CHARGER REVIEW : NOTEBOOK / T.J. SIMERS : Trick Play Shows Henning’s True Colors

The first thing you learn about Dan Henning after spending any time with him, is that he is stubborn.

We’re talking stubborn .

Therefore, Sunday’s decision to call or a fake punt almost was predictable.

Last year Henning took a beating from fans and the media after the Chargers’ attempt to run a fake punt in the season opener at Dallas backfired. Henning later said that the play would have resulted in a touchdown, if not for Marion Butts’ blown assignment.

Fast forward to Sunday’s opener in Pittsburgh, and the Chargers have the ball on their 45 in the third quarter while trailing, 16-3.

Mark Rodenhauser snapped the ball to punter John Kidd, and Kidd looked as if he wanted to pass the ball. He waited. And he waited and finally he went ahead and kicked the ball. The Chargers were penalized five yards for an illegal player downfield, and Kidd punted again.

“I was trying to throw it to Donald Frank,” Kidd said. “He didn’t hear the call. He was supposed to run an out pattern, and instead he just ran down the field. It didn’t kill us like it did last year in Dallas, but it was there. It was wide open.”

Henning said he called for the fake punt because the Chargers needed a spark. The Steelers took the ball and added a field goal to increase their lead to 19-3, but the fake punt was not a factor.

“It took a lot of guts, but our coach has a lot of guts,” Kidd said. “If we played Dallas and they lined up against us like they did last year, I think he’d call it again. That’s what this game is all about. When you get a matchup where you feel like you can take advantage of somebody, you got to take it.”

Wide receiver Anthony Miller left the game in the second half with a deep bruise over his knee. Henning said Miller suffered a similar injury in exhibition play and missed 10 days.

Linebacker Junior Seau went down with an ankle injury, returned and fell to the ground again. He was on the bench when the Steelers broke their game-deciding touchdown for 89 yards.

“I got clipped,” Seau said. “I was fighting the doctors to let me back in the game. It’s just a sprain; if they want me to practice (today), I’ll be ready.

“The feeling I get from this game is that we showed our youth, but we also showed improvement. We’re just going to have to go back, hit the books and come out with a cleaner game scheme. And perform.”

When it came time for pregame introductions, the Chargers remained in the tunnel. As the public address announcer went down the list of defensive starters, the Chargers remained out of sight.

A Charger spokesman said they were not given their cue by Steeler personnel.

The Chargers, however, won the toss, and elected to play.

Running back Marion Butts began the game on the Charger kickoff return team, and made his first appearance on offense with 11 minutes to play in the first half.

After blocking on John Friesz’s attempted pass to Anthony Miller, Butts got the ball and at the same time a smack in the face from Pittsburgh linebacker Hardy Nickerson. Butts avoided a four-yard loss by squirting forward for only a one-yard loss.

Later, Butts went right when Friesz expected him to go left. Friesz fell down for a one-yard loss on the busted play.

“He thought I said, ‘40,’ and I said, ‘50,” explained Friesz. It must have been that Idaho accent.

With less than two minutes to play in the first half, Friesz got off a pass just as defensive end Aaron Jones arrived. Jones put his helmet into Friesz’s chest and then tried to plant the young quarterback into the Three Rivers Stadium turf.

“He got me right in the heart,” Friesz said. “I didn’t get the wind knocked out of me, but something was there. I was coughing.”

Linebacker Gary Plummer has been the Chargers’ leading tackler the past three seasons, and he began this year with six.

However, the Chargers also started the year with a loss, and Plummer has as much pride as he has tackles.

“I have a hard time finding the words for it,” he said. “It hurts because it’s a loss, but at least if you’re going to compare this to last year’s defeat here, it wasn’t anything close to that.”

The Chargers were drilled 35-14 last year, and allowed the Steelers to light up the scoreboard after Pittsburgh had failed to score a touchdown in its previous four games.

“That was an embarrassment last year,” Plummer said. “This year some guys showed some character in fighting right down to the wire. If you’re looking for some encouragement, that’s one area to look at.”

Chargers have lost five consecutive opening games. . . . The Chargers removed rookie Eric Moten from the starting lineup in the second half and replaced him at left guard with veteran Mark May. . . . Rookie Shawn Jefferson, obtained in the trade with Houston for defensive end Lee Williams, caught three passes for 23 yards, including a five-yard touchdown pass with no time remaining in the game. . . . The Chargers fielded three punts and on each occasion they called for a fair catch. . . . The Chargers scored 17 points in the fourth quarter. That’s more points than they scored in four quarters of play in nine games last year. . . . Chargers have lost all eight-regular season games they have played in Three Rivers Stadium.