O’Neal Has His Talk; Spanos Has His Defensive End

He felt he was about to sign his life away, and even if he was about to sign it away for a tidy $2 million or so, Leslie O’Neal wasn’t going to pick up the pen until he had some sense of the man whose signature would appear on the paychecks.

So he insisted on a private session with his prospective employer, and after only five or 10 minutes of chitchat about golf and generalities, O’Neal was satisfied.

“He just wanted the satisfaction of meeting the boss,” said Alex Spanos, the boss. “Honest. Gospel. He just wanted to feel closer to me.”

The Charger owner was so curious about what his rookie defensive end might have to say, he had considered sending one of his private jets to fetch the player to Spanos’ corporate offices in Stockton.

It isn’t every day that a football magnate encounters an indentured athlete so keen on personal vibes that the money, the new car and clothes get put on hold.

In this case, the Chargers had reached an agreement with O’Neal’s agent at least two days earlier. But O’Neal chose to keep everyone, including his own representatives, in suspense until he could conduct his own version of a huddle with Spanos.

Asked why he didn’t just give the boss a call, O’Neal replied evenly, “You don’t pick a wife by phone, do you?”

Asked if there was anything Spanos might have said or done that would have caused him not to sign, O’Neal said, “I guess if he pulled a gun and shot me.”

O’Neal, a defensive end from Oklahoma State, became the last of the Chargers’ draft choices to sign a contract.

He said he realized he was leaving himself open to kidding from teammates.

“I know they’re going to rib me, but that’s just the dues a rookie has to pay,” he said. “I have the words to my college fight song in my playbook. I hope they don’t mind if I look at the words.”

O’Neal admitted he was a little nervous when he entered Spanos’ private office suite at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium.

“It’s not like I was talking to a nobody,” he said. “You’re always nervous talking to somebody who has everybody running around for him.”

Spanos said O’Neal can come in and visit any time--the door is always open.

“We reached a comfort level after we sat and talked,” Spanos said. “There was an assurance that I accepted him and wanted him. Honest, believe me, it didn’t even take five minutes.”

Satisfied with his rapport with the boss, O’Neal put on pads and joined 84 teammates at practice Tuesday afternoon. Plans call for him to suit up Saturday night in the first exhibition game, against the Dallas Cowboys.

“We’re going to meet at the quarterback,” defensive end Lee Williams said.

Williams said he wasn’t bothered by the length, 17 days, of O’Neal’s holdout, or his chat with the boss.

“Les is confident and cocky and arrogant, the ideal temperament for a defensive lineman,” Williams said. “He doesn’t take much off anybody. He backs up what he says. He’s going to be a star in this league.”

Meanwhile, the boss is looking for a few more stars for his defense.

Spanos said he was willing to trade a first-, second- and third-round draft choice for defensive help, preferably at inside linebacker or cornerback.

“I can’t stand to go to games and lose,” Spanos said. “I’m a bigger fan than my fans. It’s no secret we’ve called other teams and asked about possible trades.”

The Chargers also have received calls from players under contract to USFL teams, according to defensive coordinator Ron Lynn. He said there were a couple of players he would be interested in signing if they are freed from their USFL contracts.

With O’Neal in uniform and the search for reinforcements under way, Spanos talked about his expectations for the coming season.

He said, “A 10-6 record would make me happy; 11 and 5 would make me happier, and 12 and 4 would make me elated. . . . I also want to beat the Raiders two in a row.”

Charger Notes Safety Jeff Dale underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee and is expected to miss two to three weeks. Doctors removed a piece of cartilage torn in an earlier injury. . . . Linebacker Craig Bingham and quarterback Daryl Dickey were waived. . . . Fullback Tim Spencer suffered a minor injury when someone apparently stepped on top of his foot. . . . Rookie guard Jeff Walker, who had been out with a pulled leg muscle, returned to practice and may play against Dallas. . . . Lionel James is recuperating quickly from last week’s knee injury but will miss a couple of exhibition games.