Charger Notebook : When Rogers Plays, It’ll Be Tuba

“ When I make the team, without a doubt, I will run around; I will scream and shout. “

--an excerpt from Chuck Rogers ‘ answering machine.

But Chuck Rogers didn’t make the team. His transition from tuba player to offensive tackle failed Monday when the Chargers cut him after their morning workout.

“I guess you can’t expect to walk off the street and play professional football,” Rogers said.

But when you’re 6-feet 9-inches, 370 pounds, you can try. Last March, Rogers was in San Diego on a business trip and went to a local bar for a hamburger. A man--who happened to know Charger assistant offensive line Coach Ed White--saw Rogers and asked him if he played football. Rogers said he had played the tuba in college and some semipro ball after college. The man suggested that he contact the Chargers, who always seem to be looking for a few big men.

The rest is (or was) history. The Chargers signed him as a project, figuring Rogers would spend a season on injured reserve and maybe blossom by 1988.

Rogers came in for off-season workouts and lost 50 pounds. He could only bench press 280 pounds at first, but soon he was up to 430 pounds.

But then he tried blocking somebody.

“I had a lot of trouble in yesterday’s (Sunday’s) practice,” Rogers said. “Everything was confusing, and I was getting beaten too much. It was pretty noticeable. I knew I was doing badly.”

By Monday, he was gone. Chuck Rogers wore shoulder pads for a total of 2 1/2 days.

“I did it all sort of on a whim,” he said. “For it to have gone this far, well, it’s kind of incredible.”

Quarterback Dan Fouts--who recently has experienced back pains--visited a doctor in Los Angeles Monday, but the Chargers had no news to report. Coach Al Saunders said he expected to hear from the doctor, but contact was never made. Fouts was unavailable for comment Monday night.

The Chargers also cut two former San Diego State Aztecs, safety Steve Lauter and guard-tackle Greg Williamson. Both were considered too slow to play in the National Football League.

“They just weren’t at the level to play in this league,” Saunders said. “We had to pare the roster and get on with it.”

Meanwhile, the Chargers--as promised--signed another tight end. His name is Leonard Charlton of Grambling State, and he’s here only because tight end Rod Bernstine, the Chargers’ No. 1 draft pick, is a holdout.

Speaking of Bernstine, there was no progress in negotiations, although Steve Ortmayer--the Chargers’ director of football operations--reached Bernstine’s agent--Ralph Cindrich--for the first time in three days.

Ortmayer, by the way, said progress has been made in negotiations with defensive end Karl Wilson, their No. 3 draft choice from LSU.

“John Sanders (Ortmayer’s assistant) is handling that, and John feels it’s getting close,” Ortmayer said.

Ortmayer also said he expected safety Anthony Anderson (No. 10 pick) to report any day now.

“I think he’s figuring out he better be here,” Ortmayer said.

Charger Notes

Injury updates: Safety Alan Durden (hamstring) is out indefinitely; defensive end Thomas Hensley (hip pointer) is out indefinitely; wide receiver Al Williams (hamstring) is out 2-3 weeks; wide receiver Clarence Collins (ankle) is day-to-day. . . . The Chargers will scrimmage the Rams at 2 p.m. Thursday on the UC San Diego campus.