O’Neal Makes a Hit to Spark Chargers

Chargers linebacker Leslie O’Neal has always been big on making statements, whether it be on or off the field. This year, O’Neal has been quiet. He had recorded just four sacks and had been far less outspoken than the O’Neal of old.

That all changed Sunday against the Miami Dolphins, when O’Neal’s play and talk were back in rare form.

O’Neal’s fourth-quarter hit on Miami quarterback Dan Marino jarred the ball loose and turned on the Jack Murphy Stadium crowd and the Chargers.

Chargers defensive tackle Joe Phillips pounced on the ball, and three plays later the Chargers scored a touchdown and had the lead, 24-23.

“That was the turning point,” Chargers nose tackle Mitchell Benson said. “From there on, they had to pass. We forced them into predictable situations.

“We had been getting close to (Marino) all day. When Leslie got through, it just opened up avenues for everybody.”

Including O’Neal, who took advantage of his big play to do some subtle campaigning for a return to his role as an outside-pass rusher.

“A lot of my emotion is when I get that freedom to express myself on the field from a defensive end,” O’Neal said. “I spent all day (Sunday) as a defensive end.”

And O’Neal said that brings out the best in him.

“Do you see how fresh I am?” O’Neal said with a smirk. “See how you guys are talking to me today?”

O’Neal didn’t want to stop talking about his sack, which came against Richmond Webb, Miami’s All-Pro tackle.

“I had been beating him outside for much of the game,” said O’Neal, who registered his first sack since Nov. 10. “I finally decided to take a chance, go underneath and see if I could make something happen on a first-down, play-action pass. It just paid off. I ended up getting a one-on-one and beating him to the inside.”

While O’Neal was beating Webb, Marino was rolling right trying to find a receiver. But just before he threw, O’Neal unloaded.

“He didn’t see me,” O’Neal said. “He was dashing a little bit away. I just tried to get a big hit on him. The ball ended up coming loose.”

And how did it feel beating an All-Pro?

“It feels good, but I don’t consider myself a bad player,” he said.

But O’Neal was not the only Chargers lineman who had reason to talk. Benson, a third-year player, got his first sack.

Who did he beat?

“I just beat my man,” he said.

And who was that?

“I don’t know, all of them,” Benson laughed.

Benson also was instrumental in forcing Marino to throw a fourth-quarter interception to free safety Stanley Richard.

The Chargers were leading, 24-23, with 10 minutes left when Benson flushed Marino out of the pocket. As Marino ran, Burt Grossman gave chase and forced Marino to throw an off-balance floater that landed in Richard’s arms.

“Me and Leslie had a game going,” Benson said. “Leslie came inside, I came straight up the field. When I came up the field, Marino was there. He had to adjust and run out of the pocket.”

Grossman said he thought Marino was headed for the sidelines.

“I was kind of surprised he threw it,” Grossman said. “He put it high in the air. It wasn’t a good decision on his part. He threw it way up in the air like a punt.”

Richard, who had seen passes zipping by his head all day, said his interception was worth the wait.

“A lot of times, the defense is going to have the coverage there, but Marino’s going to get the ball in there,” he said. “It can be frustrating. In order to survive Dan Marino, you have to keep your composure, not lose your technique and not get frustrated, because eventually everything is going to work out.”

Marino threw for 313 yards and three touchdowns, but Richard said the secondary held their own.

“We were playing for pride,” he said. “A lot of people thought Marino would come in and just totally dominate our secondary. We did not want to allow that to happen. It was easy for our secondary to get up for this game.”

But even in victory, Richard said he marveled at some of Marino’s throws, especially a 39-yard pass that somehow eluded cornerback Sam Seale en route to Mark Duper.

“Gosh,” Richard said “He’s throwing a fade, but he’s throwing like a line-drive to the outside. It was unbelievable. The referee looked at me and said, ‘This guy is remarkable. I’ve never seen anything like that.’ ”