Chargers Put Three in Pro Bowl : NFL: Williams, Miller and O’Neal are honored. But everybody wants to know why Gill Byrd was left out.
Three Chargers made the AFC’S Pro Bowl squad Wednesday, but much of the talk in the locker room concerned one who didn’t.
Defensive end Lee Williams was a repeater for the game in Honolulu Feb. 4, and wide receiver Anthony Miller and outside linebacker Leslie O’Neal were first-time selections. Williams, the only Charger so honored last year, was picked as a starter for the second consecutive time.
But cornerback Gill Byrd was left out, and there was a strong feeling that this was an injustice. Byrd was named an alternate along with inside linebacker Billy Ray Smith.
For the second year in a row, Byrd has intercepted seven passes, most by a Charger since 1963. He also has made 55 tackles, forced two fumbles and defensed 10 passes. Still, the poll of players and coaches made him only the fourth alternate.
The Chargers’ workout Wednesday was limited to a walk-through in the parking lot at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium, and Byrd left immediately afterward. When Rick Smith, the club’s public relations director, reached him at home and asked him to talk to reporters in a conference call, he declined.
Williams and Smith were especially vocal about Byrd’s omission from the team.
“A situation like that,” Williams said, “I can more or less categorize as a modern-day crime.”
Said Smith: “Gill got robbed. He should have been the first guy chosen.”
Coach Dan Henning agreed but as a veteran of such elections, he said he could understand how it happened.
“I think Byrd is definitely a Pro Bowl-quality cornerback in the AFC,” Henning said. “But sometimes some of the best guys are overlooked because of their consistency.
“I’ve been around some guys who got elected to the Pro Bowl who make big plays and get a great deal of acclaim, but don’t come close to this guy’s efficiency and proficiency this year. I can’t remember him getting beat on a major play. He plays hurt, and he doesn’t make mistakes. I don’t think I’ve ever been on a team with a defensive back as sound and consistent as he has been.
“Yet it doesn’t surprise me, because I know the way these things are done. I’ve seen cases where the players just hurry through the voting and go home.”
Smith took the news in stride, saying, “Being an alternate is a role I’m used to. It happened in ’86 and ‘87, too.”
As for the three Chargers who were elected, Williams felt a sense of satisfaction, Miller was excited and O’Neal looked upon the honor as the culmination of a long road back from knee problems. Williams leads the AFC with 12 sacks and has made 62 tackles. Miller has caught 70 passes, and O’Neal has made 10 1/2 sacks and 88 tackles.
Their reactions:
Williams: “I have an obvious feeling of elation. This was something I set out to do this year. It showed everybody that last year wasn’t a fluke trip. It showed people who didn’t believe it was a legitimate accolade that I could do it again.”
Miller: “You have to be happy when you get something like that. I thought I was having a Pro Bowl year. Now I’d like to catch 100 balls in a season. Anybody would like to have that type of goal.”
O’Neal: “I don’t mind not starting. I’m just happy to get there. I felt like I was on my way to the Pro Bowl my first year until I got hurt. After all I’ve gone through since, I’m very thankful. There were a lot of dark days in between.”
After suffering a knee injury in the 13th game of the 1986 season, when he was the NFL’s defensive rookie of the year, O’Neal underwent six operations. He didn’t play again until the eighth game last year.
Charger Notes
Bobby Beathard, the leading candidate to succeed Steve Ortmayer as the Chargers’ director of football operations, is expected to meet with owner Alex Spanos next week. . . . Charger wide receiver Phil McConkey probably will retire after Sunday’s season finale against the Denver Broncos at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium. After that, he may run for the U.S. Senate in New York. McConkey told the New York Daily News, “Some Republican leaders have urged me to start thinking about running.” . . . Charger Coach Dan Henning wouldn’t say why he had held only a walk-through practice. Pressed for an explanation, he said, “I think I’ve made it clear that I’m not going to address that question.” He gave the players a day off last Wednesday, and they responded by upsetting Kansas City. . . . The Chargers listed tight end Andy Parker (hip) as questionable and safety Vencie Glenn (hand), defensive end Burt Grossman (groin), center Courtney Hall (hip), nose tackle Joe Phillips (ankle), cornerback Elliot Smith (ankle) and offensive tackle Joel Patten (hand) as probable. . . . For the Broncos, wide receiver Ricky Nattiel (knee) is out. Cornerback Mark Haynes (ankle) is doubtful. Linebacker Scott Curtis (back) and safety Dennis Smith (neck) are questionable, and cornerback Wymon Henderson (groin), defensive end Brad Henke (shoulder), linebacker Marc Munford (elbow) and linebacker Bruce Klostermann (hamstring) are probable. . . . The Chargers project a ticket sale of 50,000, so the game will be blacked out locally. The Raider game Nov. 12 was the season’s only home sellout.