CHARGER REVIEW : NOTEBOOK : Bernstine Turns Negatives Into Positives

Running back Rod Bernstine has done nothing but gain huge chunks of yardage on extra-effort runs for the Chargers.

He did it last year while pestered by rumors that the team would try to trade him. He did it this year when running back Marion Butts held out for more money.

And then he injured his back and lost his starting assignment. When he recovered, he was forced to be Butts’ reserve.

Bernstine has been upset about his role, but when approached by a reporter last week, he chose not to discuss his personal feelings. He said he did not want to cause problems.

“I wasn’t happy all week and I was upset with the playing time I’ve been getting,” Bernstine said. “But I didn’t want to make a big deal out of the situation, so I kept my mouth closed.”

An angry Bernstine ran 13 times for 104 yards against the Miami Dolphins Sunday, scored three touchdowns, including a 63-yard run to secure a 38-30 victory, and caught one pass for no gain.

“All I want is the ball and an opportunity,” Bernstine said. “I’ve hung in there, and I was put in the situation today to make some big plays late in the ballgame, and I think I answered some of the critics again.”

Bernstine has rushed for more than 100 yards three times this season and now has gained 749 yards on 151 carries. Butts, who is still looking for his first 100-yard rushing effort this season, has run 186 times for 788 yards.

“When you have a running attack like we have,” Bernstine said, “I don’t think any ballclub wants to play us late in the season because they are a little worn down and we have so many guys who can continue to run after you.”

No it wasn’t an illusion, that really was Shawn Jefferson, Yancey Thigpen, Craig McEwen and Derrick Walker in the game at the same time for much of the fourth quarter.

Meanwhile, starting wide receivers Kitrick Taylor and Nate Lewis sat on the bench together discussing their plight.

Receivers coach Charlie Joiner said the substitutions had nothing to do with the play of Taylor and Lewis. Lewis had caught two passes for 27 yards, but he also dropped a couple.

“We had planned to play the two rookies in the third and fourth quarter,” Joiner said. “We wanted to take a look at them together and see what they could do.”

Jefferson came up with a 29-yard catch on third and 19 that kept the Chargers drive alive.

“Shawn made a big catch,” Joiner said.

Thigpen did not have a pass thrown his way, but Joiner said that might change next week.

“We plan to play Shawn and Yancey about half the time next week against Denver,” he said. “We have to figure out if these guys can play.”

Chargers punter John Kidd chased referee Gerry Austin down the field after Miami’s Mike Williams ran into him in the first quarter. Kidd fell down after being hit by Williams at his ankles. Austin stood and looked at Friesz on the ground but made no roughing-the-punter call.

It didn’t take eight minutes, but once again instant replay officials ruled against the Chargers. Officials called Lewis’ catch incomplete because he was bobbling the ball while going out of bounds. Instant replay officials agreed in less than two minutes. Chargers Coach Dan Henning complained that it took replay officials eight minutes to decide that John Friesz had thrown a backward pass last week against Kansas City.

Although a Lewis catch would have given the Chargers a first down on the Miami 30, the call was not costly. The Chargers scored four plays later to tie the game, 10-10.

Craig McEwen has admittedly dropped a couple touchdown passes this season, but he said Friesz’s second-quarter pass to him in the back of the end zone wasn’t one of them. McEwen leaped for the ball, but it hit off his hands.

“I couldn’t get up that high,” McEwen said. “Darren Carrington came over to me and said, ‘We’ll work on that in the off-season.’ ”

While XTRA-AM listeners were listening to a Boot World commercial and an ESPN promo for the Buffalo-Indianapolis game, Dolphins kicker Pete Stoyanovich was missing a key extra point in the third quarter.

Stoyanovich’s original kick was good, but officials called holding on Miami fullback Tony Paige. Stoyanovich then pushed his 30-yard extra-point wide right. The miss left the Dolphins with a 16-10 lead.

XTRA’s audience was told a late flag on Paige was the reason it was late in getting the real score. But it appeared the flag had been dropped immediately.

Anyone wondering how Miami’s Scott Miller returned Kidd’s third-quarter punt 32 yards up the sideline, only needed to look at the sidelines after the play. Special teams coach Larry Pasquale immediately marched over to linebacker Galand Thaxton and spent the next five minutes in Thaxton’s face.

Chargers linebacker Leslie O’Neal was still shaking his head over Dan Marino’s 10-yard sprint to the end zone past Junior Seau and Carrington.

“I think he threw everybody for a loop when he decided to take off and run,” O’Neal said. “We didn’t expect him to run. Nobody thought he was that fast, but looked pretty quick getting to the end zone.”

The Chargers’ Gill Byrd and John Friesz aggravated their injured ankles, but they didn’t miss any action.