Charger Exhibitions ‘Crazy,’ NFLPA Says

Two exhibition games in three days for the Chargers are “unacceptable,” the National Football League Players Assn. said Monday.

“No question about it,” said Dick Berthelsen, the association’s legal counsel. “It’s absolutely crazy.”

The exhibition schedule, released Tuesday, has the Chargers playing the Rams in Anaheim at 8 p.m. on Aug. 21 and in San Francisco at 6 p.m. on Aug. 23.

“It’s a lousy situation,” said Steve Ortmayer, the Chargers’ director of football operations.

New Charger Coach Dan Henning tried to make the best of it, saying: “I may have to wear the same clothes for both games because if the first game goes into overtime, I might not have time to shower before the second game starts.”

But he wasn’t smiling when he said it. And he wasn’t smiling when he said his biggest concern was the heat factor.

“If it’s hot it Anaheim, it may be very difficult for the players’ bodies to recover in time for San Francisco,” he said.

Dennis McKnight, the Chargers’ player-representative, said two games that close in August was “dangerous.”

“You’re going to probably increase the chance of injury 10 times,” McKnight said.

Making matters worse is the recent NFL decision to limit the number of players any team may have on its training camp roster to 80. The Chargers are tentatively scheduled to begin training camp July 22. Given the normal training camp toll, and any additional injuries the Chargers might sustain in their exhibition opener against Dallas, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Chargers were down to 70 or fewer healthy bodies for the Rams.

Berthelsen said he had not consulted with Gene Upshaw, the NFLPA’s executive director, on the matter. And he said questions about the association advising the Charger players to take action--a boycott, for instance--were “premature.”

McKnight termed the scheduling “unbelievable,” but added, “there’s really no option we have right now.”

Berthelsen said the timing of the schedule release was interesting because it came one day before Art McNally, the NFL’s supervisor of officials, testified in Washington, D.C., about the extensive safety measures the league has taken on behalf of the players.

But Ortmayer said the league, which does not handle scheduling for the exhibition season, was not to blame. The uncomfortably close juxtaposition of the dates, Ortmayer said, stemmed from lack of cooperation from the California Angels and the San Francisco Giants in their stadium-sharing agreements with the Rams and the 49ers. Ortmayer said the Chargers offered to pay the Angels and the Giants for any added operating or maintenance expenses that might have resulted from an agreement that would have given the Chargers more time between games.

Instead, the Angels chose to exercise a clause that prohibits any event from taking place at Anaheim Stadium 36 hours before a scheduled Angel game. Jack Teele, the Chargers’ director of administration, said there was a similar hangup between the Giants and the 49ers.

McKnight stressed the importance of that time of year for players hoping to earn roster spots.

“A guy’s going to do whatever it takes to get on the field, even if he has to take a shot of cortisone,” he said. “You’ve got to feed your family.”

But, McKnight added, “We play a violent game. When you play a game on Sunday, your body doesn’t really begin feeling better until the following Thursday night or Friday morning.”

Henning was an assistant with the Jets in 1976 when they were forced to play two exhibition games in three days. But both took place at nearby Yankee Stadium. The Jets lost the first to the New York Giants, 16-14. They lost the second to the Raiders, 41-17.

One of the few options available to the Chargers would be holding out front-line players from the second game.

“We will do nothing to jeopardize our team,” Ortmayer said.

Added Henning: “That (San Francisco) game may be less than aesthetic.”

Sifting through the Chargers’ losses and gains from the recently completed free agency period that expired at midnight Saturday:

When the dust had cleared, the Chargers had lost five players--left tackle Ken Dallafior and offensive lineman Chris Gambol (both to Detroit), running back Kevin Scott and tight end Anthony Jones (both to Dallas) and linebacker Randy Kirk (Phoenix).

Dallafior started the last 13 games of 1988 at left tackle for the Chargers after a neck injury ended John Clay’s season. “But he was just a guy, “ was the way one Charger spokesman put it after the Lions signed him.

The Chargers valued Kirk highly for his value as a deep snapper, but they didn’t protect him because he was too small to be an everyday linebacker. Henning said he hopes tight end Andy Parker, an unprotected Raider free agent, will replace Kirk as deep snapper and contribute at his position.

Besides Parker, the other 10 unprotected free agents signed by the Chargers included Raider kicker Chris Bahr, Redskin tight end Joe Caravello, Ram linebacker Jim Collins, Phoenix defensive back Lester Lyles, Atlanta tackle Brett Miller, Indianapolis tackle Joel Patten, Washington running back Timmy Smith, Washington defensive back Johnny Thomas, Cleveland tackle Larry Williams and Washington wide receiver Eric Yarber.

Green Bay (20) signed more unprotected players than any other team. Neither Super Bowl loser Cincinnati nor Super Bowl XX winner Chicago signed a single player. Houston (15) lost the most players. Super Bowl champion San Francisco, oddly enough, lost the fewest (two).

The Chargers’ main target in the free-agent market was offensive linemen. They started four free agents and a fourth-round rookie in the line last year. Dallafior is gone. Center Don Macek, who spent the last 11 games on injured reserve with a bad shoulder, has been working out regularly in the Chargers’ weight room, but Henning has talked more than once about switching right guard McKnight to center.

All of which means the Chargers will probably have new faces at left tackle and right guard next season. “We needed to get a nucleus of offensive lineman,” Henning said.

Smith, who gained 204 yards for the Redskins two Super Bowls ago before slumping in 1988, will be the big first-down back the Chargers have been looking for--if he regains his form. But even that may not be enough if Navy lieutenant Napoleon McCallum’s expected transfer to San Diego comes through and if the Navy allows McCallum to moonlight for the Chargers.

Henning said he doesn’t expect to know anything more on McCallum before the upcoming April 23 draft. But he said the addition of Barry Sanders, Oklahoma State’s Heisman Trophy winning running back, to the draft will strengthen the value of the Chargers’ No. 8 pick.

Sanders is certain to go before the Chargers’ pick, which means the Chargers will get a better player than they would have if Sanders had waited another year. Henning said it also means the Chargers are more likely than they would have been to trade up or down from the No. 8 spot. They will trade up if they think they can acquire a player they desperately covet. They can trade down if another team makes them an offer they can’t refuse for the No. 8 slot.