Spanos Waits to See How Chargers Respond : Despite Start, Coaches Are Optimistic

President Reagan and his guests had sat down to dinner in the State Room Sunday evening when the White House chief of security entered and tapped Alex Spanos on the shoulder.

In what was surely a breach of etiquette, but one the president would understand as a lifelong football fan, Spanos left the table and raced to a nearby TV set.

“Geez, I was just so excited,” the Charger owner said, thinking back to the conclusion of his team’s game against Kansas City. “It was 42-41, and Rolf Benirschke was getting ready to try a 35-yard field goal.

“When the kick missed, it just ruined my whole evening. Everybody at the dinner table saw how disappointed I was.”

Despite his frustration over the team’s 1-6 start, Spanos has curbed his natural tendency toward impatience, remained optimistic and reiterated his support for the unusual setup that features Don Coryell as head coach and Al Saunders as assistant head coach answerable to the owner.

Based on interviews with Spanos, Saunders and Coryell, these conclusions can be drawn:

--Coryell likely will remain as coach the rest of the season.

--Saunders remains on solid ground as the heir apparent. His future has not been damaged by the Chargers’ poor record.

--Coryell will not return as coach in 1987. The job will go to Saunders. The timetable might be advanced if the losing streak extends beyond the next two or three games, but Spanos would much prefer not to make a change until the season ends.

Asked if Saunders’ stock has dropped, Spanos said loudly, “Absolutely not. I’m satisfied with our organization as it is today and I intend to make no changes.

“The coaches are doing everything they can. Everything is intact and in order. I’ve never seen the organization work more effectively. They’re all working together to find the answers.”

On the basis of his first two years as owner, Spanos had been cast as an emotional man inclined to swift judgments and quick reactions. Thus far this season, he has proved to be more patient, a steadying influence for the organization.

“I don’t have the answers, but I still feel confident,” he said Tuesday. “I saw some spark in the Kansas City game. We looked like the real Chargers in that game. I still have a lot of hope. I strongly believe we will progress from here on in.”

Spanos said he has detected no evidence of players being confused by the division of power between Coryell and Saunders, or the perception that this is a lame-duck year for Coryell.

“I’ve seen no sign of anything like that in the players’ eyes,” he said. “We can still go 10-6 this year. Sure, it would take a miracle, but nothing is impossible.”

Spanos said he stands firm in his prediction that the Chargers can attain the Super Bowl by 1988, when the game will be played in San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium.

From all indications, it will be Saunders, not Coryell, who will be in charge by then.

Coryell continues to enjoy a satisfactory relationship with his assistant head coach. From the inception of the coaching arrangement instituted by Spanos last December, Coryell has eagerly embraced the shift in responsibility.

“The great thing about this year is that the staff has just been tremendous,” he said. “We all get along so well. It’s a good feeling to know we’re all in this together.”

He remains bullish about the team’s future.

“We’re just a few players away,” he said. “I look at the schedule and don’t see a team we can’t beat (he has snipped the top six games off the schedule in his office).

“I have only so many games left to coach--maybe I should say X number of games--and I want to do every damn thing I can to win them. This team has the same kind of closeness of our playoff teams, and that makes me feel good. It hasn’t been lack of effort that has lost us ballgames--it’s been turnovers and giving up big plays.”

Coryell has seemed a different man this year in his dealings with reporters. He has been looser, more relaxed, willing to sit and talk as long as he had an audience. He said, however, that should not be taken as a sign that he’s resigned to his fate.

“I don’t get upset like I have in the past, but that’s because we haven’t been unfairly criticized,” he said. “Getting fair treatment keeps the spirits of the team up and will help us pull out of this thing. My concern has not been to win friends, but to win games.”

Coryell said he believes the Chargers turned a corner in Sunday’s game.

“Losing to the Giants and Raiders took some spunk out of us,” he said, “but I think we showed a lot against the Chiefs. That gave me the feeling we can still find a way to get it done, even though we had some key players injured.

“It took a heck of an adjustment by our players after we lost Dan Fouts, Wes Chandler, Lionel James and Eric Sievers. We adjusted to problems that would do in other teams. It would have been very easy for our defense to look at the turnovers and get down on the offense, but that didn’t happen. I have to be encouraged by those things.”

Saunders also is encouraged, specifically because morale has remained high.

Saunders has endeavored to remain utterly loyal to Coryell though ultimately accountable to Spanos.

It is a delicate balancing act he has been given, but one he has handled with aplomb for the past 10 months. Saunders, however, seems to think some fans may have a misunderstanding about his function, and he was at his diplomatic best in attempting to clarify the role.

“Perhaps it would have been best if I had been given the title of administrative assistant instead of assistant head coach,” he said.

“Don Coryell is still in charge of football operations on this team. My role, from a football standpoint, is the same as it was last year, to coach receivers and help develop game plans. My expanded responsibilities have been purely administrative and organizational.”

Saunders declined to specifically discuss his long-term future with the club, but he made it clear he doesn’t believe his position has been weakened. He is pleased to have been designated by Spanos as the heir apparent to Coryell, but isn’t focusing on the future as yet.

“I have great reverence for Don and his position,” Saunders said. “My role is to assist him in any way I can. He feels a need for assistance in administrative dealings, and ultimately, that gives him more freedom and latitude to direct the football side of our operation.”

Saunders said he has received no indication that Spanos might be contemplating a general house-cleaning if the season can’t be saved.

“I’m not thinking about down-the-road issues,” Saunders said. “The focus of attention should be on week-to-week operations, not long-range visions. Obviously, losing is bad for everybody. That’s why I would like to turn my attention to beating Philadelphia this week.”

In reviewing the team’s grossly disappointing season, Saunders discussed the mind set as training camp ended in August.

“The expectations were high because we had such a good camp,” he said. “There was genuine excitement on the staff about our new defensive scheme and about our continued domination on offense. All of that was fueled by a lopsided first-game win over the Miami Dolphins, a team that was in the Super Bowl two years ago.”

There was some apprehension about a difficult early schedule that included the New York Giants, Washington, Denver and the Raiders, but no one in the Charger chain-of-command foresaw a 1-6 record.

“I think last week’s game gave us the feeling we can be a force on offense again,” Saunders said. “It gave us renewed energy for our last nine games.

“We want to be the best in football on offense again, and we want to show our defense really is improved. These are trying times, but I think our inner strength is apparent. The easy thing would be to fold when things aren’t going well. The tougher thing is to work hard to rectify problems. I am convinced we’re all working together to get back on the right track.”