Chargers Roll to Win

Funny how life works. At the same time he inherited his dream job--defensive coordinator of the San Diego Chargers--Mark Banker was handed a nightmarish assignment. He had to pull together a unit that had blown fourth-quarter leads in consecutive weeks and put the clamps on the Denver Broncos, who have rolled up more points and yards than any other NFL team the last five seasons.

That might explain why Banker stood in the corner of the Charger locker room Sunday, unable to lose that double-espresso look in his eyes. Things had gone unbelievably well for his defense, which sparked San Diego’s 27-10 victory, but Banker still looked as serious as, well, a banker.

“He does crack a smile sometimes,” defensive end Marcellus Wiley confirmed. “A nervous one.”

Imagine how Banker felt on the first play from scrimmage, when Charger safety Rodney Harrison, a Pro Bowl player and one of the hardest hitters in the league, was involved in a collision that left him rubber-kneed. Or when linebacker Junior Seau couldn’t play the second half because of a groin strain.

“I’d be lying if I told you there wasn’t a pit in my stomach,” said Banker, who was promoted from cornerback coach to interim defensive coordinator last week when Jim Vechiarella resigned amid criticism his play calling was too conservative. Vechiarella was a stand-in for Joe Pascale, the architect of the Charger defense, who remains hospitalized after three back surgeries in less than two months.

Sunday was the first time Banker called a game since stepping down as defensive coordinator at Cal State Northridge in 1994. And he was matching wits against Bronco Coach Mike Shanahan, who not only had beaten the Chargers eight times in nine games but was San Francisco’s offensive coordinator when the 49ers trampled San Diego in the Super Bowl, 49-26.

“I know who Mike Shanahan is,” Banker said. “I know what kind of jewelry he has.... But if I tried to even think about that, I would have not have slept a wink.”

San Diego return man Ronney Jenkins caught the Broncos napping on the first play of the game, fielding the opening kickoff at the 12, making a few cuts, then dashing up the middle for an 88-yard touchdown.

By the time the Broncos caught their breath late in the second quarter, they were down 13-0, had been intercepted once, and had not put together a series longer than six plays.

“The problem ... is getting 11 guys to play together, and we don’t have that right now,” said Shanahan, whose team has lost three of four. “It just takes one or two guys to stumble and you look very average. That’s where we are right now.”

Denver finally found a groove late in the first half, moving 64 yards in 10 plays and scoring on a six-yard pass from Brian Griese to Desmond Clark with 41 seconds remaining.

But San Diego’s Doug Flutie knows how to launch a quick-strike drive, and used the waning moments to lead his team into scoring position. It felt as if things were slipping away from the Chargers, though, when they reached the six and Bronco safety Eric Brown intercepted a pass in the end zone with 11 seconds to play.

The momentum shift was apparent on the opening drive of the second half, when the Broncos collected a field goal to trim the deficit to 13-10. But that was as close as they would get.

Two plays into Denver’s next possession, Charger linebacker Zeke Moreno punched the ball loose from running back Mike Anderson and San Diego recovered at the Bronco 33.

It was a huge play for Moreno, who had replaced the injured Seau.

“You’re always one play away from being in there, and you have to step up,” Moreno said. “You can’t expect the rest of the team to take a step back.”

Unwilling to allow another scoring opportunity to fizzle, Flutie connected with Jeff Graham for a 17-yard touchdown four plays later.

Graham, who also scored on a beautiful, 20-yard fingertip reception in the fourth quarter, finished with seven catches for 107 yards.

But San Diego’s offense has been in working order all season. The Charger stars of the day were guys like cornerback Ryan McNeil, whose interception gave him a league-leading six for the season; and defensive end Al Fontenot, who made his first career interception when he plucked a batted ball out of the air; and rookie cornerback Tay Cody, who held his ground in place of struggling Alex Molden.

And, of course, the rookie wearing the headset in the press box.

Said Harrison: “Coach Banker did a great job of saying, ‘Hey, we’re going to pressure these guys. We’re not going to back off. We’re going to hit them in the mouth.”’

But, as he made his way out of the locker room with his first goal accomplished, Banker looked like a man ready to hit something else. The pillow.