Chargers May Be Perfect Substitute for NBA Franchise

The National Basketball Assn. left town in the spring of 1984, perhaps never to return. But there’s a pretty good facsimile playing Mission Valley these days.

Charger games have a lot in common with the NBA: Action surging up and down the field, usually accompanied by a score . . . little or no defense . . . nothing decided until the final two minutes.

If ever a game met this set of criteria, it was Sunday night’s 54-44 Charger victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Aside from virtually ending Pittsburgh’s playoff hopes and possibly helping to solidify Coach Don Coryell’s future, this game satisfied nearly every cliche about the Chargers. State-of-the-art, thrill-a-minute, run-and-shoot offense. As for defense, are you kidding?

A few weeks back, assistant coach Al Saunders said the Chargers were going to revolutionize offense in the NFL, again. He may be dangerously close to being right. The present Charger attack is the most explosive San Diego has ever had, according to quarterback Dan Fouts.

Coryell, who usually shies away from making sweeping statements, agreed with his quarterback’s assessment. And he generously passed along credit to Ernie Zampese, who, as the chief strategist, never stops tinkering with the Xs and Os.

“Ernie puts in so much each week, we sometimes think, no, that’s too much,” Coryell said. “We couldn’t have so much variety in our offense if we didn’t have such smart people. Our players are really flexible. Their minds can really adjust. They know the whole scheme.”

Consider these aspects of Sunday night’s game, the fourth-highest scoring in NFL history:

--The Chargers produced a season-high 54 points, giving them 413 for the year, five short of the team record established in 1980. It seems a safe bet to look for the Chargers to score between 480 and 500 points in 1985. Their final two games are against Philadelphia and Kansas City, neither of which is to be confused with the Chicago Bears.

--The Chargers surpassed 40 points for the third time in five games. They generated 448 yards in total offense, a bit ahead of their average of 399. They have 5,586 yards for the year, but are unlikely to challenge the team record of 6,744 set in 1981. The defense, if you are curious, has allowed 5,447 yards and thus has an excellent chance to surpass the San Diego record of 6,136 set in 1981.

--Fouts enjoyed his seventh 300-yard passing performance of the year. Wes Chandler made 5 catches for 154 yards and 2 touchdowns, keeping him at the head of the list as San Diego’s most productive receiver (17.6 yards per catch and 9 touchdowns.)

--Lionel James continued his assault on the record list. He had 143 combined net yards against Pittsburgh, giving him 2,194 for the year. James is virtually assured of breaking Terry Metcalf’s record of 2,462 yards.

James needs only two yards to break Lenny Moore’s record for receiving yardage by a back (938). And he is only 14 catches shy of Rickey Young’s mark for receptions by a back (88). It should be noted that San Francisco’s Roger Craig has 79 catches.

With all this to think about, it was no wonder Coryell said he had a very good feeling the morning after the Steeler shoot-out.

“A bunch of old pros really came through for us, and so did some rookies,” he said. He praised veterans Ed White, Don Macek, Charlie Joiner, Chandler, Woody Lowe and Fouts, along with rookies Jeff Dale and John Hendy.

He also cited the valor of offensive linemen Dennis McKnight, who played much of the game with an ankle injury, and Jim Leonard, who performed well in his first start.

Rookie defensive lineman Earl Wilson got a plug, as did special teams star Derrie Nelson, who set a team record with 21 hits.

“We were very excited about the game, but very disappointed about the points and yardage we gave up,” he said. “We have to improve on defense. We have some young players who are going to be good.”

But will he be here to oversee their development? That is the major unresolved question of the season. Coryell, who has generally handled it with grace and wit, got a bit testy when asked about it again Monday.

“I don’t want to look back at what might have been,” he said. “Right now I’d be satisfied with a 9-7 record (which would require wins in the final two games.)

“I’m tired of reading and talking about my own future. The only important thing is winning and improving. Nothing else matters.”

If Coryell finishes 9-7, including a couple more 50-point extravaganzas, owner Alex Spanos may be too intrigued to make a change. It’s something to think about, anyway.