Chargers Don’t Fret, Play Jets

There were no position changes this week, no major roster moves, no startling adjustments in philosophy.

No need for it, the Chargers decided, because world opinion be damned.

“We aren’t a bad team,” defensive coordinator Ron Lynn said. “We aren’t as nearly as bad as what our record indicates.”

Their record places them in the AFC West basement. They have one victory in five attempts this season. And today they go into Giants Stadium as five-point underdogs to the team with the worst record in the AFC last season, the New York Jets, who finished 4-12. They are 2-3 this season.

But fret not, said Coach Dan Henning, “I believe our players will play better this week than last week.”

No more than that. After a series of team meetings this week and a re-evaluation of their plan of attack, the Chargers came to the conclusion that they have been sorely misjudged.

“We have the films to bear it out,” defensive end Lee Williams said. “We’re not as bad as everyone makes us to be.”

Films? “Pollyanna?” “Fantasia?” “It’s A Wonderful Life?”

In the past two weeks the Chargers’ defense has worked as Hall of Fame nominating committee for quarterbacks Warren Moon, Bubby Brister and Rick Strom. The Oilers and Steelers completed a combined 45 of 71 passes for 520 yards with one interception and four touchdowns.

Roll that through the projector.

The Chargers’ defense put the Oilers and Steelers in a third-down pickle 28 times and then went on break. The Oilers were successful on seven of 12 third-down attempts, and the Steelers 12 of 16. By day’s end, the Oilers had piled up 421 yards and 29 first downs, the Steelers 376 yards and 25 first downs.

“We appear to be awfully bad after the last two weeks, especially on the defensive side of the ball where we’ve given up yards, first downs, scores and field position,” Lynn said. “That’s not us. I refuse to believe that’s us.

“We’re better than that. We will play better than that. I’m totally confident we will.”

Confidently, then, the Chargers aim to recapture the defensive magic that had them finishing sixth in the league a year ago.

They will continue to rush the passer with Lee Williams, Burt Grossman and Leslie O’Neal and hope the big guys up front make contact before quarterback Ken O’Brien takes aim at a shaky Charger secondary.

“O’Brien has been very solid,” Lynn said. “He doesn’t force things that aren’t there, as witness only the two interceptions he’s thrown.

“He’ll hold the ball if you can confuse him. If you don’t cloud his judgment and make him think a little bit about what he’s doing, then he’s going to hurt you. He’s a very accurate thrower.”

O’Brien is the AFC’s third-rated passer and will be throwing to big-play receivers in Al Toon, who has caught a ball in 67 games in a row, and rookie Rob Moore, who averages 16.3 yards a reception.

The Jets, guided by rookie coach Bruce Coslet, rank No. 1 in rushing in the AFC and are tops overall in offense in the conference with an average of 358.8 yards a game.

“They have an offense like Cincinnati and a defense like Minnesota,” Henning said. “This is a pretty good football team.”

The Jets, however, have blown first-half leads to Cincinnati and Miami in going to defeat, and had to hang on for a 24-21 victory over Cleveland after jumping out to a 21-0 lead. They have been outscored 73-26 in the second half this season and have not posted a touchdown in fourth-quarter play.

The Chargers have scored in the fourth quarter--once. They scored on Rod Bernstine’s one-yard run in Cleveland on the way to recording their only victory of the season.

The Chargers’ offense, which has only two touchdowns in its last eight quarters of play, is expected to hug the ground against the Jets. The Jets’ defense stands 21st against the run, and only Buffalo has a better yards-per-carry average than the Chargers, who are gaining 4.7 yards a run.

“I don’t think with the people we have we can really deviate from the offensive game plan,” guard David Richards said. “We’re a smash-’em-up offense. What we do well is run the football.

“Give the ball to Marion Butts and Rod Bernstine and run them up behind a big offensive line and move the ball. When we do that well, that’s when our passing game takes off.”

Butts and Bernstine are each averaging 4.9 yards a run, and Ronnie Harmon, who hasn’t touched the ball in the past two games, has gained 4.6 yards a rush.

If successful rushing the ball and maintaining control of the clock, the Chargers will not have to rely so heavily on quarterback Billy Joe Tolliver. That was the game plan in Pittsburgh a week ago, but when the Chargers’ defense collapsed, so did the offensive game plan.

In no mood to look back at the disaster in Pittsburgh, the Chargers can take heart in the knowledge that five other teams have opened the NFL season 1-4 and have gone on to make the playoffs. Cincinnati went so far as to open 1-6 in 1970, and then won seven straight to make it as a wild-card entrant.

“We came into this season with expectations of being a playoff team,” linebacker Gary Plummer said. “I don’t think there’s anyone around here that doesn’t still believe that we can make it to the playoffs.”