Charger Notebook : First Half Not Withstanding, Saunders Sees Some Good in Loss to Rams
The 1988 NFL season opener with the Los Angeles Raiders is a week away, and the Chargers are on a roll. Sort of.
After Friday night’s 31-24, roller coaster-ride loss to the Los Angeles Rams, Charger Coach Al Saunders spent Saturday viewing films. And he wasn’t all displeased.
“We were very happy with the outcome of the game in terms of what we were able to accomplish individually and collectively,” Saunders said. “We didn’t like the score in the first half, obviously, nor the lack of performance in some areas, but ultimately it was a positive experience for us and will give us a little momentum going into the first game of the regular season.”
Momentum? When you’re trailing, 31-0, at halftime, almost any change of pace can be classified as such. And when you score 21 points in the third quarter to get back into the game, the positives are magnified even more.
“We’re excited with the way the team came back in the second half,” Saunders said. “In the first half, the discipline wasn’t what we wanted. We took some scoring opportunities away from ourselves because of penalties.
“We’re just not a football team that can make those kinds of mistakes and overcome them in a given period of time.”
The team is off today, and will begin a week of preparation for the Raiders Monday. The Chargers must trim their roster to from 60 to 47 players by Monday. Saunders said the team will not announce any personnel moves until then.
Sometimes-You-Just-Can’t-Win Dept.: The Chargers held running back Gary Anderson out of Friday’s game because of a thigh injury. Nothing serious, just a precautionary move.
So what happened? Anderson was at home, and his 3-year-old son Gary Jr. started to fall out of the car. Gary Sr. reached out to grab him and slammed his own elbow into the car door. He was examined, and blood was drained from the injured elbow.
“Instead of the Rams, he took on a car door,” Saunders said.
In a game-related injury, linebacker Gary Plummer suffered a thigh contusion. Neither Anderson’s nor Plummer’s injury is considered serious.
Rookie free agent Darren Flutie helped bring the Chargers back into the game Friday night, catching two Babe Laufenberg passes for touchdowns.
Afterward, he stood in the Charger locker room at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium, not knowing if it would be for the last time.
“I played as hard as I can play,” he said.
Thinking back over training camp, Flutie said: “I’ve done the best I can do. Whatever the coaches decide, I’ll be happy with the decision.”
Flutie has captured fans’ hearts this exhibition season, with a team-leading 12 catches for 196 yards and 3 touchdowns. He has also distinguished himself with his play on special teams. In all likelihood, Flutie will be included on the Chargers’ 47-man roster.
He and Laufenberg, another fan favorite, have developed quite a rapport on the field.
“He’s good at scrambling, and I’m just trying to get open,” Flutie said. “I go to whatever part of the field is open, and he always finds me. He’s got a strong arm--he reminds me of my brother (former Boston College quarterback Doug Flutie).”
Charger Notes
No new word on holdout linebacker Chip Banks. “From what I understand, we can’t plan on having Chip Banks,” Coach Al Saunders said. . . . Defensive end Joe Phillips, a holdout until signing Friday, worked out for the first time Saturday. “He had good strength and cardiovascular conditioning,” Saunders said. “It’s going to take him awhile to get in good football condition, to take the pounding. . . . A handful of interesting final exhibition statistics: The Chargers, who went 1-3, were outrushed by their opponents by an average of 163.8 to 75 yards per game. But they outpassed their opponents by an average of 260.5 to 213.5. Gary Anderson topped the team in rushing with 68 yards in 16 carries. Babe Laufenberg completed 55.4% of his passes (46 of 83) for 626 yards and 6 touchdowns. Mark Malone completed 49.1% (26 of 53) for 341 yards and a touchdown.