San Diego Sportscene : Charger Defense Is Finally Catching Up

Ron Lynn is in line for a bouquet of roses, a pat on the back, a smile of congratulations and maybe even a raise in pay.

Fine, you say, but who is he and what has he done?

This is where the surprise pops out of the box. This is where you suggest that a Breathalyzer might be in order. Or this is where you just shake your head in disbelief.

Ron Lynn is the Chargers’ defensive coordinator.

What?

Nice things just don’t happen to Charger defensive coordinators, right?

That’s the way it has been for so many embarrassing years, even the good ones. In the playoff years, how many times was it said that this team was winning in spite of the defense?

Charger defensive coordinators did not even get nice letters from their wives. Their kids went to school with bags on their heads. Their dogs left home.

These guys did not need offices as much as they needed bunkers. They were under fire almost from the day they were hired to the day they were fired, and it never seemed to take too long in between. Most of them could have come to town with a sleeping bag and two changes of clothes.

Ron Lynn came to San Diego for the 1986 season and had the audacity to buy a home. He didn’t realize that real estate agents were retiring in Tahiti on the money they made off his predecessors.

Unknowingly, he even talked of going out in public, which was never a comfortable place for Charger defensive coordinators. In restaurants, for example, they had to be sensitive to people at nearby tables sneering and leering behind menus.

Lynn did not know the potential for horror ahead, not that it would have deterred him. He came in and quietly went about his chores.

Though the defense was erratic in 1986, it actually provided what highlights there were in a 4-12 season. The defensive peak was probably a 9-3 victory over Super Bowl-bound Denver, but wins over Indianapolis, 17-3, and Houston, 27-0, provided upbeat moments for a downtrodden season.

And folks were actually saying theretofore heretical things, such as: “If the offense catches up with the defense, this can be a good team.”

Most such remarks were tongue-in-cheek, but the Chargers’ defense really has improved. Incredibly, it is being toasted rather than roasted, cheered rather than jeered.

And it’s not just because the Chargers happen to be in first place in the AFC West. The defense has been booed more in the good years than in the bad, simply because it fared so poorly in comparison with the offense.

This year’s defense is not the greatest, but it is much better than average . . . and that is a giant upward stride. It is allowing 17.3 points per game and ranks 11th in the National Football League in total defense with an average of 299.2 yards per game. The Chargers might have been in two or three Super Bowls if they had had such defensive numbers earlier this decade.

The architect of this improvement has been Lynn, who has been almost anonymously successful. It seems as if nobody loves . . . or at least throws kisses . . . at a winner.

I’m sure some will suggest that the Chargers’ defensive accomplishments, and therefore Lynn’s accomplishments, are tainted by the fact that half of the six games have been played by regulars and the other half by replacements. However, I submit that this merely underscores the job Lynn has done. He has been successful with the regulars he spent nine months preparing as well as with the replacements he spent nine days preparing.

Lynn himself does not seem eager to leap into the spotlight, or even take a modest bow.

“By and large,” he said, “I’m satisfied with the progress we’re making . . . but I’m not satisfied with where we stand as of right now.”

Translated, that means the defense is headed in the right direction but isn’t there yet.

That’s fair enough. And true enough.

Maybe Lynn was being a bit too serious and analytical. For the fans, this defense has become fun rather than folly. The fans don’t head for the concession stands when the other team has the ball. They have found dee -- fense to be worth watching, after all these years.

Indeed, Elvis Patterson became a folk hero with his interception return to beat the Raiders two weeks ago. In last week’s victory over Kansas City, the defense scored another touchdown when Martin Bayless’ sack forced a fumble that Les Miller recovered in the end zone.

Of course, touchdowns here and there are only the icing on the defense’s cake. In this case, with this team and these players and this coach, plays such as Patterson’s theft and Bayless’ mugging help underscore what should be obvious: The defense is doing its job . . . and Ron Lynn is doing his.

The problem is that it is going to get to the point where he won’t be able to go out in public. Too many well-wishers.