McMahon Puts on a Show--for Photographers and Teammates

It was a classic Jim McMahon performance.

There was a touch of pregame fashion showmanship. McMahon tried to to keep cool on a hot Sunday afternoon in the desert by sporting a pith helmet decorated in Charger blue, lightning bolts on the sides, yellow strap across the brim and an electric fan. It looked cool and was a hit with the photographers.

There was a moment of pain and concern. That came early in the fourth quarter, when a sack by Cardinal defensive end Karl Wilson, a former Charger, left McMahon with a sprained neck and sent David Archer into a fast--but ultimately unnecessary--warmup.

And there were modest statistics. McMahon completed 15 of 23 pass attempts for 188 yards and one touchdown.

But most important and characteristic, there was a another victory, this one by 24-13 over the Phoenix Cardinals. After a shaky first two games under their new quarterback, acquired from the Chicago Bears six weeks ago, the Chargers have won two in a row with McMahon in charge.

That brings his record as a starter since 1984 to 37-5. So no matter how much McMahon tried to poormouth his performance against the Cardinals, it seemed there must be something to the McMahon touch.

“I wasn’t happy at all with (the performance),” McMahon said. “I didn’t throw real well. Fundamentally I was off. It has irritated me that I keep doing that week in and week out. It is enough that even though I played bad (the team won).

No one appreciates that more than Charger Coach Dan Henning. Asked to assess McMahon’s performance, he first stated the obvious and most important point.

“He won,” Henning said. “He didn’t turn the ball over. He made some plays.There are some things he didn’t do as well as he has, but then again, he has made good decisions with the football.”

The Cardinals have witnessed how valuable McMahon can be. The last time they saw him and the Chargers, in their final exhibition game four weeks ago, it was only for a matter of seconds. But McMahon took over in relief of injured Billy Joe Tolliver and threw a touchdown pass as time expired to give the Chargers a 21-20 victory.

McMahon actually got off to a good start statistically Sunday. He completed all but one of his eight attempts in the first half for 65 yards and was 13 of 17 for 177 yards through three quarters. But he completed only two of six in the final quarter.

Anthony Miller made McMahon look good. Not only did he catch McMahon’s off-balance, 16-yard loft into the end zone for the Chargers’ first touchdown with 6:36 left in the third quarter, but he brought the Chargers into scoring position with two consecutive receptions. The first was a 47-yarder to the Cardinal 19 on a ball Miller was able to chase down before his momentum carried him out of bounds.

It was his first catch of the game and would have gone for a touchdown if not for McMahon’s throw. The defender had fallen, and Miller had a clear route to the end zone.

“I thought I threw it out of bounds,” McMahon said. “Just as I was letting it go, I saw the (defensive back) fall. It was a chance to have a touchdown pass. He made a hell of a catch.”

No McMahon game would be complete without an injury--slight or otherwise. This one turned out to be nothing more than a sprained neck, McMahon said.

Such assurances sound comforting after the game, but it rarely looks that mild during play. The scene of McMahon walking off the field slowly after Wilson’s sack and taking a seat on the bench with an ice pack on his neck while Archer warmed up naturally raised concern. And added to the mystery.

Not until McMahon trotted out on to lead the Chargers on their next series was the question of his health nearly satisfied.

“I got it stretched a little bit when the guy was on top of my head,” McMahon said. “He kept going down, and it just stretched a little bit.”