Charger Notebook : Three Veterans Competing for One Kicking Opening

They’re off on their own while the linemen fire their 300-pound bodies at each other and grunt.

Sometimes they kick, sometimes they run and sometimes it looks as if they’re just standing around waiting. Meanwhile, cracking pads echo across the Chargers’ UC San Diego practice field.

From a distance, they look pretty casual. But in their own way, the three kickers on the Charger roster are waging as fierce a job competition as anyone.

Vince Abbott of Cal State Fullerton started the 1988 Charger season, and Steve Deline finished it. And in the off-season, the Chargers signed Chris Bahr.

That leaves three kickers and one question: Who will survive?

“Any one of the three could catch on in the league,” said Dan Henning, the Charger coach. “It’s tough (to judge them). With kickers, you can’t say the pressure is on (during practice). Not until there are 55,000 people in the seats.

“They are all business-like, and I like that. Some kickers are as flaky as the day is long. Deline maybe has the strongest leg, but we’ll go with whoever we feel can kick the ball through the goal post when the game is on the line.”

Abbott connected on eight of 12 field goal attempts in 1988 before his season ended with a knee injury in Week 11. He underwent surgery and is now coming back.

Deline took over in Week 12 and finished by making six of eight attempts, four of four from inside the 40.

Bahr was signed on April 1 after nine seasons with the Raiders. He made 18 of 29 attempts last season.

Henning said there is no favorite.

“Not in my mind,” he said. “Abbott kicked here before and probably has a place around here to live. Deline kicked here before and probably has a place around here to live. And Bahr kicked in Los Angeles and probably has a house around there. So you can’t throw someone out of the election because they don’t live in the district.”

The man who wins the job, Henning said, will be the man who is the most accurate inside 50 yards.

“We want a guy who, from about the 33-yard line on in, will make them all,” he said. “Without any wind, I’d expect our kickers to make a field goal when we’re inside the 33.”

Since kickers line up about seven yards behind the line of scrimmage, and since the goal post is 10 yards deep in the end zone, the 33-yard line translates to about a 50-yard kick.

“Strong legs don’t necessarily get it done,” Henning said. “Sometimes they hit the upright.

“I think these three are all good kickers, they all have good pop, and they all have a good track record. They are all quality NFL kickers who can put the ball through there.”

Linebacker Gary Plummer, who started 12 of 16 games last season, practiced for the first time Wednesday morning after agreeing to contract terms Tuesday.

“I wanted a twin bed instead of a single bed in training camp,” joked Plummer, who signed for a reported $1 million for three years.

Actually, Plummer said he would have liked to have been in San Diego much earlier--such as during the off-season.

“My wife is here looking for a house right now,” said Plummer, who has been living in Fremont. “That was part of the frustration. We wanted to be down here all year, to work with the community, but I wasn’t signed.”

Although Plummer has become a regular and led the team in tackles since signing with the Chargers as a free agent in 1986, his hold on the starting job is tenuous. His strength is intelligence, not pure physical skill.

His chief competitors for a starting inside linebacker job figure to be fifth-year pro Jeffrey Jackson and Jim Collins, who has spent the past eight years with the Rams.

But even though Plummer is not guaranteed a starting position, he didn’t hesitate to hold out.

“I don’t think I’d know how to handle it if I wasn’t the underdog,” he said. “This was the first time in my life I’ve taken a stand. I just felt it was time. I’ve felt I’ve been underpaid the last few years.”

Henning was happy to have him in camp.

“I’ve never thought of him as a high-round draft choice,” Henning said. “He just gets the job done. He’s one of those guys with pizazz. He has a little fire. The players like him, and the coaches like him.”

Charger Notes

The Chargers waived Clint Sampson, a former Denver Bronco wide receiver from San Diego State. . . . Charger Coach Dan Henning praised tight end Andy Parker, wide receiver Quinn Early and quarterback Billy Joe Tolliver. “I’d venture to say, from the way he has picked it up during the last few days, that Billy Joe has not missed curfew or been out late,” Henning said. . . . Injury Dept.: Offensive lineman Larry Williams (shoulder) will be out from 1 1/2 to two weeks (his estimation) to three weeks (doctors’ estimation). H-back Rod Bernstine (knee) has been practicing, but not in full pads. Defensive end Tyrone Keys (knee) will likely be out another 2 1/2 weeks. Quarterback Mark Vlasic (knee), who has been practicing at his own pace, is getting close to full strength. “It’s in his hands now,” Henning said. “He was told by doctors he can go. He feels tentative, so he still wants to stay out of contact.” . . . The Chargers leave this morning for Thousand Oaks, home of the Dallas Cowboys’ training camp. They will practice with the Cowboys today and Friday and hold a full scrimmage Saturday. . . . Henning still has not met holdout running back Gary Anderson. “I’ve seen him a lot on film and know a lot about him,” Henning said.