CHARGER UPDATE : NOTEBOOK : Henning Not Too Excited About Throwing More to Bernstine

Just asking.

Why not have running back Rod Bernstine become more involved in the Chargers’ passing game?

The Chargers drafted Bernstine as a pass-catching tight end, and anointed him the heir apparent to replace Kellen Winslow.

Coach Dan Henning, however, moved Bernstine to running back, the position he occupied in his early days at Texas A&M.;

Fine, so now the Chargers have a running back who can run over defenders and catch passes.

“We have gone to him in about the same percentage on first down as we throw the ball to anybody,” Henning said, and he did not like the question. “He’s caught his passes in that situation; he hasn’t been in there on third down at all.”

In six games Bernstine has caught four passes for 44 yards.

“That’s about normal,” Henning said. “If you take him out of the spot he’s in then you lose the threat of the runner. And he is a runner, and that’s his No. 1 attribute right now. If you move him out of that spot, then you lose the picture that you’re trying to set up on first down.”

The picture? The what? Simple question: Why not exploit Bernstine’s talents as both a runner and a receiver?

“We’re in a one-back set, if he’s not back there, they know it’s pass and who the hell else is going to carry the ball,” Henning snapped. “If you’re gonna pass you might as well get all your best pass receivers in there.”

Simple solution: Put Bernstine and Marion Butts in the same backfield, and have Bernstine go out for a pass.

“Why? When the bleep has he (Bernstine) ever shown he’s a great player split out?” Henning said with a sneer.

Bernstine led all collegiate tight ends with 65 catches at Texas A&M; while splitting out wide much of the time, and after backing up Winslow as a rookie, he caught 50 passes in 19 games between 1988 and 1989.

“Bull,” Henning said. “His production value was zero for the first two years he played here, except for one big play. You split him out and he’s going to be covered by a corner.

“Bernstine versus a defensive back is a mismatch? Where are you going to put him to get the mismatch? Who blocks for the running game then? You guys have been smoking something.

“We’ve taken a guy who has had minimum production around here for two years and given him maximum production, and all you want to do is do something else with him. You’re never satisfied; you’re like a nympho. We’ve taken a seventh-round draft choice (Butts), who nobody felt could run the ball and we’ve gotten maximum production and All-Pro out of him.

“And we’re talking seventh-round tight end (Derrick Walker, who was taken in the sixth round), free-agent tight end (Arthur Cox), another free-agent tight end (Craig McEwen) and another free-agent tight end (Steve Hendrickson) and used them to block, and you want something else.”

Just asking. . . .

The Chargers’ running attack ranks No. 1 in the league with an average of 153.3 yards a game, and is tops in the league with an average gain of 5.1 yards a carry.

In the past two decades, only one team, the 1984 Rams, has averaged more than 5.1 yards a gain for the season. The 1984 Rams, paced by Eric Dickerson’s 2,105 yards, averaged 5.3 yards a rush.

Bernstine has gained 482 yards and is averaging 4.7 yards a carry, while Butts has 243 yards on an average gain of 5.1 yards.

“I’ve had two like that before (in Atlanta) in William Andrews and Gerald Riggs, but they were at different stages in their career,” Henning said. “Andrews was a bona fide superstar in the league, and Riggs was in his second year. Rod and Marion are kind of like those two guys.

“Rod is more like William, and Butts is more like Riggs, only in certain facets Butts is better than Riggs. I think he’s probably a better outside runner than Riggs was. Rod is much taller and bigger than William was.”

Andrews and Riggs combined to rush for 2,004 yards for Henning’s Falcons in 1983.

Chargers moving back to L.A.? The Chargers began playing football in the Los Angeles Coliseum in 1960 and finished first with a 10-4 mark before making the move to San Diego in 1961.

Henning may want to petition the NFL for a move back into the smog.

“Based on the fact that we haven’t been able to win in Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Denver and San Diego and have been able to win in Los Angeles,” Henning said, “we don’t mind going back to Los Angeles, even if it’s Anaheim.”

The Rams (2-3) are coming off a bye week and the extra time off has given offensive coordinator Ernie Zampese a chance to find a solution to what befuddles quarterback Jim Everett.

“Giving Ernie Zampese two weeks to get the offensive operation back in action is a concern to us,” Henning said. “We know Everett is one of the better passing quarterbacks in the league.”

In the past three years Everett threw 83 touchdown passes. This season, however, he has yet to find the end zone and has thrown five interceptions. He’s the only starting quarterback in the league this season not to have thrown a touchdown pass.

Someone asked Henning Tuesday, that if he had a magic wand, would he have John Friesz throw passes deeper down the field?

“If I had a magic wand, I’d probably not be in coaching,” Henning said. “I’d be in the stock market and just wave whenever I wanted the stocks to go up.”