Winslow Is Confident, Encouraged : Charger Tight End Seems Almost Back to Full Strength

In the prime of his career, there was only one safe way to bring down Kellen Winslow once he hit full stride.

For the average defensive back, giving away three or four inches and 50 pounds, the only sane way to stop the Charger tight end was to vault onto his back and await help. Lots of it.

Winslow knows his comeback from a career-threatening knee injury won’t be complete until he can once again command such respectful tactics.

“I’m very encouraged about my comeback,” Winslow said after Saturday night’s 20-17 loss to the Rams. “The one thing I still need to do is to catch a pass, turn upfield and just run over somebody.”

Winslow, who caught a 19-yard touchdown pass from Mark Herrmann to tie the score with 1:07 remaining, has enjoyed a low-profile comeback in the preseason.

Nearly two years after his right knee was shredded at midseason, 1984, Winslow believes he is close to reaching a plateau of respectability. His comeback suffered a setback shortly before training camp opened when the knee was hyper-extended in an informal workout, and he is only now attaining the level he had reached in mid-July.

“There hasn’t been a lot of attention on me this summer, and that’s made it easier for me,” he said. “I think I’m showing signs of returning to the old Kellen Winslow. I want to peak for the Miami game (San Diego’s opponent in the Sept. 7 season opener).

“My blocking has only been so-so, but it’s nice to know I can still perform in the big situations and that the team has re-established some confidence in going to me.”

On his touchdown pass from Herrmann, which capped a Charger comeback from a 17-7 deficit, Winslow was able to improvise and get open on a broken route. Pete Holohan, the designated receiver, was covered, but when Winslow saw Herrmann scramble out of the pocket, he ran to an open area of the end zone and caught his first touchdown throw of the preseason.

Winslow, who has nine catches for 129 yards to rank third among Charger receivers in the preseason, said he hasn’t established the old respect among defensive backs, who used to gang up on him in the interest of self-preservation. That’s why he’s still eager to reach for a pass, turn upfield and watch the corners and safeties ricochet from his 252-pound body.

Ron Lynn, the Chargers’ defensive coordinator, was somewhat encouraged by the way his unit recovered from last week’s game against Philadelphia. The San Diego defense trimmed its yield of points from 38 to 20 against what Lynn felt was a better offense.

“I liked the effort and the level of poise,” Lynn said. “It was a better showing, but we’re still not to the point of being satisfied by any means. Our tackling still isn’t what it should be.”

The Chargers, who had a difficult time containing Philadelphia’s scrambling quarterback, Randall Cunningham, were burned for a 74-yard touchdown run by Eric Dickerson.

“We have to pay tribute to the brilliance of No. 29 (Dickerson),” Lynn said. “On that play, Billy Ray (Smith) got clubbed from behind, and we didn’t get the inside pursuit to cut off Dickerson.”

Smith, whom Lynn has identified as the only certain starter at linebacker, said he isn’t concerned by the shifting cast around him.

“We still have time to get everything sharp,” he said. “We’ll get it ironed out before we play Miami. I surely don’t feel I have to carry it all by myself. I know we’ll field 11 top-caliber NFL players.”

Smith, who has been shifted from inside to outside linebacker, is comfortable at the position he played in college. “Football is fun for me, period, but it’s more fun where I am now,” he said. “I think I can be more of a help to the team outside.”

While Smith solidified his status, Lynn was scrutinizing a large cast of linebacker hopefuls. There are a dozen linebackers on the roster and several are likely to be released by Tuesday as the Chargers trim from 60 to 50 players.

One who helped his chances Saturday night was Fred Robinson, according to Lynn. Robinson, who had an off night against the Eagles, came up with a fourth-quarter sack against the Rams to score a plus with Lynn.

After reviewing film of the game, Coach Don Coryell said Sunday he thought rookie Ty Allert was the most impressive of the linebackers against the Rams. Allert also played well on special teams, Coryell said.

“We’ve got room for great improvement on defense, but I can see hope if we plug a few holes,” Coryell said. “This defense looks much better than last year’s. We’ve got hopes for some young players like Allert. He’s got athletic ability and he looks for somebody to hit, both as a linebacker and on teams. We can find out so much about a man’s ability and temperament by watching him on special teams.”

Coryell said he was also pleased with the blocking of offensive linemen Jim Lachey and Don Macek and he said there were signs that rookie James FitzPatrick was coming to life. “Fitz played better than he’s been doing in practice,” Coryell said. “He realizes you have to have some excitement, get some fire going. Maybe he’s getting that.”

FitzPatrick was singled out last week as a disappointment, primarily because of an apparent lack of motivation or “fire” as Coryell put it.

The coach said he was concerned, but not overly so, about Rolf Benirschke’s erratic field-goal kicking. Benirschke, returning after a season on injured reserve with a groin injury, has made four of nine kicks in the preseason. “I’m sure he’ll come out of it,” Coryell said.