Fouts Still Sore; Coryell Says Herrmann to Make Start Sunday Against the Chiefs

Charger Coach Don Coryell said Mark Herrmann will start in place of injured Dan Fouts in Sunday’s game against the Chiefs.

“It’s Mark’s game,” Coryell said Friday afternoon. “Dan’s leg is still sore. We will see how Dan feels on Sunday in the warmup, but my intention is to play Mark Herrmann.”

Said Fouts: “It (the knee) is not too good. Ask the doctors. They are the ones telling me how I’m doing. I’ll make the trip, but I think I’m the just-in-case guy.”

Herrmann also will be backed up by Joe Dufek, a former Buffalo quarterback who was picked up by the Chargers earlier this week.

Fouts suffered a bruised left knee when he was hit by defensive end Greg Brown in the third quarter of last Sunday’s game with the Eagles. Herrmann led the Chargers to a 20-14 victory, while Fouts watched the remainder of the game from the sideline. Fouts received treatment and has not practiced this week.

If Fouts does not play, it will be the third consecutive season he has missed the final game. He missed the last two games with a groin injury last season and the final five games with a shoulder injury in 1983.

Fouts was irritable after last Sunday’s game, but by Friday, he seemed reconciled to living with yet another in a long series of injuries. Earlier in the season, Fouts had arthroscopic surgery to repair torn ligaments in his right knee. He missed two games and parts of two others.

“I don’t like to dwell on it (the injury),” Fouts said, “so I don’t.”

Despite the injuries, Fouts said this has been an enjoyable season.

“I’ve seen a turnaround in the football team,” he said. “It has been a real rewarding season. The older players have had their best years, collectively, and have showed the younger players how to win. I’m talking about Charlie (Joiner), Ed (White), Donnie (Macek), Wes (Chandler) and Woodrow (Lowe).

“And I see a lot of raw talent in the younger players. We’ve added really talented people in Tim Spencer and Gary Anderson, and the play of Lionel James has been outstanding.”

Individually, it has also been a successful season for Fouts, who moved past Johnny Unitas into second place on the all-time list with 2,839 completions. Fran Tarkenton is No. 1 with 3,686. Fouts has completed 254 of 430 passes for 3,638 yards and 27 touchdowns. San Diego leads the NFL in total offense (400.2 yards a game), passing offense (301.9) and points scored (433).

In addition to it being a rewarding season, Fouts said he has probably never been involved in more thrilling games.

There was the 44-41 win over Cincinnati, the 40-34 overtime victory over the Raiders, the 54-44 win over Pittsburgh, the 30-24 overtime loss in Denver, and the 37-35 loss in Houston.

“This season is similar to 1979 when we had a lot of high-scoring, exciting games,” Fouts said. “We showed true grit in a lot of those games. It has been a really wild year.”

Charger Notes Linebacker Billy Ray Smith was placed on injured reserve Friday. Smith missed the second half of last Sunday’s game with back spasms and spent two days in the hospital. “There is no way Billy Ray could play,” Don Coryell said. Smith has played more than 100 straight games dating back to junior high school. That includes all 48 games in a four-year career at Arkansas and 47 straight with the Chargers. Running back Anthony Corley, who was with the Chargers earlier this season, took Smith’s spot on the roster for the final game. . . . Coryell said the Charger offensive line “is a big question mark.” Center Don Macek (sore neck) and Ed White (knee injury) did not practice this week, but are expected to play Sunday. White played in his 240th consecutive game last week, tying the Vikings’ Mick Tingelhoff’s NFL record for offensive linemen. . . . Tight-end Kellen Winslow has a sore knee and saw limited action in practice this week.