THE LONG CLIMB BACK : FitzPatrick’s Losing Weight and Gaining Confidence to Get in the Game

For James FitzPatrick, running up and down “Big Bertha” has replaced lunch.

During the week, “Big Bertha”--the escalator at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium--is stationary. It is FitzPatrick who is moving. On Sundays, the escalator is running and FitzPatrick is stationary.

Since being put on the injured reserve list four weeks into the season, FitzPatrick--the Chargers’ first round draft choice out of USC and the 14th player taken in the 1986 National Football League draft--has lost weight and gained confidence.

“The beginning of the year I was such a mess,” said FitzPatrick, who is 6-feet 7 1/2-inches and has dropped from 312 pounds to 285 or 290 since training camp. “I was out of shape and everyone expected so much. I’m not one to break down walls and things built up inside of me.”

FitzPatrick still has more baby fat than most NFL linemen, but it is no longer appropriate to call him “FatsPatrick.”

“His gut is flat now,” said Phil Tyne, Charger strength coach. “He used to have a big pouch. He’s looking a lot better. I can see some definition in his muscles. His clothes are looking better. He’s starting to feel the confidence you get when you feel like you look good.”

FitzPatrick has been on a strenuous conditioning program over the past 11 weeks, spending six days a week in the weight room and running in the stadium.

Being placed on the injured reserve list, FitzPatrick said, “gave me some time to relax mentally and think of some things. Getting in shape gives me mental uplifting.”

For FitzPatrick, vegetables have replaced fats and sugars in his diet.

And enthusiasm has replaced pouting.

“He was probably disappointed in himself at the start of the season,” said Dave Levy, Charger offensive line coach. “Generally when a person pouts, he wants attention.”

Now, a smiling FitzPatrick can be found dancing to rock music in the weight room and doing roadwork around the stadium like a prize fighter preparing for a championship bout.

“We have put some fun into the training,” said Tyne, who is FitzPatrick’s running mate as well as coach. “We race and make it seem a little like Rocky.”

FitzPatrick says he can’t wait to see how fast he can run the 40-yard dash.

“I feel real good,” said FitzPatrick, who is back practicing with the team. “This weight is probably what I should have been at at the beginning of the season. By the time the season starts, I’ll be in real good shape.”

And he’s determined to show people that he can play.

“There are a lot of people who don’t think I can play,” he said. “I don’t think anybody has really seen me play. I think the coaches are beginning to realize I’m taking things seriously. I know I can do it. I don’t think people think I can, but I know I can.”

If he maintains his weight and continues to gain strength during his off-season training, FitzPatrick may be able to contribute next season. But Charger coaches are cautiously optimistic.

“We all had visions of him being a contributor this year,” said Al Saunders, Charger coach. “But sometimes you have to wait for the fruition of people’s abilities. Now, after his training program, he puts himself in a position where he can compete for a job. How successful he is, is up to him.”

Said Levy: “The good news is the changes are starting to take place. We’re sorry they didn’t take place before we got him.

“If he develops his body to the point where it can be used, I think his potential is tremendous. He’s intelligent and he obviously has size. And for his size, he is a pretty good athlete. But it’s all up to him. It’s strictly up to James in terms of the intensity of the way he practices. I use the word ambition.”

FitzPatrick has been looking forward to next season since his troubles began shortly after the draft last spring.

Charger owner Alex Spanos, in what he later claimed was an off-the-record interview, told a reporter that FitzPatrick had tested positive for marijuana in drug examinations administered to a group of several hundred college prospects last January.

And at training camp, it became apparent to Charger coaches and to FitzPatrick just how slow and out of shape he was. At the time, a team official said FitzPatrick’s body fat was measured at 32%, which is high for a professional player.

FitzPatrick’s lack of maturity also was a problem, Saunders said.

“James was someone who has relied on size and girth to have success,” Saunders said. “I don’t think he expected the type of challenge he would have as a professional football player. He wasn’t ready to do it mentally or physically. It took a reassessment on our part. We felt he needed a total physical reconstruction.”

Fitzpatrick, signed to a five-year contract worth about $1.8 million after a week-long holdout, was going to take more time to develop than the team had anticipated. “Evidenced by the way he played in training camp, we felt it would be a little ways down the road before he could compete at this level,” Saunders said.

FitzPatrick says he didn’t know what to expect when he reported to the team.

“Would it be a massive jump or a little jump into the pros?” he said. “At mini-camp, I was told to lose 5 to 10 pounds. I stayed away from the scales. I kept telling myself I’ll be all right. I had no idea what I weighed. When it turned out to be 312, I almost died and so did they.”

By late August, the Chargers were blunt about their desire to motivate FitzPatrick, raising the possibility of his not making the team. At the time, Spanos said he would not hesitate to absorb his investment in FitzPatrick that included a signing bonus of about $500,000.

“I’m not sure that many college athletes come out knowing the responsibility they have to teammates, fans and the community,” Saunders said. “Some do. Leslie O’ Neal had a great understanding of what his role was. James is learning that accountability. He certainly has the size, but there is more to success than size.”