Chargers, Oilers Are in a Similar Spot : Both Teams Look to Rebound From Opening Routs

After all was said, unsaid and done last week in Los Angeles, where the Chargers lost their season opener to the Raiders, 40-14, they didn’t figure soon to find an opponent more desperate than themselves.

Hello Houston.

The Charger defense allowed 418 yards (third most in the league) against the Raiders. And afterward, Coach Dan Henning gave his team a public relations hotfoot when he failed to fully explain why he yanked his starting quarterback, Jim McMahon, in the third period with his team still in the game.

But the Oilers, who visit San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium today, drove 61 yards on their opening possession for a 7-0 lead and gained just 43 yards the rest of the afternoon against Minnesota, which beat them, 38-7.

Only one NFL team, Pittsburgh, gained fewer yards than Houston last Sunday. Only one NFL starting quarterback, Pittsburgh’s Bubby Brister (16.3), has a lower passer rating after one game than the Oilers’ Warren Moon (29.0). Houston’s offensive line, which gave up 24 sacks all last year, allowed the Vikings to sack Moon seven times.

“I don’t think anybody could be worse off than we are,” said Coach Jerry Glanville, whose team has lost seven of its past 11 road games. “If they were going to give out prizes, that would be about the only one we’d get.”

How bad was it? Glanville was still talking about the Minnesota loss three days later.

“We got whipped,” Glanville said at mid-week. “No excuses, no alibis. They lined up and just whipped us. No trickery. No fooling. No exotic game plan.

“Nobody did any good for us. The equipment man wasn’t any good. The radio show stunk. The public relations guy has never been worth a damn.”

You get the idea.

But Glanville didn’t stop there. He questioned Henning’s policy of closing practices to the media. And he criticized Henning for not granting him an interview when Henning took over as head coach in Atlanta in 1983.

Henning claimed he did interview Glanville and then rightfully wondered how two coaches so famished for a victory had gotten caught up in a hissing contest six years later about something now so insignificant.

“By all yardsticks, Houston is an excellent football team,” Henning said, changing the subject. “It’s certainly a team that felt it would play better than it did last week.”

Part of Houston’s problem was its opponent. Minnesota is a strong candidate to represent the NFC in Super Bowl XXIV. Part of the problem was the Oilers’ loss of several important players to Plan B free agency this year. One, defensive end Robert Banks, is playing a major role on the defense of Cleveland, a division rival.

And part of the problem was coaching. “Minnesota picked up every one of the Oilers’ blitzes,” Charger guard David Richards said after studying the film.

“We got a little embarrassed,” said Moon, who completed just eight of 20 passes for 69 yards.

For his part, Moon says part of the problem is the fact that the Oilers, who won nine games in 1987 and 10 last year, can’t sneak up on anybody any more. They have qualified for the playoffs two consecutive years. “We’re not looked upon as a mediocre team on anybody’s schedule any more,” he says.

Mostly, they’re looked upon as one of the dirtiest teams in the league. And we’re not talking topsoil here. We’re talking late hits and penalties, and we’re talking trash. Houston was the league’s most penalized team in 1988.

“That means there are going to be some things that you can’t afford to lose your composure on,” Henning says. And he has told his players as much. “You can’t afford to strike back because generally the second guy gets nailed.”

The Chargers, 6-10 last year, are still looked upon as a mediocre team at best on most team’s schedules. Their hopes against Houston rest on quarterback Jim McMahon’s ribs and much-needed improvement on special teams, where they have a different punter, kicker, snapper and coach from last year.

Against the Raiders, McMahon bruised his ribs in the third period after completing only seven of 18 passes for 91 yards. The pain hindered his ability to raise his voice. And he wasn’t able to bark out signals comfortably until Thursday. Henning says he will start against the Oilers.

The Chargers’ special teams under new Coach Joe Madden buried themselves under an avalanche of errors against the Raiders. Madden promises “overall” improvement. But the only noticeable change during practice this week was the substitution of newly signed Darryl Usher on kickoff returns in place of rookie Victor Floyd.

Houston has a busload of excellent running backs including Allen Pinkett, Alonzo Highsmith, Lorenzo White and Mike Rozier, who signed late and didn’t play against Minnesota. But they also run a four-receiver set that puts extra demands on the secondary. The Chargers hope to counter in those situations with Johnny Thomas, who replaces the waived Leonard Coleman in six-back coverage.

If Thomas plays well, look for him to eventually replace Sam Seale at starting right cornerback. Seale is the Chargers’ fastest defensive back but erratic, and Raider Willie Gault burned him repeatedly last week.

But the best way to play pass defense is with a strong pass rush. And that is especially true against Moon, who is mobile and strong-armed.

“The days he has been hot, he would throw a scare into anybody,” Henning says. “In order to keep him from being hot, you have to get penetration and you have to keep him off balance. You can’t let him get his feet set.”