is a challenge of another proportion.

Under Fouts, the Chargers started the season 2-1. The loss was by 49-35 to the Seahawks in a game in which Fouts threw for 306 yards in the first half and 440 overall.

A week later, he took the Chargers 93 yards for a touchdown on the opening drive against the Browns, was hurt on the second possession, and didn’t return until last week. That was when he marched the Chargers to a fourth-quarter touchdown and a 17-14 lead. The Vikings then went 63 yards the other way and scored with 19 seconds left and won.

The Raiders haven’t allowed 100 yards to a rusher or 300 yards to a passer this season. They lead the AFC with 31 sacks.

Fouts has had 42 300-yard games in his career, (the old record was Johnny Unitas’ 26), including four against the Raiders. His backup, Mark Herrmann, was sacked 16 times while getting off 85 passes, but Fouts has only gone down four times while getting off 82. It’s a match made in firework heaven.

Raider Notes The Raiders are six-point favorites. Kickoff is at 6 p.m. in the Coliseum. The telecast will be blacked out in Los Angeles. . . . The Raiders are 22-3-1 on Monday night. The Chargers gave them one of those losses and two of the victories. The Chargers haven’t beaten the Raiders in six games over three seasons, or since they moved here. . . . Dan Fouts: “Every time we play them, it seems like it’s on Monday night and I get asked that question. Their record period is pretty good. I don’t know what Monday night has to do with it, but you can’t deny the fact they do get up for it.” . . . Raider-Charger games have averaged 47.8 points, the highest for any AFC series. . . . Fouts and Mark Herrmann are on a pace that would give them 5,000 passing yards. Their defense is on a pace that would allow 4,500. The Chargers have thrown for 16 TDs with 13 interceptions. Their defense has allowed 15 touchdowns and has intercepted eight. Only two of their seven defensive backs have played a full NFL season. . . . The Chargers’ new defensive coordinator, Dave Adolph, held the same title in Cleveland, where he helped build last season’s No. 1-ranked unit. He is blitzing less and playing less man-to-man coverage than Tom Bass did, in an attempt to allow fewer big plays. The Chargers allowed 440 yards or more in all of Bass’ games, and have given up 360 or fewer in all of Adolph’s.