NOTEBOOK / T.J. SIMERS : Chargers Study Whose Side They’re On
They knew it was coming. They prepared for it. It was the last thing they discussed before taking the field Sunday.
Don’t let John Elway pull you offsides.
Second quarter: It’s third and 14, and Elway is sacked for an 11-yard loss, but hold on there--is that a yellow flag?
Offsides on Junior Seau.
Third quarter: It’s third and five and Elway is rushed, he throws and his pass is intercepted by Seau, who runs the distance for a touchdown, but hold on there--is that a yellow flag?
Offsides on Burt Grossman.
Fourth quarter: It’s third and 12 and Elway hits Mark Jackson for 33 yards, but hold on there--is that a yellow flag?
Offsides on Seau, but it’s declined.
The Charger defenders have been trained to watch the ball. A few years ago Elway yanked them offside five times, and so they know better. And still they jumped offside.
“It wasn’t really a hard count; I just jumped,” Grossman said. “He got us a few times; obviously it came at a bad time.
“It wasn’t like a couple of years ago when he was really yelling. It was the first time he really flinched; I don’t know why I did it.”
Coach Dan Henning doesn’t know why it happens, but he knows this: “They’ve got to be more disciplined than that,” he said. “That was a penalty that cost us seven points.”
Cornerback Gill Byrd, who has had more interceptions in the NFL the past three seasons than any other defender, continues to rack up the numbers.
Byrd intercepted his third pass of the season--the sixth time in his career that he has picked off an Elway pass.
Elway threw 140 consecutive passes without an interception before being victimized once again by Byrd.
Running backs Rod Bernstine and Marion Butts combined for 152 yards on 29 carries. Bernstine gained 103 yards on 18 carries, an average gain of 5.7 yards.
“Marion and I are trying to get that extra yard,” Bernstine said, “because we don’t want each other to outdo the other one.”
The ghost of Billy Joe Tolliver appears.
At halftime General Manager Bobby Beathard was interviewed over Denver radio station KOA. While Beathard was explaining why it was necessary to get rid of Tolliver, the Texas Tech University Marching Band provided background music for the fans’ benefit in Mile High Stadium.
The Chargers drafted Tolliver from Texas Tech.
Henning was asked if he would put into perspective how he felt about winning and losing, as Cincinnati Coach Sam Wyche had done recently.
Henning said, “No.”
What happened? Why was Mark Jackson so wide open on third and 12? How come he could catch a 33-yard pass without a Charger defender in sight?
“They picked Gill Byrd,” defensive coordinator Ron Lynn said.
Pick plays are illegal, yet a mainstay in every team’s offensive arsenal. A wide receiver runs a route and gets in the way of a defender, who has been assigned defensive duties on another receiver.
Running back Eric Bieniemy, who set numerous rushing records for the University of Colorado, came back as a special teams player for the Chargers.
Bieniemy made a big hit in the fourth quarter on a punt return and raised his arm to the crowd and received a loud ovation.
A moment later, the crowd was told by the referee that No. 32 (Bieniemy) had left too soon, and the Chargers were being penalized and forced to punt again.
“Today was special,” Bieniemy said, while holding court for the Denver media after the game. “Mac (Colorado Coach Bill McCartney) wouldn’t let me play on special teams, and it’s something that I always wanted to do.”
At least one person in the Charger locker room was happy.
Safety Dennis Smith’s sideline hit on wide receiver Nate Lewis was the reason there were ambulances on call.
In the fourth quarter, quarterback John Friesz lofted a pass to Lewis on third and six. The high pass gave Smith a running start, and he timed his hit with the arrival of the ball, and then planted his helmet between the 8 and the 1 on Lewis’ jersey.
Lewis went flying out of bounds and did not get up.
“I’m alive,” Lewis said. “He knocked me out; I just blanked out for a few seconds. I’m fine now.”
In the first quarter Friesz had only to get the ball to Shawn Jefferson and his team would have had a 28-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead. But Friesz’s pass fell short of a diving Jefferson.
“Henning’s been designing these plays that we can score touchdowns on and I just didn’t connect,” Friesz said. “I didn’t follow through with my weight.”
In the second quarter Anthony Miller got behind a defender and was wide open in the end zone. Friesz overthrew him.
“That one we need to look at the film,” Friesz said. “ felt I had hung onto the ball as long as I could before getting hit. Another half-count and it’s going to be a lost easier throw.”
Placekicker John Carney missed three of four field-goal attempts last week, but Carney was four-for-four against the Broncos. It’s the eight-time in Charger history that a kicker had hit four field goals in a game.
No kicker for San Diego had ever hit five in a game--and after Sunday, they still haven’t.