CHARGER ’86 PREVIEW : Chargers Face Rams Saturday in Times Game
The Chargers will try for their third straight victory of the exhibition season when they play the Rams Saturday in The Times/Rams charity game in Anaheim Stadium.
The Chargers’ three quarterbacks--Dan Fouts, Mark Herrmann and Tom Flick-- combined to throw for 598 yards in a 45-38 victory over Philadelphia on Saturday, which would have an NFL single-game record had it occurred during the regular season.
Flick, battling for a spot on the roster, completed 14 of 21 passes for 287 yards and four touchdowns in the second half. Flick will see limited action Saturday, as Fouts and Herrmann--who completed 11 of 15 passes for 200 yards last week in a reserve role--will get some extra work.
The Rams (1-1), who defeated the San Francisco 49ers last week, 31-17, will again be led by veteran quarterback Steve Bartkowski. In his first start for the Rams last week, Bartkowski, 33, completed 11 of 15 passes for 147 yards and two touchdowns.
Ram quarterback Dieter Brock, recuperating from a knee injury, will again be sidelined. The Rams will also be without defensive backs Gary Green and Eric Harris, who were placed on waivers Wednesday because of injuries.
The Chargers will be without injured defensive linemen Earl Wilson, Chuck Ehin and Tony Simmons. Injuries will also keep defensive backs Jeff Dale and John Hendy and linebacker Mike Douglass sidelined.
Charger first-round draft choice James FitzPatrick will get his last chance to prove himself to Coach Don Coryell before the team reduces its roster from 60 to 50 players on Tuesday. Fitzpatrick was moved from offensive tackle to guard Thursday, after Coryell expressed disappointment in FitzPatrick’s apparent lack of motivation.
The Rams and Chargers have met 18 times in exhibitions, with the Rams owning a 10-8 edge. The Rams’ biggest margin of victory was in 1967 when they trounced the Chargers, 50-7, at San Diego.
The Rams are 2-1 against the Chargers in regular-season games.
The first Times charity game, in 1946, featured a last-quarter field goal by former USC kicker Bob deLauer that help beat the Washington Redskins, 17-14. The Redskins were the Rams’ charity game opponents for 17 consecutive years, a string broken in 1963 when the Rams lost to the Dallas Cowboys, 17-14.
Since the inception of this charity game, close to $3 million has been raised for The Times Fund, which benefits underprivileged children throughout Southern California. Saturday’s game starts at 7.
SAN DIEGO CHARGERS
Saturday’s Game
Opponent: Los Angeles Rams.
Site: Anaheim Stadium.
Time: 7 p.m.
Records: Chargers 2-0, Rams 1-1.
Radio: KLZZ (600).
TV: Ch. 10.