CHARGER REVIEW : NOTEBOOK / T.J. SIMERS : Williams Savors Victory over Beathard
Former Charger defensive end Lee Williams took a victory walk around the Astrodome after the Houston Oilers won, 27-0.
“Sweet isn’t the word,” said Williams. “Here I am, on a contender, shut out my former team, 27-0, and I just saw Bobby (Beathard) going back to the locker room. and it looked like his house was down in that area where Hurricane Andrew came through.”
The Chargers traded Williams to the Oilers last year for wide receiver Shawn Jefferson and a first-round pick, used to select defensive end Chris Mims.
Williams requested the trade, but made it clear he was unhappy with Beathard, the Chargers’ general manager. Williams played against his former teammates Sunday for the first time since being traded, and he was credited with half a sack.
“I wanted to beat them and that was the extent of it,” Williams said. “At one point in the game I looked over and saw guys like Leslie O’Neal and Burt Grossman and I felt like a traitor. It didn’t last long and I came to my senses.”
Although Williams saved his barbs for Beathard, Jefferson grabbed headlines by guaranteeing a victory over the Oilers.
“We didn’t put much emphasis on that because it came from someone that wasn’t that instrumental or that big a part of their team,” Williams said. “That wasn’t a factor in motivating us.”
Williams played seven years for the Chargers and fell one sack short of being the Chargers’ all-time sack leader when he left.
“With all turnover (the Chargers have had), coaches and players and things of that nature, until they get that out of their system, they won’t be a real competitive team,” Williams said. “It starts with the organization and I don’t have much regard for them. I love my teammates there . . .
“I think that was a sound victory for us and I think they need to go back to the drawing board and look forward and not back.”
Beathard said the Chargers have hired Joe Mendes, the New England Patriots’ former vice president of player operations, to help scout college players until next year’s draft.
Grossman emerged from the training room limping and with his knee wrapped.
Grossman, the Chargers’ first-round pick in 1989, came into the league with a sense of humor and it landed him on the cover of Sports Illustrated. In the past four years, however, there hasn’t been much to laugh about. The Chargers are 16-36 during Grossman’s time in San Diego.
“It can’t get any worse, can it?” Grossman said. “It’s got to get better.”
Grossman played a strong game and was credited with six tackles.
“We got whooped,” Grossman said. “They are a better team.
“What are we going to do? I don’t know what to say. Take last week’s conversation and change Pittsburgh to Houston and use the same quotes.
“I don’t know what it is. We brought new players in, new coaches, new management and things haven’t changed yet.”
The Chargers’ special teams continue to pile up the blunders.
“I’m not very pleased at all with the way special teams are playing,” said special teams coach Chuck Priefer. “We knew what they were going to do today. They didn’t surprise us a bit. They rush hard on a punt, we protect it well, and I think somebody made a mistake. We just got to get consistent execution every time.”
The Oilers’ rush resulted in a deflected punt that traveled four yards.
However, there were more mistakes. Linebacker Kevin Murphy drew a pair of penalties, punter John Kidd could only muster a 32-yard kick from his own end zone, Eric Bieniemy averaged 14.8 yards a kickoff return and the Oilers downed a 61-yard punt at the Charger two-yard line.
“We’re just not getting the field position,” Coach Bobby Ross said. “We’ve got to get that going . . . I’m going to look at that very closely.”
Linebacker Junior Seau on the Chargers’ 0-4 start: “Anytime you’re on a team that’s lost four straight and you know you can win and you have the opportunity to win, it becomes frustrating.”
Ross told his team to concentrate on Seattle, and then the team will take advantage of its bye the following week and regroup.
Running back Marion Butts just hasn’t been the same since injuring a knee in the season opener against Kansas City.
Butts, who now sports a knee brace, ran 11 times for 20 yards against the Oilers, a week after gaining 23 yards on nine carries.
“My knee is fine,” Butts said. “they just have a very fine defense. I’m a little surprised, though, with them being a run-and-shoot team that they would have the people to prepare their defense for a running game like ours.”
Before the game Houston linebacker Lamar Lathon told Jefferson: “We’re going to break your (behind).”
Jefferson told Houston reporters that he had been misquoted. But San Diego reporters not only wrote down Jefferson’s prediction, but they also tape recorded it.
