Chargers Will Go Back to McMahon Against the Eagles : Quarterbacks: Rookie Billy Joe Tolliver will return to the bench after his difficult debut against Seattle.
Rookie Billy Joe Tolliver’s first fling as the Chargers’ No. 1 quarterback lasted just one game.
Coach Dan Henning announced Wednesday that Jim McMahon would be back at his old spot Sunday when the Chargers play the Philadelphia Eagles at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium. The change had been expected--Tolliver completed only six of 17 passes against the Seahawks in Seattle last Sunday before being replaced by McMahon in the fourth quarter of the Chargers’ 10-7 loss.
“I think McMahon came out of the Seattle game less banged up than he had been,” Henning said. “He had a week’s breather, and Billy Joe didn’t play as well as we thought he could play. We kept Billy Joe in there because we were still in the game, and we thought he could make a big play. He didn’t do that, so we went to Jim.”
McMahon made a big play that put the Chargers ahead, 7-3, throwing a touchdown pass to Arthur Cox with 1:53 remaining. He couldn’t repeat after the Seahawks regained the lead, but he finished with nine completions in 12 attempts.
Through the first half of the season, McMahon suffered a succession of injuries, the most bothersome to his left shoulder. But this week, he is not listed on the Chargers’ injury report.
Asked whether Tolliver or David Archer would be called upon Sunday if McMahon were to need relief, Henning said, “David and Billy Joe will both back up McMahon.”
Asked how he would determine which to use, Henning said, “This is not Oz, and there is no wizard, so we make these decisions based on who’s best in a given situation. I don’t know if it’s a relevant analogy, but I’ll probably use them like a pitching staff in baseball.”
As has become his custom, McMahon’s answers to queries about the quarterback situation were brief.
Asked before practice if he had any word on who would start Sunday, McMahon said, “You got me.”
Told a few minutes later that Tolliver had said McMahon would start, McMahon replied, “Oh, that’s good.”
Asked after practice to comment on his return to No. 1 status, he said, “I’ve got nothing for you guys.”
Asked why not, he repeated, “I’ve got nothing for you guys.”
Tolliver said he was disappointed but not surprised.
“I’m not the first guy to stink the joint out, but I definitely blew my opportunity,” he said. “I felt good about what I was doing, but I just didn’t make the plays. Maybe I took the situation too lightly.
“Nobody said at any time, ‘You’re our guy for the rest of the season.’ Still, I had my chance, and the way it looks right now, I’ll be back holding a clipboard.
“I can’t simulate game conditions in practice, but what can I do? I can’t beg the coaches to play me. That’s not the way it’s done.”
Asked if he expected to start again this season, Tolliver said, “No. I can’t see seeing any action this Sunday except if, God forbid, Jim gets hurt. It’s going to take something for me to play again, not that I’m wishing Jim an injury. I’m just going to have to keep myself ready to play.”
Henning also said that he did not plan to discipline McMahon for an incident involving reporters Monday in the locker room but said he would talk to McMahon about it.
McMahon was being questioned Monday when he walked past a reporter, blew his nose with a finger and said, “There’s an answer for you.”
Asked if he had spoken to McMahon about it, Henning said, “No.” Asked if he expected to do so, Henning said, “No.”
Henning admitted, “I don’t condone it.” And after a heated discussion that lasted close to an hour, he finally said he would address the matter.
“Because of the escalation of this situation, I will talk to McMahon,” Henning said. “I must give him a chance to give his side.
“It’s as it would be if he were my son, a reflection on his parents and his adulthood. If he chooses not to speak to someone, he should say flat-out that he doesn’t want to say anything.”
Charger Notes
Reggie Jackson was a locker room visitor Wednesday. Asked if he was interested in the new senior baseball league in Florida, Jackson said, “No, it’s over. It’s time to go home and sit down and buy season tickets.”. . . H-back Rod Bernstine, who has missed the Chargers’ past three games because of a knee injury, did not practice Wednesday and was listed as questionable for Sunday. Three players were listed as probable--H-back Joe Caravello (toe), defensive end Burt Grossman (knee) and cornerback Gill Byrd (nose). . . . Guard David Richards was limited to part-time activity because of the flu. . . . The Philadelphia Eagles, working out at Torrey Pines High School, listed three key players as questionable--running back Keith Byars (shoulder), fullback Anthony Toney (shoulder) and guard Ron Solt (arm). . . . The Chargers projected a ticket sale of 48,000 for Sunday, assuring another local television blackout. The seating capacity of 60,750 would have to be reached by noon today for the game to be carried here.