CHARGER NOTEBOOK / T.J. SIMERS : Plummer Sees Frustration Grow
It’s been seven years--going on eight--of losing and losing more football games.
Linebacker Gary Plummer arrived in San Diego in 1986, and while he’s been given credit for playing hard and leading the team in tackles for much of that time, the Chargers have compiled a 31-65 record.
“I feel there are a lot of guys that are frustrated,” Plummer said. “The longer that you have been here and the longer you have experienced this, you tend to take it a little more personally.
“I’ve seen a difference in Junior (Seau’s) attitude this year. I’ve seen him cry after games. I’ve seen him very angry. I don’t think that frustration level was there for him, or at least not to that degree. It starts to wear on you after you have been around for a few years. Maybe if more guys took it that seriously things would change.”
Plummer expected it to be different this season. He expected to revel in victory.
“In my mind going into this season, this was my year; not just to improve, but to make the playoffs. I couldn’t ever have envisioned being 0-4 at this point.
“If I thought in my mind we were going to finish up 4-12 again, I’d probably quit because it just gets too frustrating. It’s not worth the effort you put into it. The only thing that makes football fun is the winning. If you’re not winning, there’s nothing fun about it.”
The Chargers began preparations Wednesday for the Seahawks, and the players in the locker room laughed and carried on like they were 4-0 rather than 0-4.
“Each individual handles the winning and losing in their own way,” Plummer said. “I’d like to see it more serious during the week, but that’s me and the way I handle it. That’s not to say that’s the right way.”
Plummer has worked for several different general managers and head coaches, and the results have been the same.
“I can’t explain it,” he said. “If I could, I’d be general manager.
“The frustrating part is a lot of the same things are happening. We worked so hard in the off-season at preventing those things. The mistakes are killing us in all phases of the game.”
The Chargers’ poor start does not bode well for a team trying to sell tickets. The club expects a little more than 40,000 fans here for Sunday’s game with Seattle.
“The fans have the right to feel frustrated,” Plummer said. “We’ve had tremendous support for the last seven years even as poorly as we played. My hat is off to the fans of San Diego. I know we keep saying stick with us, but as frustrating as it is for them, magnify that 100 times and that’s the way you feel as a player who has been here for that period of time.
“I purchased season tickets on my own for Bates Street and I wouldn’t expect people to continue coming out if we continue to perform at the level we have played. I think people can appreciate effort and that’s why we have been supported, but when you’re losing 27-0 I don’t think people are going to support you for very long.
“We definitely need to pick it up if we want their support.”
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Former Charger nose tackle Joe Phillips has been signed by the Kansas City Chiefs.
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After practice, there was a scuffle in the players’ lounge. Linebacker Leslie O’Neal, noting the presence of the media in the next room, jumped to his feet and slammed the door, which forced the clock on the wall to fall and shatter.
The noise and activity also caught the attention of several players in the locker room.
“Who won the fight?” wondered rookie Deems May.
When reporters approached O’Neal to ask if the scuffle was playful or serious, he replied to every question, “What?”
O’Neal has playfully told reporters on several occasions this season that he is not talking, but O’Neal’s attitude took a sour turn Wednesday. He yelled at reporters to leave him alone and asked the public relations department to help him fend off the media while he dressed.
Coach Bobby Ross had chastised O’Neal for not running to the ball at the end of Wednesday’s practice, and as a result, he had ordered his defense to rerun the play. It was not clear if the incident contributed to O’Neal’s testy attitude.
General Manager Bobby Beathard said the Chargers encourage their players to cooperate with the media.
In addition, there is a clause in the standard players’ contract that requires players to meet media obligations: “Player will cooperate with the news media.”
Beathard, however, said the team will do nothing to force a player to speak with the media.
“I can name several players in Washington who always refused to talk,” Beathard said. “In my own experience I didn’t talk to the Washington Post, except for (reporter) Mike Wilbon. . . . I don’t know if there’s a fine for general managers, but I would have paid the fine rather than talk to them.”
Beathard said he has not spoken to O’Neal about his vow of silence, but he said he would give it a try.
“I don’t know if he would give me an answer,” Beathard said.
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Cornerback Gill Byrd underwent surgery Monday to repair a dislocated thumb on his left hand. Byrd did not practice Wednesday, but Ross said he will start against the Seahawks.
Donald Frank practiced in Byrd’s place.
The Chargers listed wide receiver Nate Lewis as questionable with a hamstring injury, but he appeared to practice without difficulty.
Ross said Lewis might pull duty as kickoff returner in place of running back Eric Bieniemy.
Ross was asked how responsible Bieniemy was for the team’s poor kickoff returns.
“Not much at all, to tell you the truth,” said Ross, although Bieniemy will be bumped from the position. “There were some good blocks. Probably we’re getting the block about 65% of the time.”
Ross said Anthony Miller also remains under consideration to return kicks.
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Ross said he does not anticipate at this time adding safety James Fuller or cornerback Marquez Pope to the active roster.
Fuller and Pope, however, worked with the defense in team preparations Wednesday, and it’s a good bet at least Fuller will be added to the roster before Sunday’s game with Seattle.
If Fuller joins the roster, wide receiver Johnnie Barnes becomes the most likely candidate to be released and re-signed to the practice squad.
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The Seahawks signed linebacker Greg Clark, and the Chargers countered by signing linebacker Reggie Clark.
Greg Clark played for the Chargers last season and was released before the start of this season. He will play on special teams.
Reggie Clark (6-2, 225) spent the 1991 season on New England’s practice squad and joined the Montreal Machine in the WFL. The Patriots brought him back for training camp, and then released him. He will join the Chargers’ practice squad.
