Chargers Are Caught in a Corner Inconsistent Play of Davis, Walters Leaves Defense Vulnerable
Amid the hype surrounding the Chargers’ new blitz-oriented defense this summer, there has been a nagging concern about the manpower at inside linebacker.
Turns out that’s not the only trouble spot.
The rather grim news is that the Charger coaching staff is even more worried about the inconsistency of cornerbacks Wayne Davis and Danny Walters, not to mention the lack of quality reserves at that position.
Given the history of the past five years, when the team’s pass defense was consistently awful, this does not fall into the category of shocking developments.
But it has to be disconcerting to Charger fans, who’ve been led to expect lots of sacks from the likes of Lee Williams and Leslie O’Neal under the team’s new pressure scheme. The problem is, the new system may put as much pressure on San Diego’s cornerbacks as it does on opposing quarterbacks.
Cornerback may be the most physically demanding job on the field, and it gets even tougher when seven or eight guys are rushing the passer and there’s no one to help with coverage. If the quarterback gets time to throw, the cornerbacks are in jeopardy of allowing a long touchdown.
Coach Don Coryell and defensive coordinator Ron Lynn have seen enough in the first two weeks of training camp to conclude that problems--possibly big, embarrassing problems--could crop up on the corners.
“My biggest worry about the defense is cornerback, and it has been all along,” Coryell said. “We’re looking for more speed (at corner). The way people pick up blitzes and quarterbacks get the ball off in a hurry, you’ve got to have somebody to get on a speedy receiver and stick with him.
“People can beat you and embarrass you in a hurry, as we’ve found out, if you don’t have the cornerbacks.”
Lynn, the architect of the 1986 defensive scheme, said he’s not ready to panic. Yet.
“Both these guys (Walters and Davis) are heralded as athletes with the ability to play in this league, but they’re not there yet,” Lynn said.
“I’m not at the point of jumping out the window and hanging myself . . . (but) I’m not satisfied. I’m not saying this is our biggest weakness, but we need to see more consistency from our corners and we’d like to have another guy to help the situation.”
The coaches’ comments came after a scrimmage with the Los Angeles Rams Thursday night in which the Charger cornerbacks did not distinguish themselves.
Walters is entering his fourth season and Davis his second with the Chargers. They are adapting to new coverages and responsibilities under Lynn, who doubles as defensive secondary coach.
Walters is regarded as one of the team’s better athletes, but his concentration has been faulted by coaches. A similar assessment could be made of the younger Davis.
The play of safeties Gill Byrd and Jeff Dale has been more encouraging, Lynn said, and there’s a lot of hope invested in second-year man John Hendy, who plays both cornerback and safety.
Hendy has been out with a partially dislocated shoulder but is expected back for the final two exhibition games.
Hendy could wind up as a starter at corner, but even if he does, there will be situations when he also lines up as a safety, Lynn said.
“The situation would be more frightening if we didn’t have Hendy,” Lynn said. “We’re just hoping for more consistency (from Walters and Davis) in the next couple of weeks.
“We think we have five men capable of playing in the defensive backfield, but we don’t have a dominant player and we definitely would like to pick up another coverage guy. Of course, everyone else in the league would. The good Lord just didn’t make enough cornerbacks to satisfy people’s needs.”
Lynn said it’s too early to determine if there will be any help from rookie cornerbacks Donald Brown, Sean Dykes and Ron Milus.
Any lingering questions about Charger defensive backs should be answered in the Sept. 7 regular-season opener. The opposition: Dan Marino and the Miami Dolphins.
Charger Notes There was bad news concerning promising second-year linebacker Mark Fellows, who re-injured his hip in Thursday night’s scrimmage. Fellows was diagnosed with a severe strain of the hip joint and will be on crutches for at least two weeks. It was the same hip that he fractured last year, when surgeons had to insert screws to fix the hip socket. . . . First-round draft choice Leslie O’Neal, whose holdout shows no signs of ending, said he is not discouraged. “It’s business, and I’m just doing all I can for myself,” he said. “I want to be happy.” He discounted the suggestion that rookies lost leverage when the United States Football League was awarded only $3 after winning its antitrust lawsuit against the National Football League. “I never counted on the USFL winning,” he said. O’Neal said he isn’t worried about catching up with teammates after his holdout ends. “In college, I was used to getting a whole scheme in two weeks,” he said. . . . Running back Lionel James, who suffered a knee sprain Monday, is off crutches but will be out another week to 10 days. . . . Running back Gary Anderson will take the weekend off to rest a tight hamstring. . . . Rookie guard Jeff Walker, who is recuperating from a pulled leg muscle, is doing some running but probably will miss next week’s exhibition opener against Dallas.