Huerta Expects Worst As Cutdown Nears

SAN DIEGO — Carlos Huerta might be the third leading scorer in NCAA history, but that probably won’t help him survive today’s roster cuts.

Huerta, the Chargers’ 12th-round draft pick from Miami, is expecting the worst.

“I kind of get the feeling--just by the treatment,” Huerta said Monday. “It’s nothing really blatant. You just kind of see who’s in their plans.”

John Carney has missed his only two kicks in exhibition play, but appears to be the man. However Carney said Monday after practice that no one had told him that.

Huerta, who has made both of his field-goal attempts, said they might as well have.

“He’s still No. 1 on the depth chart,” Huerta said. “Unless he has all kinds of druthers and he gets hit by lightning, they’re not going to make a change in that.”

All NFL teams must reduce their rosters to 60 players by 1 p.m. Charger Coach Bobby Ross said he would release a kicker and probably a quarterback by then.

General Manager Bobby Beathard has decided to place cornerback Donnie Elder on the injured reserve list with a knee injury. Elder will be ineligible for the rest of the season.

Quarterbacks Pat O’Hara and Jeff Graham are the two waiver-wire candidates, but neither said they had been notified.

“I don’t know why,” he said. “It’d be nice to be able to make some plans or something. But it’s their decision.”

O’Hara, who has completed seven of 11 passes for 90 yards with an interception in two exhibition games, said he wouldn’t be surprised at anything.

“Last year in Tampa Bay, I was the fourth guy and all of sudden I was on the practice squad and then activated,” he said. “In the World League, I was fourth string and then starting the second game. It’s a crazy game.”

So crazy that O’Hara, signed as a Plan B free agent from Tampa Bay in April, never made any living arrangements in San Diego.

“I’m staying at the hotel,” he said. “I didn’t want to jinx myself when I first signed.”

Until Bob Gagliano emerged during training camp, Beathard said it would have been possible for O’Hara and Graham to make the team over Gagliano.

“We’d like to keep all four quarterbacks, but it’s just not possible right now,” Beathard said. “We’re letting them go now so they might have a chance to catch on somewhere else.”

Graham, who has completed 12 of 22 passes for 85 yards in two games, said being released early is small consolation.

“You don’t catch on with someone else now,” Graham said. “(Teams) are not making additions. People say that so you don’t feel so bad when you’re let go.”

If let go, Graham will have no regrets.

“I thought I’ve played well,” said Graham, who has played most of training camp with a broken thumb on his throwing hand. “I thought I’ve done all I can do. If I get cut, it’s not me. I know that.”

But if Huerta is the odd man out, he said he would partly blame himself.

“I haven’t kicked as well as I usually do,” he said. “Maybe it is the pressure. I don’t know. I usually go out to practice to impress myself. I haven’t impressed myself very much lately.”

Huerta acknowledged that he hasn’t been the same kicker since April 26th--the first day of the NFL draft.

“I felt very confident that I was going to be in the NFL before April 26th,” Huerta said.

And now?

“I have no idea,” he said.

Ross said the Carney-Huerta kicking duel was about as close as he’s seen.

“It’s been even,” he said. “Even out here (Monday), it’s been almost exact. I’ve never had two that were competitive like they’ve been.”

If Huerta can’t find an NFL kicking job, he said his options are open.

“I’ll probably just go work for my brother and consider getting a graduate degree in computers,” he said. “I don’t know.”

Beathard would not indicate which way the team would go, but he said the decision was difficult.

“We’d be happy with either one,” he said. “Whichever one is let go, we’d bring them back if something happened.”

Rookie receiver Johnnie Barnes set career records at Hampton Institute for receiving yards and touchdown receptions, but he has not caught a pass and he did not play last Friday against San Francisco.

Barnes, the Chargers’ ninth-round pick, said the past few days of have not been easy to deal with.

“It’s kind of rough just sitting back,” Barnes said. “Waiting, waiting, waiting. It’s just like playing the lottery. You go out and buy your tickets and then you sit back and wait for your numbers to come up. When they don’t come up, whooooh.”

If he doesn’t make it, Barnes said he will understand why.

“I really didn’t pick up the offense that well,” he said. “I picked it up, but not as well as I should have picked it up.”

Injury update for Thursday night’s home game against the Rams: defensive tackle George Thornton (ankle) and guard Mike Zandofsky (knee) are doubtful; defensive end Burt Grossman (knee) is questionable; cornerback Donald Frank (shoulder) is probable and receiver Shawn Jefferson (hamstring) is out.

The club announced that Thursday’s game will be televised on KGTV-Ch. 10 at 7 p.m. In cooperation with the Rams, the Chargers have donated approximately 20,000 seats to local charitable organizations. KGTV will purchase unsold tickets on game day.