CHARGER REVIEW : NOTEBOOK : O’Neal Lets Grossman Do the Talking

Charger defensive end Leslie O’Neal isn’t talking, so his lockermate Burt Grossman was asked to speak in his place Sunday after O’Neal recorded a pair of sacks.

“I’m a man and as a man you have to respond to the challenge,” said Grossman while making like O’Neal. “I’m a man.”

O’Neal spent much of his day with his arms draped around the Seahawks’ quarterback--be it Kelly Stouffer or Dan McGwire. In the second quarter he attempted to drill Stouffer into the ground and was credited with a seven-yard sack, while Stouffer was helped to the sideline with a shoulder injury.

“It wouldn’t be right for me to talk after a win if I don’t talk after losses,” O’Neal said.

O’Neal was matched against Seahawks’ first-round pick Ray Roberts and the rookie tackle received an education.

“It seems like every week the left tackles are the strong guys and every week he gets the rookie,” Grossman said. “I don’t understand it. He’s kind of had it easy since the start of the season except for Kansas City. It’s good for him obviously, but I think it’s going to run out sooner or later.”

Grossman failed to record a sack, and complained about how difficult it was to bring McGwire to the ground.

“He was big; he was hard to tackle,” Grossman said. “I’m used to those fat Billy Joe Tolliver-Stan Humphries guys, the little rolly-polly guys you can chase down and tackle. This guy was bigger than me.”

The Chargers introduced their players with Hammer’s, “Too Legit to Quit” playing in the background.

It probably won’t be the last time you hear it.

When the Chargers lined up to receive the opening kick, Nate Lewis assumed Eric Bieniemy’s role as the deep man back.

John Kasay’s kick, however, went short left to Ronnie Harmon, who returned it eight yards to the Chargers’ 19.

Lewis returned one kick in the second half for 23 yards.

Bieniemy remained the team’s punt returner, and he averaged seven yards a return on six tries.

With the exception of John Carney, who missed a pair of field goals, the Charger special teams played almost error-free football.

“I know there have been some people questioning themselves in here,” linebacker Gary Plummer said. “This gives everyone confidence going into the next game. It’s a big victory because we played well in all phases of the game. We hadn’t been playing well in all phases, and we were able to out it all together, which makes it fun again.”

Make that five straight games in which the Chargers have opened the game by running Marion Butts right. Butts gained two yards on the play.

Butts has now gained 17 yards on his opening carry in the first five games.

Butts left the game in the first quarter after aggravating a knee injury and did not return. He finished with six carries for 18 yards.

Defensive tackle Blaise Winter danced in a frenzy after recording his first sack since 1989 when he fell on top of Tampa Bay’s Vinny Testaverde.

“I have a lot of stored up energy,” explained Winter.

Hard to believe, but check out the stats: Ronnie Harmon ran five times for four yards.

Running back Rod Bernstine continues to pile up impressive numbers. Bernstine, although bothered by a sore hamstring, carried 18 times for 74 yards against an eight-man Seattle defensive front.

He also caught three passes for 17 yards.

“We’ve always said that after we get a victory, it will be stepping stone to string a few together,” Bernstine said. “Now we got that victory and it’s up to us put a streak together.”

After being scorched all day by Charger receiver Anthony Miller, Seattle cornerback Patrick Hunter was in no mood to talk with reporters about anything.

“You’re not coming over here are you?” Hunter said to a reporter who was approaching his locker. “No, I didn’t think so.”

Hunter was beaten on both of Miller’s touchdowns, 67 and five-yard scoring plays, and several other sideline routes.