Getting a Kick Out of Doing It All : Chargers’ Ralf Mojsiejenko Works on His Versatility

He punts, he kicks off, he holds for place kicks and he trains for long field goals, just in case he’s ever needed.

Ralf Mojsiejenko--”Mojo” to Charger coaches and players--has a leg up on becoming the most versatile special teams performer in pro football.

There’s never been a punter with the sustained excellence of Ray Guy or a placekicker with the staying power of Jan Stenerud. Mojsiejenko probably will never be the equal of either, but he just may prove to be the closest one man has come to combining their talents.

“I don’t like to brag, but I have the physical attributes to be both a punter and a placekicker,” the Michigan State rookie said. “I have been blessed with a lot of physical ability. I believe I could be one of the top punters and possibly one of the best field goal kickers.

“But it’s very tough to combine the two. There’s a different motion involved in each job, and there are so many emotional ups and downs. I’m young, and I think I’m pretty stable as a punter, but I’m not sure I could handle both jobs yet mentally.”

The Chargers aren’t ready to assign him any more duties--yet.

Though they drafted him with the hope he could one day serve as punter and placekicker, they weren’t prepared for the problems that would befall their kicking game this year. Mojsiejenko has proved to be a godsend, even if he’s doing jobs the Chargers hadn’t envisioned.

The Chargers, you may recall, soured on last year’s punter, Maury Buford, who was dealt to the Chicago Bears, for whom he has done a more-than-adequate job.

Mojsiejenko was awarded the punting duties, and Rolf Benirschke, after a few nervous moments, retained his placekicking job. Or so it appeared. Late in training camp, Benirschke suffered a severe groin injury, from which he still hasn’t fully recovered.

Casting around for a replacement, the Chargers picked up veteran Bob Thomas, who had been jettisoned by the Bears after a rookie beat him out of his job.

Meanwhile, the Chargers went through a scramble to find a holder. The incumbent, Ed Luther, jumped to the USFL, leaving the task to backup quarterback Bruce Mathison. However, he was trimmed just before the regular season, and the job went to Mojsiejenko.

Still with us? The retooled kicking game proved to be acceptable until two weeks ago, when the Denver Broncos blocked two Thomas field goals in overtime and beat the Chargers on a 60-yard return. That turn of events focused attention on a slump by Thomas, who is 12 for 21 overall but just 3 for 9 in recent weeks.

The Chargers turned up the heat on Thomas this week by holding auditions for a new field goal specialist. No one has been signed yet, but Mojsiejenko is working on long placements and Benirschke is kicking a soccer ball in practice.

“No one has jumped out at us yet (as a possible replacement for Thomas),” special teams coach Marv Braden said, stressing that Thomas may keep the job.

He said the Chargers are reluctant to give any new tasks to Mojsiejenko, fearing the stress might foul up his punts and kickoffs.

“He’s been hitting 5 or 10 long field goals a week in practice when healthy, just to give us a little insurance in case we needed him in an emergency,” Braden said. “Right now, though, he’s got his hands full with other things.”

Mojsiejenko, who has a sore hip flexor muscle in his kicking leg, is not overly eager to try any long field goals this week, primarily because he hasn’t perfected his timing with holder Pete Holohan and snapper Dennis McKnight.

“As a holder, a former placekicker and possibly a placekicker-to-be, I can appreciate how important the job of holder is,” Mojsiejenko said. “If I make a bad hold, I take full blame for it. That’s rarely heard of in football--the blame is usually pushed off on the kicker.”

Mojsiejenko, who is averaging 43.5 yards a kick as a punter with a long kick of 67, seems to go back and forth on the notion of being both placekicker and punter. He doesn’t want his kickoffs or his punts to suffer, but he doesn’t want to be seen as doing anything less than his best to help the team, either.

“It’s pretty amazing to see one man as a holder and punter,” he said. “To be a placekicker, too, I’d like to have time to adjust. I wonder about what would happen if I had a bad week or two on field goals. Would that hurt my punting?

“I’m really thankful for the year I’m having as a punter. I haven’t seen many guys in this league who can hit a good spiral every time. It’s sort of a comfort to see another guy shank a ball.”

Given the malaise that has settled over the Chargers’ season, the presence of Mojsiejenko has to be a comfort to coaches and fans alike.