Now It’s Flick vs. Decision : Peace Cut; Chargers Still Undecided If 3 Quarterbacks Needed

It was a busy day as the Chargers waived 11 players, placed three on injured reserve, pursued another linebacker and tended to a very long list of wounded.

Free-agent quarterback Wayne Peace was among the players cut as the Chargers reduced their roster to 61. One more player will be trimmed today to bring the squad to 60, in line with the National Football League’s limit for the date.

Peace became expendable after another quarterback hopeful, Tom Flick, greatly upped his stock by completing 14 of 21 passes for 287 yards against the Philadelphia Eagles Saturday night. Peace had been contesting Flick, but now the battle is Flick’s alone as he tries to prove to Charger coaches they should go into the season with three quarterbacks.

Ultimately, the question may not be so much whether Flick is good enough to help in a pinch as whether the team could better utilize an extra linebacker or defensive back. That decision won’t be made until the end of the preseason.

Monday’s other cuts included wide receiver Curtis Pardridge, a sixth-round draft choice; linebacker Fred Smalls, a seventh-round draft choice; center James Dralle; tight end Jeff Nowinski; wide receivers Greg Meehan and Dwayne Dixon; running backs Mike Miller and Steve Smith; punter Dale Walters and placekicker James Hamrick.

Three players went on injured reserve, including tight end Malcolm Moore, defensive back Ron Milus and defensive lineman Marlin Wenstrom.

The Chargers also were pursuing linebacker Andy Hawkins from the Houston Gamblers of the United States Football League. They were negotiating to obtain his NFL rights from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in exchange for a draft choice.

Hawkins would become the third linebacker to join the Chargers in the past seven days. The others were Ronnie Washington, obtained in a trade with the Atlanta Falcons, and Gary Plummer, formerly of the Oakland Invaders of the USFL.

Coach Don Coryell said the team will hold only light morning workouts for the remainder of the week, with the contact work confined to the afternoon practices. The reason: an unusually long list of injured players.

Coryell enumerated a third of the team as having injuries of varying degrees of severity. The list:

Running back Curtis Adams (thigh bruise); safety Gill Byrd (will practice this week with a cracked toe); safety Jeff Dale (still recuperating from knee surgery); defensive lineman Chuck Ehin (recuperating from ankle surgery); linebacker Mark Fellows (practicing on a limited basis after hip injury), and linebacker Mike Douglass (recovering from hamstring injury, may play this week).

Safety John Hendy (recuperating from knee injury, may be ready for season opener); running back Lionel James (recuperating from knee injury, may play this week); offensive tackle Gary Kowalski (bruised arm, may have to play with splint this week), and center Jim Leonard (pulled hamstring, probably out this week).

Running back Buford McGee (bruised thigh, will be hindered in practice for a few days); tight end Bob Micho (recovering from pulled hamstring, may play this week); defensive back Ron Milus (out four-six weeks with a knee injury), and tight end Malcolm Moore (also out with knee injury).

Linebacker Derrie Nelson (bruised ribs); linebacker Fred Robinson (strained stomach muscle); defensive lineman Tony Simmons (out two weeks with knee sprain); defensive lineman Earl Wilson (sprained knee and ankle, but may play this week), and defensive lineman Marlin Wenstrom (headaches, possible concussion, to be seen by a neurologist).

A late addition to the list was wide receiver Wes Chandler, whose left heel was stepped on in Monday afternoon’s practice. Chandler said he would probably take it easy the rest of the week, but expected to play in the final exhibition game on Aug. 29 against St. Louis.