PRO FOOTBALL REPORT WEEKDAY UPDATE : CHARGERS : Home Is Where the Job is for Carney

It’s home sweet home today for place-kicker John Carney.

“I signed a six-month lease for an apartment in Rancho Bernardo back in April,” he said. “I guess I was a little optimistic.”

Just good planning.

Carney today will re-sign the two-year contract he accepted as a Plan B free agent with the Chargers in April, and will replace Fuad Reveiz, who was released Monday.

The Chargers released Carney in August after he fell behind Reveiz in a training camp match race to become the team’s kicker.

“I’m ecstatic,” Carney said. “Instead of breaking our lease and paying the penalty, my wife and I decided to stay here and see what happened. This is another great opportunity.”

Carney heard from the Chargers before the game with Cleveland, but went ahead and signed with the Rams when Mike Lansford suffered a leg injury that kept him from kicking off.

“I got four kickoffs with the Rams and that was great,” Carney said. “I was released the next day, and Sunday night I got a call from the Chargers telling me they were going to bring me in.

Reveiz missed field goals of 45 and 27 yards earlier Sunday.

“I feel very badly for him,” Carney said. “But it’s like Fuad said, ‘It’s all part of the game.’ ”

Carney kicked for Notre Dame before being signed as a replacement player by Tampa Bay during the NFL’s 1987 strike. He kicked in four games for the Bucs in 1988, and for one game in 1989 in relief of an injured Donald Igwebuike.

He was six for six in PATs, and was two for five in field-goal attempts with a long attempt of 29 yards. Two of his field-goal attempts were blocked.

“I was disappointed when things didn’t work out in training camp because I felt I had kicked well,” Carney said. “It’s one of those things, though, where you have to keep your head up and wait for something to open up. I’m just very happy to be back.”

The Chargers will have to release a player today or place someone on injured reserve because of the signing of Carney.

The Chargers signed 6-3, 300-pound defensive tackle Tony Savage Tuesday to replace the injured 6-5, 315-pound Joe Phillips.

Phillips was injured in an altercation outside of a Mission Beach restaurant a week ago and will be out for two months.

Savage was a fifth-round pick of the Jets from Washington State and officially takes Reveiz’s roster spot.

The club also announced the signing of practice squad wide receiver Dempsey Norman. Norman, a 5-7, 175-pound speedster from the College of St. Francis, was an 11th-round choice of the Cardinals.

Coach Dan Henning said he expects starting safety Vencie Glenn to be recovered sufficiently from a concussion to play against Pittsburgh Sunday.

Henning, however, doesn’t look for wide receiver Nate Lewis, who suffered a pulled quadriceps, and defensive back Joe Fuller, who pulled a hamstring, to be ready to play.

Defensive end Burt Grossman, who went down twice against the Oilers with pain in his neck, “will play,” Henning said. “He’ll be sore all week, but he’ll go.”

The Steelers have yet to score on offense this season, and Henning was asked if he thought they might simplify things in an effort to end the drought.

“When you haven’t scored a touchdown in four games,” he said, “maybe you’re too simple.”