CHARGER NOTEBOOK / KIM Q. BERKSHIRE : Hall Tries to Keep Guard Up

In a game where timing is everything, Courtney Hall is hoping to find his by 1 p.m. Sunday when the Chargers meet the Cowboys in the regular-season opener in Irvine, Tex.

Hall was moved from starting center to starting left guard during a shake-up Monday in which the entire offensive line played musical chairs. Veterans Dennis McKnight and Larry Williams, the starting and backup left guards, were left without seats and released.

The move came as a surprise to Hall, who said he hasn’t played guard at all during camp and not since his college days at Rice.

“I was a little nervous when they first told me,” he said. “But I’ll settle down. It should help my timing a bit. I won’t have to reach down and snap the ball.”

Coach Dan Henning said one of the primary reasons for the change is because Hall is “younger, faster, and quicker than the people we had there before.” And he said the overall youth and inexperience of the unit--four of five starters will be in positions they have yet to occupy during an NFL regular season--doesn’t cause much more concern than was generated by the old group. This has long been considered the weak link of a team on the rise.

“We were shaky to start out with,” Henning said. “We were shaky last year. We were shaky in training camp. . . . But I’m worried, because they haven’t been there much.”

Hall there’s only one way to overcome that.

“Nothing can beat experience,” he said. “It’s that old saying that they only way to gain experience is to play.”

In spite of his concerns, Henning said he’d be experiencing more stress if no changes had been made.

“I’m no more concerned than I was three weeks ago,” he said. “I would have been concerned if we hadn’t done anything.

Henning also said the decision to go with Mark Vlasic over Billy Joe Tolliver as Sunday’s starter was made without regard to the changes made on the offensive line and that they shouldn’t limit what the offense will be able to do.

“It actually opens up some vistas,” he said. “They both move about the same way.”

Hall said some players are better suited than others to change positions and that he is pleased management thought enough of him to switch him.

“I seem to be the one,” he said. “Wherever they move me, I’ll always try to improve. I put a lot of pressure on myself, but I think I can do a good job. I don’t want to disappoint myself, and if I don’t disappoint myself, I don’t think I’ll disappoint the team.”

Meet the Press: For reasons known only to himself, Burt Grossman has refused to talk to the press this week. But that hasn’t stopped him from smiling for them. Photographers from Sports Illustrated arrived at the stadium today to shoot pictures of Grossman for a future feature in the magazine. Luckily, SI’s reporters caught up with him two weeks ago at training camp at UC San Diego, where they were able to chat with him.

Familiar Faces: The Cowboys and Chargers shared facilities for five days and joint practices for three during training camp. The also met in the exhibition opener, won by the Chargers, 28-16, Aug. 11 in San Diego. Henning said both sides have equal advantages and disadvantages but that Dallas will be difficult to play at Texas Stadium.

“They’re home and haven’t won down there in over a year,” Henning said. “They’re going to be fired up, and they’re improved, especially on defense. We’d better go down there and play hard, play as good as we can play.”

Charger Notes

Injury report: Tight end Arthur Cox (back) and tackle Leo Goeas (foot) are listed as doubtful to play this weekend; linebacker Richard Brown (thigh) and safety Vencie Glenn (back) are questionable and tackle Broderick Thompson (knee) and tight end Derrick Walker (elbow) are probable . . . For the Cowboys, safety Ray Horton (quadriceps) is questionable and offensive guard Crawford Kerr (knee) is probable. . . . Junior Seau is playing catch-up. After a lengthy holdout and dismal debut last week, the rookie linebacker had a 20-25 minute one-on-one session with position coach Mike Haluchak during Wednesday’s practice. Henning said he’ll get plenty of playing time Sunday, but whether he will start has not been decided.