Tolliver Gets Fresh Start for Chargers

In the week since Billy Joe Tolliver lost his job as the Chargers’ starting quarterback, he has had four plays:

--an overthrown pass intended for Craig McEwen;

--a 13-yard sack;

--a screen to Ronnie Harmon that piled up three yards;

--a cannon shot, thrown in the general direction of Anthony Miller, that fell uncaught out of bounds.

It must have been one humdinger of a screen pass, because Wednesday, Coach Dan Henning announced that Tolliver was going to replace a healthy Mark Vlasic as the Chargers’ starter Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Vlasic completed 17 of 31 passes for 137 yards against Dallas, with a 14-yard touchdown pass and an interception. When he left, his team was ahead, 14-10.

Had the Chargers hung on and won, Henning said, Vlasic would have remained his starter. Had there been no fake punt . . .

“I’m disappointed,” Vlasic said. “I know I can get the job done and would like the opportunity.

“I didn’t play great. I didn’t play up to how I had been playing in the preseason, put it that way. It’s a thing where you have two guys who can get the job done, and that makes it tough. And in the long run, I’m not so sure that makes it good for an organization.”

In the long run, though, this is supposed to be Tolliver’s team. That was the plan going into training camp, and lengthy explanations aside, that’s what Wednesday’s decision was all about.

Tolliver is Henning’s quarterback. Henning finds comfort in playing Tolliver. He knows what he’s got. He has seen him win, he has seen him march an offense the length of the field, and he has seen him play the toughest opponent without throwing an interception.

That’s no knock on Vlasic, but with Tolliver waiting in the wings, there was no way Vlasic was going to be afforded Henning’s patience.

“Mark wasn’t the quarterback he was in the preseason,” Henning said, “and we’re looking for Billy to be like he was at the end of last year.

“We have some recent successes with Billy in terms of some things nobody has been able to get done here since (Dan) Fouts. I just know the level that he played at the end of last year helped us win.”

Tolliver finished 1989 with strong showings against Washington, Kansas City and Denver, throwing for 305 yards against the Broncos. But in training camp and exhibitions this year, he was not the quarterback he was then. He wasn’t throwing interceptions, but he also wasn’t getting the ball to his players.

“He’s the same guy, who’s gone through some further courses in his training, and sometimes when you do that, you step back a pace before you jump up two,” Henning said. “It’s a growing process.”

Unless Tolliver has had some kind of growing spurt in the past few days, isn’t he the same erratic quarterback who completed 48.6% of his passes in four exhibitions?

“Obviously, Billy hasn’t done anything since that decision to start Mark to now make him be the guy,” said Ted Tollner, quarterbacks coach, “but when you’re not being productive on offense, that’s the position you look at to see if you can be productive in a different direction.”

Bring on Tolliver.

“For now,” Tolliver said with a grin. “It was a pleasant surprise. Now all I gotta do is do the things I’ve been coached to do, and try to make it where they don’t have to make this decision every week.

“I know how Mark feels. I can feel for him, but better him than me. That’s the way I see it.”

If Tolliver flops Sunday against the Bengals, does Henning go back to Vlasic? Or does Tolliver earn more time?

“I think I’ve talked about this enough,” an irritated Henning said. “I told you all things are possible. There are so many scenarios out there we could be out here all afternoon.

“I told you they are both young, they are both guys we like, and right now Billy’s the starter. We’ll give him every opportunity to win football games and do things to help us win and hope at the same time he prevents us from losing by making good judgments.”

It’s now on Tolliver’s strong arm to end the controversy and soothe what ails the embattled coach.

“He’s got to throw the ball with the confidence and the accuracy he showed in spots last year,” Tollner said. “But that has to become a consistent week-to-week, day-to-day type of thing if we’re going to become a good football team.”

Given Tolliver’s inexperience and the few appearances Vlasic has had in his four years, isn’t it unreasonable to expect so much so early?

“It is if you ask them to play productive point-scoring football every week,” Tollner said. “That may be unreasonable, but if there are plays that are protected with a receiver open, I expect them to hit it.”

Tolliver of a year ago, the rookie playing without the pressure of achieving immediate success, was on the mark. He was hitting those receivers and had the Chargers winning their final two games.

But after being designated the franchise’s quarterback for years to come, he began to press this season, then struggle.

With Vlasic starting, Tolliver has had his week to regroup.

“The quarterback has to perform; that’s the only way we’re going to be any good,” Tollner said. “It may be unfair, but that’s what goes with that position.

“The guy you want there ultimately can handle this kind of pressure; if this pressure is too great, then he doesn’t belong there.”

Tolliver said he not only belongs there, “but I’d like to think I won’t give them any reason to think any different now that I’m playing again.”

* CHARGER UPDATE C8