Saunders Says Malone Is No. 1 Quarterback for Now

Charger Coach Al Saunders is finally talking publicly about his No. 1 quarterback.

That quarterback, he said cautiously Tuesday, is Mark Malone.

The vote of confidence for Malone was less of a surprise than the timing. The Chargers’ veterans don’t report for training camp until July 22. And Saunders said he probably wouldn’t officially name Dan Fouts’ successor until midway through the exhibition schedule.

But he will greet his rookies at UC San Diego today. And it will be easier to concentrate on them without the burden of answering the daily avalanche of quarterback questions.

“I think when you vacillate at that position, it only causes problems,” Saunders said. “You’d rather say, ‘This is our guy.’

“Based on the last eight weeks and based on what we’re looking for going into this season, Mark Malone--right now--is probably the front-runner at that position--if we had to name somebody who is the front-runner.

“He had a great spring for us, and we anticipate him improving. He has the experience, and he is the guy right now. He looks like he’s the person we’re going to turn to.”

Saunders issued two caveats, however. First, he said of the Malone announcement: “This isn’t etched in stone.”

And he added: “Training camp is the world’s longest job interview.”

The Chargers acquired Malone in a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers last spring. The Chargers sent the Steelers two draft choices--the 8th-round pick in 1988 and a conditional pick in 1989--for the quarterback with the lowest rating in the NFL last season.

The Chargers will open the exhibition schedule on Aug. 6 against the Cowboys. Their regular-season opener will be against the Raiders in Los Angeles on Sept. 4.

Saunders also confirmed that the Chargers will continue to implement the switching of starting guards James FitzPatrick and Dennis McKnight.

FitzPatrick, drafted in the first round as a tackle in 1986, was converted to left guard last year. He has 3 inches and 30 pounds on McKnight, a former free agent.

“This is based on our need to be more effective as a running football team,” said Saunders. “Generally, most teams are right-handed. We like big, powerful people on the right side, and James FitzPatrick certainly fits that bill. The left guard (now McKnight) needs to be more of a puller.”

Saunders is also eager to answer all the questions about his team as early as possible. Two reasons:

--The Chargers’ final 47-man roster probably will end up being one of the youngest in the league.

--The Chargers’ first five games are against AFC West opponents. Two of those five will be against the defending AFC champion Broncos.

Saunders also repeated his desire to keep Gary Anderson and Lionel James “more backfield-oriented.” Last year, Anderson and James often lined up as wide receivers. Saunders figures that the improvement of second-year wide receiver Jamie Holland and the addition of rookie wide receivers Anthony Miller (No. 1 draft choice) and Quinn Early (No. 2 draft choice) will allow Anderson and James to concentrate on one position.

“Last year, we went into camp with the attitude that we wanted to establish a degree of intensity,” Saunders said. “I believe we did that. The important thing for us this year is to get as much game-playing type opportunities in practice as we possibly can. That is to solidify the players we do have. We have to make some early decisions because we have to come together early.”

To that end, the Chargers have scheduled live scrimmages against the Rams at Fullerton on July 20 and against the Cowboys at Thousand Oaks on July 27-28.