CHARGER NOTEBOOK / T.J. SIMERS : Arnsparger Calm Amid Defense’s Flux

Linebacker Leslie O’Neal showed up for a few meetings before disappearing Sunday, linebacker Henry Rolling failed to report as promised and cornerback Gill Byrd has been held out with a sore foot.

George Thornton weighs as much as any elephant in the San Diego Zoo, and Joe Phillips is unsigned and not on the field practicing. Delton Hall, who has been hired to start at strong safety, is a cornerback coming off major knee surgery, and defensive lineman Chris Mims is a weakling by NFL standards.

And there’s Donald Frank; he might be the team’s starting right cornerback this season.

Charger defensive coordinator Bill Arnsparger, however, does not look like a man who has lost any sleep. He has been there, done that and a three-day mini-camp in May is a long way from Sept. 6 and a regular-season date with the Kansas City Chiefs.

“We’ve got an opportunity to be successful,” Arnsparger said. “We just have to line up right, play the right technique and when they blow the whistle, try to make it a physical battle.”

Arnsparger, the man who assembled Miami’s “No-Name Defense,” left pro football in 1983 to become LSU’s head coach and then moved on to the University of Florida as athletic director.

“I’ve enjoyed getting back into it,” Arnsparger said. “It’s still blocking and tackling, pass rushing and whipping the blocker, and those things don’t change. They may be a little faster and a little larger, and they probably spread it out a little more, but I haven’t sensed a tremendous change.”

Arnsparger has inherited a defense which finished 19th in 1991 after a fifth-place showing in 1990. There will be changes. His defense is expected to rely on four defensive linemen and three linebackers. Less pressure will be placed on the cornerbacks by utilizing more zone coverage. “Most people somehow end up rushing four people,” Arnsparger said. “The years that we played a 3-4, shoot, about 75 to 80% of the time we were rushing four.

“I’ve never been any place where three people are capable of giving you good pressure. What usually happens is that you make the quarterback hesitate because you got eight people dropping, but he buys time and it ends up somebody comes open.

“We will probably play a little more zone. We just always played zone. When you’re blitzing, the corners have to cover and you have to play man coverages as part of your mixture. The experience they have had in the past will be helpful.”

Arnsparger must choose from a quartet of candidates to start at right cornerback. Frank may have the inside edge, but Marquez Pope, a second-round draft pick, will be given every chance to unseat Frank. Sean Vanhorse, a Plan B acquisition, and Tony Blaylock, who was claimed off waivers last season, also will challenge for time.

The success of the secondary, however, may hinge on the effectiveness of the defensive line. The Chargers selected Mims in Round 1 to bolster a disappointing pass rush and are counting on a return to form by O’Neal and Burt Grossman.

“I feel we can go out and be a fairly competitive defensive unit,” Coach Bobby Ross said, “but I think the real key is going to be how our defensive line plays.”

Ross persuaded O’Neal to join the team for its defensive meetings on Friday and Saturday, but he was a no-show Sunday. And Rolling, who promised to be in attendance on Friday, missed the entire mini-camp without explanation.

The Chargers will take this week off, but return to voluntary workouts next week. Rules prohibit the team’s 13 drafted players from returning to San Diego for practice until June 1.