‘I’m not exactly jumping up and down . . . but that’s because we just lost.’--Frank Gansz : Saunders Isn’t the Only Coach With a Cloudy Future

The atmosphere was much like that in the Chargers’ locker room down the hall.

As the Kansas City Chiefs showered and dressed after the season finale Sunday at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium, they couldn’t help but wonder whether they would have to start next year under a new coach.

Sure, the Chiefs bemoaned their 24-13 defeat, even as the Chargers relished a victory that tacked a 4-2 finish onto an otherwise disastrous season.

But with Coach Frank Gansz reportedly set to walk the plank to unemployment, the Chiefs had basically the same thoughts as the Chargers, who have been reading reports for days that their coach, Al Saunders, soon will be fired.

Understandably, the Chiefs from Gansz on down were less willing to discuss their touchy coaching situation than to rave about the 217-yard performance of the Chargers’ Gary Anderson.

“He may be the best athlete in the NFL,” Chief safety Deron Cherry said of Anderson. “He has tremendous vision and quickness, and he can do so many things to hurt you.”

But Gansz’s shaky job status had be on everyone’s minds, and the coach addressed it with a remarkable display of optimism.

“I’m not exactly jumping up and down, guys, but that’s because we just lost a ballgame,” he said.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I’ll tell you this: I’m proud of my guys for the way they hung in there, and I’m proud of my coaching staff.”

Gansz was asked if he thought the Chiefs had to beat the Chargers to save his job.

“No, I don’t really believe that.”

Did Gansz, who has 2 years remaining on his contract, think he would be back in 1989?

“I feel that way, yes,” he said. “A lot of things happened to us during the course of the season, but we gave it our best shot. We were competitive.”

The Chiefs wound up 4-11-1, which doomed them to their second consecutive last-place finish in the AFC West. A victory would have sent them ahead of the Chargers, whose closing kick brought their record to 6-10.

“Our big problem was that we couldn’t stop the run,” Gansz said. “Anderson is a great back. His performance today was no surprise to us. We tried a lot of fronts against him, and nothing worked. But without taking anything away from him, it seems like somebody runs for 200 yards against us about every week.”

The Chiefs finished last in the league against the run, giving up 2,592 yards in 16 games.

Nick Lowery, the Chiefs’ veteran kicker, attributed their defensive troubles to injuries that knocked out five key players for the season.

“Our defense is just a skeleton of what it was originally,” Lowery said.

As for whether he thought Gansz should stay, Lowery was one of many Chiefs who chose to shy away from the issue.

“It’s not for me to comment on that,” he said.

Quarterback Steve DeBerg said he had mixed feelings about Gansz.

“It’s tough to bring in a new staff and learn a new system,” he said. “I think this is a good football team, but when you change coaching staffs, it invariably sets you back for a certain period of time.”

DeBerg noted that the Chiefs’ top two executives, President Jack Steadman and General Manager Jim Schaaf, already had departed. Both were fired 2 weeks ago.

“People talk about that being a distraction,” DeBerg said. “That isn’t true. They were too far above us in the pecking order, so their leaving didn’t affect us. If the coach goes, that’s a different matter.”

Cherry, who was voted into the Pro Bowl last week for the sixth year in a row, had the highest praise for Gansz.

“He treats you like a professional and gives you every chance to excel,” Cherry said. “I like playing for him. He and his staff have done an outstanding job of getting us ready for games. It’s up to us to make the difference, and we haven’t done it.

“It’s sad that things like this have to happen, but that’s the nature of the business.”

The Chargers’ victory gave them their only 2-game sweep over a division rival this season. On Sept. 25, they beat the Chiefs with a late comeback, 24-23.

“We really wanted this game for revenge,” linebacker Angelo Snipes said. “And I hated to see Anderson gain all those yards against us. I’d rather see him do it against somebody else.”