CHARGERS ANALYSIS : Individual Efforts Just Didn’t Add Up in ’90
Think back to early September when anything was possible.
The Chargers were 0-0, but you have been told they will finish the season with the National Football League’s fifth-ranked defense.
You have been advised they will go from last to first in special teams. You have looked into the future and discovered the offensive line will support the NFL’s leading rusher 14 games into the season. You know the line will allow only 20 sacks to rank No. 2 in the league.
Although it sounds far-fetched, you’re told the offense will score more points than the defense surrenders. It will rank 15th in the league, and running back Marion Butts and wide receiver Anthony Miller will be selected to start in the Pro Bowl.
Quarterback Billy Joe Tolliver will throw 140 passes in a row without an interception. Leslie O’Neal will rank third in the AFC with 13.5 sacks and Gill Byrd second with seven interceptions. Kicker John Carney will miss only two field goals to set a team record.
Sit down. Before the season begins, you can mark it down: The Chargers will win in Seattle’s Kingdome for the first time in a decade.
Dream on . . . In reality, it’s been another living nightmare. Another 6-10 struggle.
All the positive and splendid things that have happened, and still the Chargers haven’t made the grade:
QUARTERBACKS
F. Who is the quarterback? Until they decide, the Chargers are headed nowhere. You’ve got Tolliver, who doesn’t excite General Manager Bobby Beathard or owner Alex Spanos. You’ve got John Friesz, who will need time to develop, and does Coach Dan Henning have the time and job security to work with Friesz? And you’ve got Mark Vlasic, who only excites the imagination of the ticket-buying public. Combined, they completed 52.1% of their passes, and only New Orleans with second-year quarterback Steve Walsh at the command, completed fewer passes. The longest pass completion of the season was a 45-yard touchdown to Quinn Early. Charger quarterbacks completed only two passes of 40 yards or more.
RUNNING BACKS
A. Chargers ran the ball 484 times without fumbling and averaged an AFC-high 4.7 yards a rush. Marion Butts, who will be forever thankful for hooking up with run-happy Henning, was leading the NFL in rushing with 1,225 yards before missing the final two games with a foot injury. Ronnie Harmon should be the Plan B free agency poster child for immediate team improvement. Harmon was the team’s most exciting performer, averaging 5.5 yards a run, and finished second in receptions with 46. Rod Bernstine has superstar talent and won’t be tackled without a fight, but he still hasn’t convinced his employers that he’s worth keeping.
RECEIVERS
D-. Wouldn’t be surprised if Anthony Miller drops his plane ticket to the Pro Bowl. Miller has no business going to Hawaii. Although he led the team with 63 catches, Miller was consistent in only his inconsistency. Chargers will tell you he was double-covered, but that doesn’t explain the large number of dropped passes. His longest reception was 31 yards, and that’s a waste of game-breaking speed. The rest of the receiving corps took the season off. Early led all receivers opposite Miller with 15 catches and he’s not expected to be with the team next season.
TIGHT ENDS
B+. Rookie tight end Derrick Walker was most impressive Beathard draft choice and caught 23 passes. Play of Craig McEwen, Joe Caravello, Walker and even chubby, troublesome Arthur Cox should earn pay raise for tight ends coach Ed White. Tight ends helped stablize the offensive line in passing situations and paved way for Butts’ success.
OFFENSIVE LINE
B. Despite lining up with three different stiffs at left tackle, nobody had to remove a Charger quarterback from the field via a stretcher. Don’t know how they did it, but they held their ground. That’s the good news, the bad news is that the Chargers probably will shuffle the line again next season. More chaos, more questions, and still no left tackle.
DEFENSIVE LINE
D. Imagine taking Roger Clemens out of the starting rotation and making him a middle reliever. Imagine asking Michael Jordan to pass the ball. Imagine telling Wayne Gretzky to play more defense. You don’t do it. You don’t move Lee Williams, your best pass rusher, to defensive tackle. But the Chargers did, and they don’t understand why he had only 7 1/2 sacks. Brow-beating of eccentric Burt Grossman by coaching staff also underminded attack up front. Chargers need Joe Phillips. But his relationship with the team has deteriorated to point where he will probably be traded in off-season. That renders Chargers helpless to teams with big offensive lines.
LINEBACKERS
B-. Effort to muzzle Leslie O’Neal threatens to ruin spirit that drives him to achieve greatness. Chargers lack leadership in locker room. Billy Ray Smith and Gary Plummer are respected, but they stand together on an island away from the rest of a young and ever-changing team. O’Neal may exude selfishness, but because of his talent and disregard for authority, he has a following. Junior Seau played out of position and had nightmarish rookie season. Team has come to conclusion that he must be placed in position to make big plays, and will let him rush the passer. Defense needs consistency provided by Smith and Plummer, but injuries have taken their toll on Smith. Plummer is all that is right with professional football both on and off the field. Say goodbye to Cedric Figaro.
DEFENSIVE BACKS
C. Chargers go into offseason looking to find replacements for starting safeties Vencie Glenn and Martin Bayless. Front office has problem with Glenn’s demeanor, and team thinks Bayless a liability in passing situations. New management team has become enamored with Anthony Shelton, Donald Frank and Donnie Elder. Sam Seale continues to draw criticism, but try to catch a pass on him. Gill Byrd has had seven interceptions in each of the last three years and knows now it will take eight one year to draw Pro Bowl interest. Opposition caught seven more touchdown passes than last season, and last season Chargers still had Elvis Patterson.
SPECIAL TEAMS
A. Chargers were 23rd in punt returns last season and tied for eighth this year. They were first in punt coverage this season after placing 23rd in 1989. First in kickoff returns under Larry Pasquale and 14th last season under Joe Madden. And they were fourth in kickoff coverage after placing 25th last year. John Kidd was dependable and John Carney remarkable. Carney was 19 of 21 in field-goal attempts after Fuad Reveiz went two of seven to open the season.
COACHING
C/F. C for continuity; F for failing to live up to expectations this season. Chargers have been strangled by change and impatience in the past. Henning has three years remaining on his contract, but how many people believe he can survive another 6-10 campaign? Chargers were 5-5 and playing Kansas City; they went 1-5 down the stretch and finished out of the playoffs. Henning knows his football, his players played hard for him to the end, and he will probably never again call for a fake punt as long as he lives. He needs help in area of public realtions if he’s to earn extra time from Alex Spanos. He also continues to stake his future on Tolliver; anyone who believes wealth will eventually come through the lottery can sympathize with him.
FRONT OFFICE
BB. For Bobby Beathard. You have to believe the “Smartest Man in the NFL” knows what he’s doing. His Plan B acquisitions of Harmon, Kidd and Carney are the kind of moves one expects of a legend. He was badly off-target, however, in the third-round selection of linebacker Jeff Mills. He forced offensive line coach Larry Beightol out, to Henning’s dismay, and replaced him with genius Alex Gibbs. He wanted running back Thomas Sanders to stay with the team, but couldn’t convince the coaches. He was behind the hiring of special teams coordinator Larry Pasquale. His tough stand in contract negotiations doesn’t bode well for future of Bernstine and Phillips. He has further changes in mind in secondary, defensive line and offensive line. He also wants to build the offense around Friesz; Henning wants Tolliver. The Smartest Man in the NFL knows how to get his way, though, without folks knowing he’s really gotten his way. And his track record says his way is usually the right way.