Muscle Pull Idles Smith for 4 Weeks

The Chargers play Cleveland next week; they play three of the next four on the road; they are winless after two games. And now the hammer: Billy Ray Smith is out at least four weeks.

Smith, the quarterback of the defense, aggravated a pulled stomach muscle in Sunday’s 21-16 loss to Cincinnati. Coach Dan Henning said he likely will be put on injured reserve today.

“I pulled it against Dallas, and I was too sore to go on (Sunday),” said Smith, who was scheduled to undergo more detailed testing. “It’s something you have to rest for it to get better.”

Conceding the loss of Smith is a blow to team, Henning already has taken steps to fill Smith’s many roles.

“At this point in time it’s a done issue,” Henning said of having reassigned Smith’s myriad duties. “We’ve worked on it last night, and we’ve worked on it today so my mindset is a little different now than if you’d asked me last night at eight o’clock.”

Coincidentally, the Chargers brought in former 49ers’ linebacker Steve Hendrickson for a workout on Monday morning, though Charger General Manager Bobby Beathard said financial considerations may prevent him from joining the team. Hendrickson, cut by the 49ers after he was slowed with an ankle sprain in the final exhibition game, is an accomplished special teams player whom Beathard watched during preseason.

With or without the addition of outside help, the Chargers undoubtedly will miss Smith, an important member of a defense that is talented but lacking in depth.

The Chargers made it through last season with only one significant injury to a defensive starter. Cornerback Sam Seale missed Week 5 with a shoulder strain and Weeks 15 and 16 with a pulled hamstring. The Chargers wound up finishing sixth in the NFL in team defense.

Because Smith serves in a number of capacities, several players will have expanded roles in his absence. He is the defensive signal-caller, the wing man on the field-goal unit and the second fullback on the punt protection team.

In his absence, Linebacker Gary Plummer will call defensive signals, and either Plummer or running back Marion Butts will fill in on field-goal protection. Running back Ronnie Harmon will serve as the backup man on punt protection.

Henry Rolling, a free agent from Tampa Bay, will start in place of Smith at outside linebacker. Both Henning and defensive coordinator Ron Lynn have been pleased with Rolling’s contributions to date, but, as the Chargers concede, he’s no Billy Ray Smith.

While considered a training-camp find, Rolling was released by the Buccaneers after the first six games of last season. And while available to the rest of the league, Rolling went unsigned until season’s end.

“We’re not sure what the impact is going to be,” Lynn said. “(Smith) obviously contributes more than just physical talents. We count on him to be a leader. I don’t know how you can measure that impact. You lose a guy whose been in our system and understands what he’s doing.”

Despite a career in which he has earned respect as a steady player who rarely makes mistakes, Smith has never been voted to the Pro Bowl. So far this season, he has turned in Pro Bowl-type performances, intercepting a pass against Dallas and then against Cincinnati.