Knee Injury Fells Friesz --for Year? : Football: Chargers lose exhibition, 35-14, and perhaps their starting quarterback for the season.
Obviously, this is no dream team, but what a nightmare.
The Bobby Ross era has begun for the Chargers with the possible end to John Friesz’s season.
The Chargers carted Friesz from the field in the closing moments of the first half in their exhibition opener with Phoenix on Saturday night, and General Manager Bobby Beathard said later Friesz suffered a serious knee injury.
“I don’t know the medical terms, but it doesn’t look very good,” Beathard said at a hastily called press conference. “It looks like it’s a pretty serious injury. Right now I guess we have to expect the worst--that we will lose him for the year.
“The doctor hasn’t told me that, but it sounds like it could be. I was told it’s a severe sprain, but a severe sprain could mean anything.”
The Cardinals posted a 35-14 exhibition victory in Sun Devil Stadium, but it will be the seriousness of Friesz’s injury that will have the most profound effect on the Chargers’ plans for 1992.
The team said that X-rays on Friesz’s knee were negative. They said he will be re-examined upon the team’s return to San Diego.
“It all happened fairly quickly,” Friesz said. “The pain was probably the most I have ever felt in my life. It didn’t last too long. But after the first few seconds I knew it was more serious. . . . and as every second passed I felt the chances were that it was worst.
“We won’t know until tomorrow. It depends if it’s a strain or a cartilage; we won’t know until tomorrow.”
Said Ross: “It doesn’t look good right now, but we want to take a closer look at the knee tomorrow. You always hope.”
The Chargers trailed the Cardinals 28-0 in the second quarter as Friesz dropped back to pass. He completed a three-yard pass to wide receiver Walter Stanley over the middle, but after releasing the ball Phoenix linebacker Ken Harvey dove into Friesz’s legs.
Friesz immediately clutched his left knee, while the referee hit Harvey with an unnecessary roughness penalty for a low tackle.
“When I first saw the hit my comment was, ‘It’s a bad injury,’ ” Beathard said.
Without Friesz, the Chargers’ quarterbacking is left to Bob Gagliano, Jeff Graham and Pat O’Hara. O’Hara and Graham have never attempted a pass in a NFL regular-season game. Gagliano, who has bounced around the league since being selected in the 12th round of the 1981 draft by Kansas City, completed nine of 23 passes for 76 yards with an interception last season.
“We have to keep going on,” Beathard said. “It’s tough to say right now. If it is something that puts him out for the season we have to look around. But we’ve also got to find out what we’ve got here.
“When you’re coming into your first preseason game and your quarterback gets knocked out that’s pretty bad news. But I’ve been around places that has happened and they have regrouped and went on.”
Friesz received poor protection from the outset of the game, although he was playing behind the Chargers’ starting offensive line. He was decked on his first pass attempt, and while he went on to complete 10 of 14 passes for 74 yards, he was taking a beating.
His counterpart, meanwhile, was having a grand time. Quarterback Timm Rosenbach, who was making his first appearance in almost a year after suffering a major knee injury, completed all 13 of his passes for 150 yards with three touchdowns.
“It wasn’t a pretty show by any stretch of the imagination,” Ross said. “I was a little disappointed. . . . If you had to write a bad script, it couldn’t get much worse. I thought we would play a little bit better. They got the early bomb. . . . I think the things that were disappointing to me the most were the big plays.”
Phoenix finished 1991 with a 4-12 record after losing their starting quarterback for the year.
Rosenbach is back, however. He opened the scoring with a 68-yard pass to a speedy Randal Hill. Hill evaded a lunging Donald Frank on a short pass route over the middle and found no safety to keep him from going the distance.
On the first play from scrimmage following the ensuing kickoff, Friesz’ pitch to running back Marion Butts fell to the ground and was recovered by former San Diego linebacker Tyronne Stowe at the Chargers’ eight-yard line.
Three plays later Rosenbach found Ricky Proehl standing all by himself in the end zone for a nine-yard touchdown. Chargers’ linebacker Junior Seau grabbed his helmet in disgust, while several defenders looked at each other in puzzlement.
In the second quarter the Cardinals found the Chargers’ defense obliging once again. They marched 75 yards in 16 plays, and this time it was tight end Butch Rolle standing all by himself in the end zone for a two-yard touchdown pass from Rosenbach.
