Wayne Davis : Charger Cornerback Long on Confidence

The biggest Charger is James FitzPatrick. The fastest, Gary Anderson. The oldest, Charlie Joiner.

There can be no doubting any of these claims--they’re easy to measure and record.

Some other attributes, like self-confidence, may be more subjective, but still produce a solid consensus. Most of the team’s players and followers probably would agree that the cockiest Charger is cornerback Wayne Davis.

Ever since he was drafted in the second round in 1985, Davis has seemingly personified Webster’s definition of confidence: “a firm belief in one’s own powers.”

Nearly everything about him suggests a firm belief in Wayne Davis.

His articulated goal is to make the Pro Bowl in a year or two. “I know I have the athletic ability,” he said. “I want to be the best I can. The Pro Bowl is within my reach.”

He’s already all-pro in wardrobe, transportation and relaxation.

Davis probably is the snappiest dresser on the team with a seemingly endless boutique of tasteful, yet colorful outfits.

And he takes a back seat to no one in the automotive realm. One of his first purchases, after receiving a four-year contract that included a $267,000 signing bonus and base salaries ranging from $150,000 to $285,000, was an expensive English sedan, which he has equipped with telephone and stereo.

At home, he has put together a big-league recording studio, complete with 8-track mixing board, plus drum and keyboard machines, and his own musical creations, which he described as contemporary Top 40.

Even when his performance hasn’t matched his swagger or his boasts, Davis has not backed off.

Naturally, a man with such a profile is going to attract some attention, and some detractors.

Davis is on the hot seat this summer, in danger of losing his job and, maybe, a measure of his confidence.

Ron Lynn, the team’s defensive coordinator and secondary coach, has raised these questions:

--How deep does the player’s confidence really go?

--Is it misplaced confidence?

--Has his confidence prevented Davis from grasping his limitations?

Lynn is hoping to get a reading on how these questions relate to Davis’ performance before the exhibition season ends.

Along with his colleague on the corner, Danny Walters, Davis already has been singled out both by Lynn and Coach Don Coryell as players who must be markedly more consistent if the Charger defense is to improve in 1986.

As Coryell said, no defender is more vulnerable to embarrassment than a cornerback burned by a fleet receiver.

Davis discovered the awful truth in a game early last season against Seattle. He was victimized four times for touchdowns by Seahawk receivers Daryl Turner and Steve Largent.

Afterward, he showed barely a trace of humility.

“I want to thank Daryl Turner,” Davis said. “This game will help make me a greater player.”

In the long run, it may. The short-term consequences, though, were less satisfying. A starter for six games, he was relegated to the role of nickel back for the rest of the year.

He showed flashes of big-play ability that justified some of his airs, and led the team to hope he would be more consistent this year.

--He intercepted a pass in the end zone in the fourth quarter of a game against Kansas City to preserve a 31-20 victory.

--He recovered a fumble in the end zone to stop a Denver drive, and, two weeks later against the same team, blocked a punt at the Bronco 24, setting up a temporary three-point Charger lead late in the game.

Lynn, who replaced last season’s defensive coordinator, Dave Adolph, is impressed with Davis, up to a point.

“He has the tools to do the job in the National Football League,” Lynn said. “He has excellent physical ability. He has the catch-up speed to overtake a receiver who gets past him. He has that ability to shift gears that a cornerback really needs. He also has good balance and the courage to make physical contact.”

But Lynn also has reservations, directly related to the player’s outward show of confidence.

“I’m really not sure if it’s legitimate confidence,” Lynn said. “Some guys have the jabber and the cocky walk, but a guy with real confidence who knows his limits can play tight on a receiver, right on the edge, and not be afraid to take a chance.

“I need to see Wayne pushed to his limits. I need to see him really take a chance. And I’m pressuring him to define his limitations and improve his concentration.”

Lynn was asked to translate his statement into a concrete, on-the-field example.

In his reply, Lynn described a cornerback’s responsibility in a deep-zone coverage. The corner might be accountable for a third of the field vertically and a third horizontally, the coach said.

A cornerback uncertain of himself might allow a receiver a lot of room underneath, to provide a cushion against the big play. On the other hand, a truly confident corner might reduce the field underneath, clinging to the receiver in the short-yardage zone, trusting in his ability to protect long, as well.

“Do you back off and leave yourself a big cushion, or do you play right on the edge?” Lynn said. “It’s a matter of confidence and knowing yourself.

“Wayne has been giving us a very good physical effort, but he’s playing a very demanding position, where a momentary mental lapse can be a killer.”

Not exactly a ringing endorsement.

But Davis still has his starting job, pending the return of John Hendy from a shoulder injury, the results of exhibition play and the team’s effort to acquire another cornerback.

And he hasn’t lost his belief in himself.

“My confidence hasn’t changed,” he said. “I’m more experienced than I was last year, and I feel comfortable. The defense we’re playing is pretty simple.

“I feel pretty happy with the way I’ve been playing, but I know I have room to advance. I know I have to be more disciplined to become a real pro. I think my biggest problem last year was not being disciplined enough in my techniques.”

Davis seems to find it easy enough to escape the pressures of football. Music is his outlet, and maybe a future source of employment.

“I like to comfort myself with music,” Davis said. “It’s a hobby now, but I hope my tunes will be more than a hobby later in life.”

His goal is to become a recording engineer, or maybe a recording artist.

His latest song is entitled, “Why Did You Do It?”

“My girlfriend says I write sad things, not happy things,” Davis said. “I guess that’s right. I feel like a man singing to a lady about hard times.”

The Chargers, of course, are hoping the hard times are confined to his songwriting.

Charger Notes Running back Gary Anderson suffered a cracked ring finger when he fell in practice. Trainer Mark Howard said Anderson can continue to play with the finger heavily taped. . . . Another running back, Curtis Adams, suffered a twisted ankle. He had been scheduled for an extended look in Saturday’s exhibition opener against Dallas, but the outlook now is uncertain. . . . Fullback Tim Spencer, who has a mildly sprained foot, may not play much against the Cowboys.