Thornton’s Big Test Begins Against Cards

There are two ways to look upon tonight’s entertainment in Sun Devil Stadium:

1) It will be the exhibition debut of Coach Bobby Ross’ Chargers as they take on the Phoenix Cardinals.

2) It will be the sneak preview of the remake of “The Blob,” starring George Thornton.

Forget about the exhibition game; it won’t count. If the Chargers are going to win the games that do matter, Thornton must play the run-stuffing heavy with an award-winning performance at defensive tackle.

Fat chance, huh?

“There’s a lot of room for development on his part,” Ross said after announcing that Thornton had finally made weight at 295 pounds. “I don’t know if he is the answer; we’ve got to find out. Right now he’s the best we’ve got.”

The Chargers will use a 4-3 defense this season and presently Thornton has the girth to occupy both inside tackle positions. He’s that wide.

When the Chargers talk about Thornton anchoring their defense it has nothing to do with his ability to play football. The Chargers used a high second-round pick on Thornton last year and then watched him eat. They wanted him to weigh 295 pounds, but at season’s end, he was parking 331 pounds on the bench.

This year was going to be different. Ross, the disciplinarian, met with Thornton and told him that he had to report for duty at 295 pounds. Pass on the dessert?

Guess not. Thornton checked into training camp at 312 pounds, worked out for a week, and then weighed in at 308, although he told an inquiring reporter he was a svelte 303.

The Chargers fined Thornton $650 for being 13 pounds overweight, then Thornton got mad at the media. To demonstrate his anger, he stopped talking and went into hiding.

The club’s public relations department went so far as to look under his bed Thursday, but they came back and reported him missing. He skipped lunch, which is supposed to subject him to a fine.

On Friday the team said: “George Thornton now will speak.”

By George, life is worth living after all.

“I’m not getting paid to do no damn interview,” Thornton began. “All a newspaper is good for is to let my dog . . .”

Lunch and a movie then is probably out of question.

“You wanna talk,” he said. “Do it here.”

Thornton sat down and somewhere a Richter scale took note.

“I think my weight has been a major focus,” Thornton said. “I guess it started July 12 in an article about this overweight business. I don’t know, I don’t read the papers. But that seems to be the focus of George and not what George can do on the field.”

You would expect a guy who weighs as much as Thornton to speak in the third person, but there isn’t much to talk about when it comes to his performance on the field. He ate six more pregame meals last year than he had total tackles.

“I feel good about myself for what I did last year,” Thornton said. “I haven’t had a lot of people tell me I had a bum year last year or didn’t do well. No one said anything and I don’t read the papers; they’re for my dogs.”

Someone has to have a talk with this guy, or else it’s time those dogs become housebroken.

“I wasn’t really able to appraise his work because he really didn’t play that much; there wasn’t anything there to evaluate,” Ross said. “I was able to appraise George Hinkle a lot better.”

Thornton couldn’t beat out Hinkle last year. That’s enough to drive anyone to the Twinkies.

Hinkle moved to Washington in Plan B free agency this year and now there is this development: Joe Phillips Remains Unsigned; Demands Trade.

The Chargers obviously have a problem at defensive tackle.

“That’s a matter of opinion,” Thornton said. “That’s what you say.”

No, that’s what Ross said.

“Defensive tackle is probably our biggest question mark going into the season,” Ross said. “That’s a huge question mark for us. A big concern.”

Thornton grumbled. “I wouldn’t say that right now. Before making a judgment we have to be given a chance.

“I know Joe is a hard guy to replace. I don’t think we have a defensive lineman that is now as good as Joe was at his position. But I’m going to do the best I can.”

Ross is counting on that. “What I see is a big guy who can run fairly well,” he said. “His work habits have been real good and very positive and he has made his weight.”

Thornton, the heavyweight, will line up next to 278-pound Blaise Winter tonight at defensive tackle. The pair will be backed up by Tony Savage, Mitchell Benson, Arthur Paul and Reggie White.

Now you know why the Chargers are counting on Thornton. They had similar expectations last year at this time, too, but he was too out of shape to make it through a preseason game without collapsing on the sideline.

“The weight thing is in the past,” he said. “It’s nothing to talk about.”

Tell it to Ross.

“That’s not my fault, that’s his fault,” Ross said. “I’m the type of person, I mean I’m going to stay on it. I’m not going to back off of it. I’m going to be persistent as hell.

“I’m not out to win any popularity contests.”

Thornton and Ross see eye-to-eye on at least one thing.

Charger Notes

Game time is 7:30 p.m. . . . Anthony Miller has recovered sufficiently from off-season knee surgery to start at wide receiver tonight alongside of training camp standout Walter Stanley. Shawn Jefferson (hamstring) and Nate Lewis (quadriceps muscle) will not play. . . . Tony Blaylock will start in place of Gill Byrd (ankle) at cornerback. . . . Guard Jeff Walker (concussion) did not make the trip to Phoenix. . . . Linebacker Billy Ray Smith (calf) will not play tonight, but he is expected to practice for the first time next week.

Quarterbacks coach Jack Reilly will call offensive plays from the press box; defensive coordinator Bill Arnsparger makes all calls from the sideline.