Outmanned Chargers Must Go Long
Today’s Charger-Eagle game at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium is more than just a mismatch of talent.
It is no secret that Philadelphia, led by its electric quarterback, Randall Cunningham, and defensive end Reggie White, arguably the best defender in football, has better players.
The Eagles also have a better record (6-2) and a four-game winning streak. The Chargers (2-6) have a four-game losing streak.
The strange thing about this game is what a mismatch in perceptions it presents. Philadelphia Coach Buddy Ryan has had more effect on defensive philosophy league-wide that any other coach in the ‘80s. Attack the quarterback, Ryan says, and you won’t have to worry so much about how well your defensive backfield can cover.
But the Eagles, who have intercepted more passes (19) and recovered more fumbles (13) than any other team in the NFL, rank a surprising 21st in yards allowed.
The Chargers, on the other hand, are coached by Dan Henning, whose background is offense. Yet they rank ninth in NFL defense.
“I’m not sure people understand Buddy Ryan and his system,” Henning says. “He doesn’t believe in statistics any more than I do.”
In other words, Ryan is willing to give you the chance to make a big play on him if he thinks he can make a big play on you first. That strategy backfired on him at home in Week 3. The Eagles sacked San Francisco quarterback Joe Montana eight times but lost, 38-28, when Montana threw four touchdown passes in the final period. He finished with 428 yards passing on the day. And those numbers remain a major factor in why the Eagles’ rank 25th in the league in pass defense.
That also explains why the Chargers were working on their long passing game this week. They know if they can protect starting quarterback Jim McMucus . . . er . . . McMahon long enough, he may be able to locate his two swift wide receivers--Anthony Miller and Jamie Holland. The Chargers have completed just one pass all year that netted more than 50 yards--a 63-yarder to Miller that got them a touchdown against Houston seven weeks ago. Look for the Chargers to utilize rookie Wayne Walker as a third wide receiver as often as they can.
But isn’t it odd that rookie Billy Joe Tolliver won’t be starting in the one game on the Charger schedule that begs for his strong arm? The explanation is simple. Tolliver made his first NFL start last week and completed just six of 17 passes. He read the Seattle defense poorly. And he showed little skill escaping the rush. His quarterback rating is chilly--19.5. By way of comparison, McMahon’s is 74.2, Cunningham’s is 76.8 and league-leader Montana’s is 108.9.
McMahon has good escape ability, great reading instincts and a chip on his shoulder bigger than Camp Pendleton. At one point this week, he blew his nose at a reporter when he heard a question he didn’t like.
The resultant media uproar almost totally obscured the importance of this game. If the Chargers lose, they will be one game short of the 2-8 mark they stumbled to last year under former Coach Al Saunders. Their opponent next week is the improved Los Angeles Raiders. After that, they play four games in five weeks on the road, three in the Eastern time zone.
To beat the Eagles, the Chargers must contain Cunningham and detain White. It won’t be easy.
Even though opponents have sacked Cunningham 21 times, more than the league average of 19.6, he has an uncanny knack for making something out of nothing. He is the league’s leading rushing quarterback with 333 yards, three touchdown runs and a 6.2 yards per carry average.
“Randall Cunningham can throw the ball 100 yards,” says Charger cornerback Sam Seale, the defender opponents have directed most of their passes at this year. “You have to cover longer against him. You have to cover until you hear the whistle. Once he starts scrambling, he will be running one way and throwing a 55-yard touchdown in the other direction.”
White usually lines up at left end, which matches him against Brett Miller, the Charger right tackle. But White will also line up on the nose across from rookie center Courtney Hall.
“He’ll probably line up across from me all day,” says a self-deprecating Hall. “He’s the best we’ve seen on film.”
Hall described one play in which White, who is 6-5, 280 pounds, chased a running back 50 yards downfield.
“If the defensive back hadn’t caught him,” Hall said, “Reggie would have.”
Miller, who played against White when Miller was an Atlanta Falcon, refers to White respectfully as the “Reverend” Mr. White. And White is in fact a licensed Baptist minister, part of the reason they call him the “Minister of Defense” in Philadelphia.
“It’s a testimony to your talent to be able to measure it against the best,” Miller says. “But it’s not so bad, every once in a while, to get a stiff. There aren’t many stiffs around, and Reggie White certainly is not one of them.”
Because he typically draws at least two, and sometimes three, blockers, White is only third on his own team in sacks with six. Right end Clyde Simmons has 10 1/2, and tackle Jerome Brown has six. More revealing is the “quarterback hurry” statistic kept by the Eagles. White leads with 36. Simmons has 25 and Brown 18.
So far the Chargers have managed to stay together as a team even though the margins of defeat during this current losing streak have been six, one, seven and three points. The culprits have been on offense, which has dropped to 26th in the league, and the special teams, which have been abominable.
“You have to have a togetherness on offense and defense,” Henning says. “Either you have that or you have nothing.”
Charger Notes
The Eagle defense has 21 sacks and 12 interceptions in its last four games. . . . Charger punter Hank Ilesic is last in the league in net punting average, 30.8 yards.