Charger Notebook : Charles Signs; Everybody Seems Satisfied With His 300 Pounds

Another big guy who has been questioned about weight problems showed up ready for practice at Charger camp Wednesday.

Nose tackle Mike Charles, all 300 pounds of him, signed a two-year contract Tuesday and participated in one-on-one drills Wednesday morning. Just a day earlier, big offensive tackle John Clay practiced for the first time.

Charles came to the Chargers after the Miami Dolphins and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers gave up on him before the 1987 season. At Miami, Coach Don Shula was constantly bickering with Charles about his weight.

With the Chargers last year, Charles started 10 games and did a good job closing down the middle. But there was some question about how he would perform after he underwent surgery Jan. 4 to reconstruct cartilage in his knee.

“Right now, the knee feels great,” Charles said. “It has responded well.”

Charles said he weighed as much as 350 pounds after the surgery because he wasn’t able to work out for eight weeks. But he’s down to 300 now and said he feels comfortable.

“When I was in Miami, I was dealing with a situation where the whole world falls on whatever it is that Don Shula says,” Charles said. “He thought I should play at a lower weight, and so everybody agreed with him. Here, they let you be yourself.”

Coach Al Saunders said Charles probably won’t play in the exhibition opener against the Dallas Cowboys here Saturday night. But he’s happy to have him in camp.

“Mike sure looks very good to me,” Saunders said. “He was a bit overweight (a few months ago), but that was because of the surgery.”

Four players remain unsigned: linebacker Chip Banks, running back Curtis Adams and defensive linemen Lee Williams and Joe Phillips.

Steve Ortmayer, the Chargers’ director of football operations, met with Steve Feldman, Williams’ agent, late Tuesday night.

“I hope we’re closer,” Ortmayer said. “We worked hard, and we worked late. I want to get him in here, and he seems to want to be here.”

Ortmayer said nothing is new concerning Phillips or Adams. The Chargers would like to see both in camp, and word is that the team feels that both are hurting their chances for this season.

It was reported Tuesday that Banks’ agent, Harold Daniels, said Banks told him he wanted to be traded to the Raiders. But a Charger official said there’s nothing to the supposed demand. And Daniels himself has been quoted as saying that he thought the statement was just a joke.

Some reports say that Banks may show up for camp next week.

Another published report Wednesday said Raider wide receiver Jessie Hester might be coming to the Chargers as part of Saturday’s Jim Lachey trade.

“I don’t want to talk about that stuff anymore,” Ortmayer said.

The Cowboys are hurting. All three of their starting linebackers--Mike Hegman, Jeff Rohrer and Eugene Lockhart--and one of their starting cornerbacks, Ron Francis, are injured. Rohrer will miss the season; the others will be out from 2 to 6 weeks.

Tom Landry said Steve Pelluer will open at quarterback Saturday night over Danny White. He also said running back Herschel Walker, although healthy, probably won’t play against the Chargers.

Charger Notes

Running back Barry Redden took part in full-contact practice for the first time. He had been resting because of a pulled hamstring. . . . Coach Al Saunders said that tackle John Clay would probably play in goal-line and short-yardage situations against Dallas Saturday night. Saunders said he will have to wait and see beyond that. . . . Defensive back Daniel Hunter pulled a hamstring Wednesday and is questionable for the Dallas game. . . . Gone from the roster: wide receiver Eugene Goodlow, who said he is retiring, and offensive lineman John Stadnik, who was waived.