Henning Sees Continuity as Camp Begins
With the sun shining overhead and the Pacific Ocean shimmering in the background, it was another perfect mid-summer afternoon Thursday in La Jolla as Dan Henning peered through his sunglasses into the start of his second training camp as Charger coach.
His lenses might have been tinted green, but Henning’s vision was more rose-colored.
Sure, there are some concerns--special teams, the offensive line, the secondary and a young starting quarterback, to name the four Henning found potentially troublesome--but there is more to feel better about than there was a year ago.
Improvements at running back, at punter, in the overall quarterback situation and in general depth had Henning taking an optimistic tone.
“The two things that make the difference in this league are talent and continuity,” Henning said. “We’re a step ahead by far in continuity, and we think we might be a step ahead or two in talent.”
This is the kind of time of year it is. The opening of training camp tends to bring out the best in every team--especially on paper.
But starting in the next few days, Henning will begin to discover if his vision of improvement is real or imagined.
Rookies, free agents and selected veterans, including Plan B acquisitions, are to report to training camp at the UC San Diego by 6:45 tonight. This group of approximately 60 players will hold its first practice at 4 p.m. Sunday. The remaining players are set to report next Friday and begin practice the next morning.
“I’m looking forward to the season,” Henning said. “I’m looking forward to the competition. I’m looking forward to success.”
Though such talk may be easy, there are concrete reasons for Henning’s optimism.
With the help of the aggressive work of General Manager Bobby Beathard, the Chargers already have a new look.
Of the 47 players on the roster at the end of last season, 14 are gone. Add in the players from the various reserve and developmental rosters, and Beathard has disposed of 20 of the 59 players he inherited when he took over Jan. 3 from Steve Ortmayer, who had been fired.
Most noticeable among the departures are running back Gary Anderson (traded to Tampa Bay), offensive tackle James FitzPatrick (lost to the Raiders in Plan B), center Don Macek (retired) and quarterback Jim McMahon (cut, then signed by Philadelphia).
Most notable among the arrivals, not including the 17 draft choices, are the nine Plan B free agents. These include punter John Kidd and running backs Ronnie Harmon and Thomas Sanders.
Kidd is expected to take over a punting game that tied for 18th out of 28 NFL teams, while Harmon and Sanders will be looked upon to add depth and experience to a running attack that ranked 21st. They are two of nine running backs on the current roster.
“The competition is on,” Henning said. “We’re much better this year than (what) we had in camp last year at that position.”
But this also is a time of year when not all the news is made on the field.
As of Thursday night, as many as 15 Chargers, including six of 17 draft choices, were without a contract agreement. Most prominent among the unsigned rookies is No. 1 selection Junior Seau, the inside linebacker from USC.
Such contract haggling is another part of the training camp regimen, one over which Henning has little control and one for which he simply compensates in his planning.
“The negotiation of contracts is between Bobby and his staff, and the players and their staffs or agents or whatever,” Henning said. “The coaching staff and players’ focus has to be on getting done what we have to get done on the field.
“It’s uncomfortable, but it seems to be the cost of doing business these days.”
Charger Notes
Second-year wide receiver Wayne Walker and rookie center Frank Cornish joined the list Thursday of signed Chargers. Cornish, a sixth-round pick from UCLA, signed a two-year agreement that will pay him an average of $140,000 per year, said his agent, Leigh Steinberg. No details of Walker’s agreement were released by the team. . . . The Chargers are close to reaching the league limit of 80 signed players. Once they do, they will have to cut a player for every one they sign. The Chargers have 93 players on their roster, 78 of whom are known of have signed or agreed to terms. . . . Coach Dan Henning said he expected all players would be cleared to participate but said offensive tackle Joel Patten, who had arthroscopic knee surgery about six weeks ago, may be worked into practice slowly.
CHARGER TRAINING CAMP FACTS
Site: UC San Diego, La Jolla.
Directions to practice field: Interstate 5 to Genesee Avenue west, left on Northview Drive, straight to field.
Parking: Free at field during practice hours only.
Practice times: 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. most days.
Typical two-a-day schedule: 7-8 a.m.--Breakfast; 9-11 a.m.--Practice; Noon-1 p.m.--Lunch; 1-2 p.m.--Meetings; 2-3 p.m.--Player rest period; 4-5:45 p.m.--Practice; 6-7 p.m.--Dinner; 7-8:30 p.m.--Meetings; 11 p.m.--Curfew.
Important dates: July 20--Rookies, selected veterans report; July 21--Physicals and meetings; July 22--First practice (afternoon only); July 26--Scrimmage vs. Rams at Capistrano Valley High School, 7 p.m.; July 27--Remaining veterans report; July 28--First full-squad practices.
Aug. 2-3--Practices with Phoenix Cardinals at Northern Arizona University; Aug. 4--Scrimmage with Cardinals at Northern Arizona, 10:45 a.m. Aug. 5--Family Day at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium, 2 p.m.; Aug. 11--Exhibition vs. Dallas, 7 p.m., San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium; Aug 13-15--Practices with Cowboys at UCSD; Aug. 18--Exhibition at Rams, 7 p.m.; Aug. 25--Exhibition vs. San Francisco, San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium, 6 p.m.; Aug. 28--Cut to 60 players; Aug. 29--Camp closes.
Sept. 1--Final exhibition at Raiders, 1 p.m.; Sept. 3--Cut to final roster of 47 players. Sept. 9--Opening regular-season game at Dallas, 1 p.m.