Charger Notebook : After Saturday’s Game, Saunders Looking to Shore Up Offensive Line

Considering that three Charger quarterbacks were sacked a total of seven times for minus 80 yards in Saturday night’s 27-6 exhibition loss to the Rams, it was no surprise that a topic of conversation at the Chargers’ news conference Sunday was the offensive line.

“That is an area that is going to have to take a big jump for us to feel confident in what we have there,” Coach Al Saunders said. “We think we’ve got potential to bring it together, but how soon it will come has to be answered for all of us.”

The starting San Diego offensive line against the Rams consisted of tackles Gary Kowalski and David Richards, guards James FitzPatrick and Dennis McKnight and center Don Macek.

Richards is a rookie from UCLA, and it was the first game at left tackle for Kowalski, who normally plays right tackle. Also, tackle John Clay, acquired from the Raiders for Jim Lachey, has an injured hip and did not play.

“The only players in there with any substance in terms of experience are McKnight and Macek, both of whom played well,” Saunders said. “Those two are the cornerstones of the group. We’ve got to find three other players who can pick up the slack and work well with them to form a formidable unit. Right now, it’s an area we’re very concerned about because time is becoming short.”

Quarterback Babe Laufenberg got his long-awaited opportunity to start Saturday night, but by the game’s conclusion, he was a frustrated man.

“It was naturally frustrating because we didn’t get anything going as a team,” he said after the game. “I felt like I was doing what I was supposed to be doing, but it seemed like every time we had a good play, there was a penalty. It seemed like it was forever second and 15 or second and 20.”

The Chargers were called for penalties on two of their first three offensive plays and Laufenberg, who played in the first two quarters, was sacked four times for minus 44 yards. He completed 5 of 11 pases for 67 yards, but he was under heavy pressure on nearly all of them.

Laufenberg said he didn’t know why he was under so much pressure from the Ram defensive front.

“They didn’t do anything we weren’t prepared for,” he said. “There wasn’t any confusion. I don’t know . . . sometimes you get beat by schemes, and other times guys just physically beat you.”

Saunders said he will continue his quarterback rotation when San Diego hosts San Francisco in Saturday’s third exhibition game. That means Mark Vlasic will start, Laufenberg will begin the second half and Mark Malone will finish the game.

The performance of the three quarterbacks against the Rams, behind a leaky offensive line, did not shed much light on who will start once the season begins.

“It was tough for any one of them to stand in there and have a day that you would like to evaluate,” Saunders said. “We found that there’s obviously a need for those quarterbacks who can flush and run and move out of the pocket because if we don’t solidify up front then there are going to be times during the year when they will have to move around and get out of trouble and make some plays themselves.”

Saunders said all three quarterbacks showed composure, but he singled out Malone, a veteran entering his eighth season.

“Mark’s experience showed a little more than the other two,” Saunders said. “He showed a great deal of poise. He looked in control even though he went in (at the start of the second half) from the standpoint of knowing he wouldn’t have as much protection as he would have liked.”

As the fourth quarter began Saturday with the Rams ahead, 17-3, it was second and goal for the Chargers from the one. Running back Tim Spencer got the call three consecutive times, and he was stopped short of a touchdown on all three occasions.

“If you get the ball inside the one and get three shots to get it in, I don’t care if everybody falls down--you should get it in,” Saunders said. “A couple of guys were overpowered and missed assignments. Of all the positive and negative things that transpired during the game, that stands out in my mind as the most frustrating.”

Charger Notes

The injury report: defensive end Les Miller injured an ankle and left the game in the first half, but the report is Miller should be able to practice on Monday or Tuesday. Nose tackle Chuck Ehin and receiver Darren Flutie both have minor shoulder injuries but shouldn’t miss any practice time. . . . Saunders praised the play of the starting defense, which limited the Rams to three downs and then a punt on four of their first six possessions.