When Chargers Needed Yardage, Little Train Delivered on Schedule

For every fan who had read all the William Perry stories he could stomach, along came Lionel James to shift the focus to the opposite end of the physical spectrum.

Just when it appeared obesity was the runaway topic of the season, pro football’s smallest player rose up out of the pack and elevated the hopes of all short people.

James gives away about eight inches in height and approximately 140 pounds to Perry, the Chicago Bears’ 308-pound marvel of a running back, pass catcher and defensive tackle.

James, at 5-6 1/2, 170, is known as Little Train, an obvious play on his first name. The commercial opportunities available to him appear to be somewhat more limited than those awaiting the Bears’ Refrigerator, but maybe some enterprising company will join with Amtrak in saluting the little guy.

“I like to think I’m a role model for small people,” said James, whose 17-yard run beat the Raiders, 40-34, in overtime here Sunday.

“I know there’s some little kid out there who’s been told he’s not big enough to play football, like I was. My advice is: Never listen to that kind of talk.”

James had the second-biggest day ever in the category of all-purpose yards. His 51 yards rushing, 168 yards receiving and 126 yards in kickoff returns added up to 345 total yards, second to the total of 373 posted by Houston’s Billy Cannon against the New York Titans in 1961.

James provided the winning play Sunday on a play called 80-log, the same play Buford McGee broke to beat Miami last year and snap the Dolphins’ 11-game winning streak.

“I was just trying to get us in position for a field goal,” James said. “The biggest thing was not to fumble.

“This has to be the highlight of my career. I always idolized the Raiders. When I broke into the open (on the scoring run), I thought to myself, ‘This is like heaven.’ ”

If Perry is impossible to overlook, James is very easy to miss, as the Raiders proved.

“I have the ability to make people miss,” he said. “I can also go up and get a pass against a taller man. I can jump straight up and take it away from defensive backs.”

San Diego receiver coach Al Saunders said James has a 33-inch vertical leap, which means he can compete on even terms with players a head taller.

“He’s a magnificent statement for athletes of all sizes,” Saunders said. “He proves you can overcome any shortcoming.

“As short as he is, bigger defensive players have a tough time seeing him. When he bends his knees to make a cut, he’s only about 4-10. And he’s so dang quick.”

The elusiveness of James helps make the Chargers’ hot new property, running back Gary Anderson, a bigger headache for defenses.

“What we’re trying to do is force mismatches with Train and Anderson by making a linebacker cover them,” Saunders said.

“I think we’re going to revolutionize football offenses again. We’re creating new spectrums and softening the perimeter of the defense with the option pitchouts we’re using now.”

The Raiders got a close look at the Wishbone-like option, which usually found McGee pitching the ball to Anderson for a significant gain.

Saunders said the success of that play helped bring about the winning run by James because the Raiders had to be wary of a possible pitchout on the sweep.

“Our offensive scheme is based on execution, deception and movement,” Saunders said. “Our execution was a lot better today than it was in our first game against the Raiders.

“When we played them in Los Angeles, all our young players got caught up in the mystique of Monday Night Football and the Raiders. But we got that experience behind us, and we weren’t going to be embarrassed again.”

Saunders predicted Anderson is on the way to establishing himself as one of the most dominant offensive players in football.

“He’s made tremendous strides in learning our system,” Saunders said of Anderson, who made 70 yards rushing and 84 receiving against the Raiders.

Anderson said last week’s 30-10 win over Denver had a big carryover effect Sunday.

“Dan (Fouts) was telling us in the huddle we could do it again,” Anderson said.

Anderson seemed as amazed by James as anyone. “He stood 7-feet tall today,” Anderson said. “He’s The Man for us.”

Wide receiver Wes Chandler preferred to keep the focus on Fouts. “This was just another day at the office for him,” Chandler said.

“He makes us all believe. He’s always in control. And he gets the ball to the right person at the right time. “