CHARGER NOTEBOOK / DON PATTERSON : Seau Still a No-Show at Training Camp
Where the heck is Junior Seau?
Nobody at Charger camp seems to know. Seau, the Chargers’ first-round draft selection, was scheduled to report to training camp Sunday around 8 p.m. He hadn’t made it by 10.
Seau, a linebacker from USC who agreed to terms Thursday after a 34-day holdout, is rumored to be disappointed with his contract, which will pay him about $900,000 a year for the next five years. Seau’s agent, Steve Feldman, said Seau was hoping for a million dollars a year.
“If it’s true that he’s unhappy, maybe it’s better that he doesn’t show up,” Charger General Manager Bobby Beathard said.
In the meantime, Coach Dan Henning doesn’t plan to lose any sleep over the situation.
“When he’s here and I see him and his name is on the paper, then I’ll deal with him,” Henning said. “I hear all kinds of rumors that he’s unhappy. But when he gets here, we’ll get him to work. After all, you have to earn your pay.”
And to do that, you have to attend practice.
“I don’t even know where he’s coming from,” Henning said. “I’ve heard all kinds of things.”
The kicking contest apparently has been won by Fuad Reveiz, a free agent who last year played for the Miami Dolphins. The other candidate for the position, John Carney, a Plan B free agent from Tampa Bay, damaged his chances of making the team last week against the Rams, missing a point-after and a 27-yard field goal attempt. He may not survive this week’s cut.
“Fuad has outkicked Carney,” said Henning, who added that the Chargers are leaning toward Reveiz because of his experience.
John Kidd, a Plan B free agent from Buffalo, has distinguished himself ahead of Keith English in the punting duel. Kidd is a seven-year veteran. English, in whom Beathard said another team has shown interest, was cut by the Raiders in training camp last season.
Billy Joe Tolliver is still the starting quarterback, but Mark Vlasic is closing the gap. Vlasic has been awarded his first start of the season for Saturday’s game against the Raiders in Los Angeles.
Henning isn’t making a big deal out of it, saying only that the coaches want to evaluate Vlasic in a starting situation and see how Tolliver fares as the relief man.
What is the possibility of Vlasic swiping the starting position by the Sept. 9 regular-season opener at Dallas?
“There’s always an opportunity,” Henning said.
For now, though, Tolliver is being prepared as the starter even though Vlasic has been steadier through the first three games.
“Billy’s been inconsistent,” Henning said, “and Vlasic has been steady and consistent. But the types of things that he’s attempted and that we’ve asked him to do have been different and not as varied. And he’s had the only turnover between the two.”
The Chargers are now 3-0 in exhibition season following Saturday night’s 29-28 victory over the 49ers at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium.
The last time the Chargers won their first three exhibition games was in 1964, when Henning was a rookie quarterback.
Henning was cut by the Chargers that year and wound up playing for Springfield, Mass., in the Continental League. He played for the Norfolk Neptunes in 1965 and returned to the Chargers in 1966 as a free agent. Henning was the team’s backup quarterback for one season.
The Chargers of 1964 went 8-5-1, finishing first in the AFL. They lost the AFL Championship game to Buffalo, 20-7, two days after Christmas.
Charger receiver Anthony Miller’s statistics stacked up favorably Saturday night to those of Jerry Rice, arguably the NFL’s best.
Miller caught eight passes for 143 yards and a touchdown, Rice caught seven for 127 yards and two touchdowns.
Apparently, Rice wasn’t overly impressed. Asked after the game about Miller, he responded: “Who’s that?”
Rosters have to be trimmed to 60 by Tuesday. The Chargers currently have 78 on their roster, and Henning said there probably will be cuts today.
Charger Notes
Guard/tackle Broderick Thompson (strained medial collateral) may miss a few days of practice and possibly next Saturday’s game, Coach Dan Henning said. Free safety Vencie Glenn (bruised clavical), center Courtney Hall (mild concussion) and cornerback Gill Byrd (strained groin) are all expected to practice today. “The trainer said that we have a number of players that played 30 to 40 plays in the game that have more bumps and bruises than we had in any of the previous preseason games,” Henning said. “But nothing of a real serious nature. The list will be long, but it won’t be critical.” Thompson’s spot was filled Saturday by rookie Joe Staysniak, a seventh-round draft selection from Ohio State. “He played pretty good when he was in there,” Henning said. “Much better on the run, but he wasn’t bad on the pass. Plays better in the game than he does in practice.” . . . The Chargers will cut back from two practices a day to one this week. Wednesday will be the last practice at UCSD.