Ross: Offense Needs A Refresher

After two minicamps and five days of practice, it appears some members of the Chargers offense could use a refresher course on the playbook.

“We were sloppy mentally,” Charger Coach Bobby Ross said. “We had missed formations. We had to come in and out of the huddle two or three times because we weren’t mentally into it. I realize that we have to learn a lot of things, but still we have to come out here and apply our trade every day.

“We’re installing, but these are things that we’ve installed. I expect them to know this stuff by now. It’s concentration. We get a little tired, it gets a little hot, that’s when we’ve got to have it. You’re not supposed to leave the huddle if you don’t know the alignment. We want to have multiplicity, movement, we’ve got to know what the hell we’re doing.”

Quarterbacks Jeff Graham and Pat O’Hara will split the work at today’s 11 a.m. scrimmage against the Rams at UC Irvine.

Ross said the two quarterbacks are relatively even, but that could change today.

“They’re going to be going against somebody else for the first time,” Ross said. “This is an evaluation type scrimmage. It isn’t so much looking toward continuity in the offense, but evaluating the two.”

Graham broke his right thumb when he banged it on a defender’s helmet in the morning practice. He had it wrapped in the afternoon practice, but Ross said it didn’t affect his throwing. Graham said he will be ready to play in the scrimmage.

Ross said Bob Gagliano, Derrick Walker, Eric Bieniemy, Anthony Miller and Nate Lewis would not travel to the scrimmage.

Ross was more pleased with offense’s work in the afternoon and even singled out receiver Shawn Jefferson: “He had a heck of a day. He caught three scores and looked like the old Shawn.”

General manager Bobby Beathard says he is close to reaching agreement with linebacker Henry Rolling and offensive tackle Broderick Thompson, but he has not made significant process with the other 11 unsigned veterans. Beathard said he saw quarterback John Friesz at camp Monday but they did not discuss a contract.