On the Chargers’ ensuing possession, linebacker Freddie Joe Nunn knocked the ball from Friesz’ hand and then picked it up and ran 24 yards with the fumble for a touchdown.
After the Chargers had taken Friesz to the locker room for examination of his knee, Gagliano went the final 47 yards to put his team on the scoreboard with a nine-yard touchdown pass to tight end Derrick Walker with 29 seconds remaining in the half.
Gagliano, who has a tendency to hold onto the ball too long, hit five of eight for 51 yards before giving way to Graham.
The Cardinals finished their scoring for the night with rookie Tony Sacca throwing a 64-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Anthony Edwards.
The Chargers kept chugging, and running back Eric Bieniemy bulled his way in from the two in the fourth quarter for the team’s second touchdown.
However, all that matters at this point, is the final medical diagnosis on Friesz’s knee.
Charger Notes
Look on the bright side: This was not a regular-season game, and so, no, quarterback Timm Rosenbach’s 13-for-13 performance for 150 yards with three touchdowns will not go down as a record for the Cardinals. Neil Lomax’s 12-for-12 effort, which he accomplished twice in 1987, will stand as the Cardinals’ record--at least until Dec. 6 when the Chargers return for regular-season play.
How bad was it? The Chargers had their first-string defense on the field, minus cornerback Gill Byrd (ankle) and nose tackle Joe Phillips (contract dispute). The Cardinals ranked 27th in the league in scoring last year, and started a quarterback Saturday night who underwent reconstructive knee surgery and missed the entire 1991 season.
The Cardinals unveiled a $1.67 million renovation of Sun Devil Stadium, including a new playing surface. Too bad no one was here to see it. The Cardinals have the highest-priced tickets in the league, and fans aren’t rushing to sit in this sweatbox. Saturday night’s announced attendance was 28,298.
Ron Nay, the Chargers’ former director of scouting, was criticized for the team’s poor showing in the draft, particularly the 1986 draft when the team kept only one (defensive end Leslie O’Neal) of 17 players selected. Look again, however. Nay selected Penn State safety Mike Zordich in the ninth round. Zordich was cut before the ’86 season, but he reappeared Saturday night as the Cardinals’ starting safety. The Chargers also have rehired guard Jeff Walker, a third-round pick in ’86. Before there is a move to bring back Nay, however, it should be pointed out that he also was the guy who selected offensive lineman James FitzPatrick.
The Cardinals have high expectations for former Charger offensive lineman Mark May, who was picked up in Plan B free agency this year. May, however, is still recovering from off-season knee surgery and has been unable to practice. . . . Steve Hendrickson started in place of linebacker Henry Rolling, who sprained an ankle in Friday’s practice. . . . Running back Eric Bieniemy earned time as a kickoff returner.
CHARGER REPORT CARD
F: QUARTERBACKS
Phone call for Phil Simms.
F: RUNNING BACKS
Team’s best players average 1.7 yards a carry in the first half. And George Bush thinks he’s got problems.
F: RECEIVERS
This season is supposed to be the return of the lightning dolts, ah, bolts. Maybe they know something about Walter Stanley that the four teams who cut him don’t know.
F: OFFENSIVE LINE
Ross’ new dress code has gone into effect: Pass blockers have been told they can travel with team, but they are not to wear anything with Charger logo on it.
F: DEFENSIVE LINE
Defensive line: F--No truth to the rumor that Gwen Torrence accused Phoenix QBs of being on drugs. They just weren’t under any pressure. Leslie O’Neal has stopped giving interviews and getting sacks.
F: LINEBACKERS
OK, so holding hands doesn’t work. How ‘bout tackling the other guys? Just a thought.
F-: DEFENSIVE BACKS
Clarification: Clint Eastwood stars in the “Unforgiven,” a movie about a down-and-out cowboy. It’s Donald Frank who is featured in the “Unfortunate,” a weekly series about a down-and-out cornerback.
I: SPECIAL TEAMS
Inconclusive.
F: COACHING
Wouldn’t you have liked to have been a fly on Alex Spanos’ wall during the first half of this one? Hey, at least Dan Henning kept it close.