It’s a Close Call, So Chargers Fall : Football: Rams build momentum on safety, hold off Chargers, 30-24.
He cannot block, carry the ball or play defense, but Dan Henning makes the calls, and Dan Henning has some explaining to do.
The Chargers (1-6) frittered away John Friesz’s finest day as a starting quarterback, allowing the Rams to steal a 30-24 victory in front of 47,433 in Anaheim Stadium.
Henning’s tenure in San Diego has consistently has produced close but losing performances, as evidenced by his 4-18 mark in games decided by seven or fewer points. But now Henning’s decision-making has provided additional ammunition to the “Henning Must Go” outcry.
An offensive breakdown in the final seconds of the first half, which led to a safety and a halftime boost for the Rams (3-3), was as damaging to the Chargers’ cause as Henning’s fourth-and-10 call for a Ronnie Harmon draw with 2:08 to play.
The Chargers trailed, 30-24, and had the ball at their 38 with 2:22 remaining. Friesz’s first-down pass to Nate Lewis was dropped, and his second-down pass to Lewis was dropped. On third down, his flare pass to Harmon was ripped from the receiver’s arms for an incompletion.
On fourth and 10, the Chargers had a timeout to use, but they chose not to do so. Henning’s call from the sideline was for a draw play, and Harmon took the ball and ran left for seven yards.
“You want to take the four calls and switch them around?” said Henning. “None of them worked.
“We figured we’d give it to Ronnie rather than throw it, because we had a couple of drops in that drive and they were playing nine men into the coverage, and he would have a shot to run it for the first down.”
Henning figured wrong, just as he had in calling for Marion Butts to run left on the final play of the first half.
The Rams had come from behind to tie the game at 14 on Robert Delpino’s one-yard dive with 19 seconds left in the half. Running back Rod Bernstine and wide receiver Kitrick Taylor allowed Tony Zendejas’ ensuing kickoff to bounce past them to an awaiting Nate Lewis.
However, the ball bounded high over Lewis’ head. Lewis recovered the free ball in a frenzied scramble at the one-yard line, and the Chargers had 14 seconds to kill the clock.
On first down Harmon broke right, was almost tackled for a safety, but broke loose for a one-yard gain. “That was Ronnie’s choice,” Henning said. “It was an inside play and he bumped it out. It was a play designed to go up the middle.”
After a Rams timeout, Butts ran up the middle and was dropped for a one-yard loss. The Rams called timeout, and on third down with one second left on the clock, Butts attempted to run left, but was hogtied by lienbacker Kevin Greene in the end zone for a safety.
“We thought we could punch it out of there and they put an extra man on the left side and we didn’t block him,” Henning said. “They guessed. They left a hole on the other side, but they did a good job there (on the left side).”
Why not run right, right behind the strength of the Chargers’ offensive line? Why run left behind rookie Eric Moten and free-agent tackle Harry Swayne?
“That’s exactly it,” said Broderick Thompson, the team’s right tackle. “They study that, so you tend to change week-to-week. When you’re used to running something in a certain situation they know your tendencies and so you tend to change in midseason.
“In my opinion, we had two basic inexperienced players in that position (on the left side), because (tight end) Arthux Cox was hurt and he’s usually there, and Steve Hendrickson was not making the adjustment on the field by formation.”
Why didn’t Henning order Friesz to throw the ball over the head of a receiver and out of bounds?
“That’s a possibility, that’s a possibility,” Henning said.
Had he considered that possibility?
“Nope,” he said.
How about a quarterback sneak?
“We don’t run quarterback sneaks,” Henning said. “No, that wasn’t considered. We have a big 250-pound running back and we expect him to be able to knock it out of there. We had three shots from the one-yard line and we didn’t do it. We didn’t do a good job there.”
Butts carried the ball five times for seven yards in the first half, and after being snuffed in the end zone, he did not earn another carry in the second half.
“The guy was unblocked,” Butts said. “The play was designed to go outside. He (Greene) really caught me off-guard; I figured the play would work.”
The Chargers had built a 14-7 lead on Friesz’s 30-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Miller and his 49-yard pass to Lewis. The Rams struck back with Jim Everett’s first touchdown pass of the season, an 18-yard shot to tight end Jim Price, a Pete Holohan clone.
Delpino’s plunge and the charitable safety allowed the Rams to enjoy a 16-14 halftime advantage. They stretched it to 23-14 in the third quarter on an 11-play, 85-yard drive culminating in another Delpino one-yard dive.
The Chargers replied with an 80-yard drive and a one-yard touchdown leap from Bernstine to pull within a safety of the Rams, 23-21.
“You would think sooner or later we’d get smart and not give things away,” Chargers linebacker Leslie O’Neal said. “We don’t learn from our mistakes.”
Donald Frank’s mistake in the fourth quarter completed a penalty-filled day for the Chargers, which included nine flags for 99 yards. Frank’s pass interference on Ron Brown allowed the Rams to gain 36 yards and overcome a third and eight at their 16-yard line.
“It was right in front of me,” Henning said. “I don’t think it was pass interference. If they called it pass interference, they’re erroneous. If they called it face-guarding, they might have a case. But my personal observation was it was offensive pass interference because Brown pushed off.
“We had some offsides, some holding--I think we had about five holding penalties in the first six games and we had five in this game. I don’t know whether they (officials) see the same things, or call the same things. It didn’t look like they were calling it on the other side, but we did it. If that’s the case we weren’t good enough to overcome it.”
After the Rams received favorable field position on Frank’s penalty, they went in to score. Everett took advantage of rookie Stanley Richard, and found Price again for a 12-yard touchdown and a 30-21 lead.
Friesz, who completed 21 of 33 passes for 306 yards, kept the Chargers moving. They advanced to the Rams’ nine-yard line with a little more than three minutes to play, and then called a timeout on fourth and two.
Why call a timeout to have John Carney kick a 27-yard field goal? Why not just send Carney on the field and save the timeout? Was the timeout called to discuss the possibility of kicking the field goal?
“That’s correct,” Henning said. “Glad you watched today; sometimes you don’t.”
The Chargers trailed 30-24 after Carney’s kick, and would get the ball back with 2:22 to play. But on fourth down, Henning would call for a draw that would not work, and now he must answer to those who will be calling for his job.
“Well, then if criticism is warranted then all the other good things that happened in the game should be credited to me, too,” Henning said. “And that’s not the case, either. Our players have to block things, we have to catch the ball and I have to call them the way we have them set up. And that’s the way it is.”
*1-6 AND COUNTING
* Charger receiver Anthony Miller broke out of his slump. C9
* Jim Everett’s first two touchdown passes of the season came at the Chargers’ expense. C10
Charger Review C10
Charger Report Card C12
