Charger Notebook : Bernstine to Undergo Knee Surgery Wednesday

Charger H-back Rod Bernstine, who sustained a ligament tear in his left knee during Sunday’s loss at Cincinnati, will undergo arthroscopic surgery Wednesday and will miss the rest of the season, Charger Coach Al Saunders announced Monday.

Bernstine was injured in the second half, when his foot got caught in the turf while he was twisting to catch a pass thrown behind him. According to Saunders, Bernstine’s injury is similar to the one suffered by quarterback Mark Vlasic, who was sidelined for the season 2 weeks ago.

“The prognosis is that it’s probably 6 months before (Bernstine) would be able to get back (to) any football-related activities,” Saunders said.

Bernstine was coming off two of the best games of his career. He caught 9 passes for 80 yards last week against the San Francisco 49ers and set up a score in the Chargers’ victory over the Rams the previous week on a 59-yard pass reception.

“He was making progress in all areas,” Saunders said. “His blocking was getting much better, he was getting adjusted to the system and all of a sudden he has this serious injury. I know there’s been an inordinate number of injuries this year to everybody. We’ve certainly had our share.”

Quarterback Mark Malone is 0-6 this season as a starter, and he completed just 14 of 37 attempts for 138 yards against the Bengals.

Inauspicious numbers but not entirely his fault, says Saunders.

“There have been some opportunities that have gone awry because of the performance of the supporting cast in some situations,” Saunders said. “We have some young receivers that have been a bit inconsistent. He’s fallen victim to some dropped balls. There have been some balls that Mark has thrown that I’m sure he would like to have back, also.”

Aside from causing occasional problems for the quarterbacks, the inexperience of the offensive line has helped the Chargers accumulate more penalties this season than they care to count. Sunday, the Chargers racked up 8 for 97 yards.

Holding penalties have proved the most damaging, followed by personal fouls and clipping. Saunders said many of the clips were caused by poor blocking techniques on special teams.

“The holding calls are because somebody (on the offensive line) gets beat and tries to make up for that lack of athletic movement at the last second and grabs somebody,” Saunders said. “It’s not that we haven’t made an attempt in every way to . . . (eliminate) the penalties that have followed us all year.”

With just two games remaining, Saunders admits frustration with a season filled with injuries, mistakes and losses. But because of the Chargers’ youth, he remains optimistic about the future.

“I’m dying inside just like everybody else,” he said. “But I’m not going to go around with my head between my legs and feel sorry for myself. We’re going to work hard and play hard and do the best we can to be successful.”

Charger injuries: Running back Gary Anderson (ankle) and wide receiver Anthony Miller (quadricep) are probable for Sunday’s game against Pittsburgh.