NO NOISE IS ANNOYING : Chargers Hoping to Hear Something From San Diego Fans
They play Sunday against Pittsburgh, the next Sunday against Indianapolis, both in front of 50,000-plus fans in San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium.
Those lucky Chargers. Needing to win each of those two games to ensure safe passage into the playoffs, they are right where they want to be, aren’t they?
Not necessarily, said Steve Ortmayer, the Chargers’ director of football operations, who is issuing a cry for emotion from the relaxed San Diego fans.
“Our whole organization needs to find an emotional peak right now, and this means the front office, the players and the fans,” Ortmayer said. “What I mean about the fans is, they have to stop letting teams come into our backyard and feel like they can do what they want.”
He referred to the last home game, a 31-17 loss to Denver Nov. 29. The last time that many people (61,880) in one place were that quiet, the Pope was visiting.
“How can any quarterback (John Elway) stand in the shotgun formation, during a meaningful situation, and always get his play off?” Ortmayer said. “We’ve got to make our backyard a tough place to play.
“It starts with us as a team. We have to believe people shouldn’t be allowed to come in and take something from us. We can’t let them come in our house and walk away with a win. We can’t let them come down here and think noise is not going to be a factor.”
Indianapolis fans made life miserable for the Chargers last month, despite a Charger victory. The Chargers, incidentally, will end the season in Denver, where fans are also among the league’s loudest.
The players, while refusing to criticize their fans, admit to noticing some inequities.
Nose tackle Mike Charles, who played for the Miami Dolphins when they were nearly unbeatable in the Orange Bowl, said: “The fans here definitely do their best, but they don’t make it hard to play like it is in other cities.”
Running back Tim Spencer, who played at Ohio State, where the noise can be deafening, said: “There’s nothing wrong with (San Diego fans). They just are different from back East, other places.”
The organization has tried. It has passed out “spirit” napkins and cards. It opened the special Super Bowl end zone bleachers two months early. It has tried everything.
The efforts have resulted in official sellouts against the Raiders and Broncos, the first in a year.
They have not resulted in noise.
For the record, just once this season have Charger fans been game participants.
Sunday night, Nov. 15, Chargers hosting the Raiders, 9:24 left to play. Raider defensive back Eddie Anderson had just intercepted a Dan Fouts pass and returned it 58 yards to the Charger 19.
The Charger defense ran onto the field waving and pirouetting and exhorting the crowd. And the crowd responded. Raider quarterback Marc Wilson had to step back from the center twice because he couldn’t hear the signals.
After quiet was restored, the Raiders gained 19 yards on the next three plays to score their first touchdown. The fans have barely made a peep since.
According to Will Fryer, past president of the team’s fan club, the Charger Backers, the problem is real. And really hard to solve.
“We just aren’t involved enough here,” said Fryer, 49, an airline ticket agent who missed just two Charger games, home, away or exhibition, from 1967-79. “We don’t give our team the same home-field advantage enjoyed by other teams. We aren’t the die-hard type of fans.
“Actually, you’d be surprised how many people in this town hate the Chargers. You never have a problem getting a bet down on them. The fans here are funny fans.”
