Chargers Take Wind Out of Rams, 38-24 : Big Plays Have a Big Impact in Turnaround

For 11 weeks, the Chargers’ idea of a big play was “Les Miserables.”

For 11 weeks, the Chargers were les miserables .

No National Football League offense had produced fewer touchdowns. No American Football Conference offense had produced fewer yards. No film maker had figured out a way to produce a 1988 Charger highlight film.

And no Charger player had produced any sustained evidence that this was anything more than a season of outtakes.

“People weren’t giving us a prayer,” said Joe Phillips, a defensive tackle.

The oddsmakers said the Rams would beat the Chargers by 11 points Sunday at Anaheim Stadium. Yet, the Chargers won, 38-24.

Try these numbers on for size: The Rams (7-5) have lost 3 straight and trail the first-place team in their division--New Orleans (9-3)--by as many games as the Chargers (4-8) trail the first-place teams in their division--Denver, Seattle and the Raiders (all 6-6).

The Chargers’ passing attack scored a touchdown on a 4-yard toss from Mark Vlasic to Quinn Early. Their defense scored a touchdown on a 75-yard play that started when linebacker Keith Browner picked a Charles White fumble out of the air and ended when Browner threw a lateral to cornerback Sammy Seale, who raced the last 50 yards.

Their return team scored on a 93-yard kickoff return by rookie Anthony Miller. And their kicker, Steve DeLine, scored on a 28-yard field goal.

Finally their running game scored twice in the final period on 1-yard touchdowns by former Ram Barry Redden. Both touchdowns were set up by big plays. The first came after a 49-yard Mark Malone bomb to Miller on third-and-7 that beat a blitz and LeRoy Irvin’s man-to-man coverage. The second came when Malone dumped a short pass over the middle to tight end Rod Bernstine. When Ram defensive backs Jerry Gray and Johnnie Johnson collided, Bernstine took off for the goal line. He didn’t stop until Clifford Hicks brought him down him 59 yards later.

Redden had left the field in the first half with a slight shoulder separation. When team physician Gary Losse told him he couldn’t damage it further, he returned.

“My carries have been few and far between,” Redden said. “I’ll take the ball wherever I can get it.”

The Chargers gave it to him 3 times against the Rams. He lost 2 yards once and scored from 1 yard twice. “It’s been a funny year,” he said.

There was nothing funny about the knee injury suffered by Vlasic in his second NFL start. It happened late in the third period when Shawn Miller crashed into his left knee after he had passed.

It shouldn’t have happened. The Chargers had been called for a false start before the snap. But nobody heard the whistle and play continued.

Vlasic went down in a heap and didn’t get up. His worst fears were later confirmed by Losse who reported a torn ligament. Vlasic will undergo surgery this week. Losse said the injury is similar to the one suffered in 1986 by Charger defensive end Leslie O’Neal, who didn’t play for 22 months afterward.

Vlasic, who beat Atlanta, 10-7, last week in his first NFL start, finished with 9 of 20 for 80 yards. Malone, who will start next Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers, completed 4 of 5 for 128 yards after being intercepted (caused after a poor adjustment by Early) on his first pass.

The Ram defense, which entered the game leading the league in sacks, got one against Vlasic and none against Malone. The Charger defense, third-from-last in sacks, had 5 against Ram quarterback Jim Everett.

Early, a college teammate of Vlasic’s at Iowa, said he was “devastated” by Vlasic’s misfortune.

“There will be another day,” Vlasic said.

But perhaps not one quite like this for the Chargers. The comic relief came on the White-Browner-Seale scoring odyssey. “I thought he was getting tired,” Seale said. “I just wanted to help him out.”

Both Seale and free safety Vencie Glenn were screaming at Browner to pitch it back to them. When Everett wrapped himself around Browner’s ankles, he obliged. “At least I got 25 yards out of it,” said Browner, who scored on a 55-yard interception return against the Seahawks in Week 3.

Seale began his day in a hotel room watching a television reporter predict a Ram runaway.

About that same time, Phillips was watching more of the same on another channel.

“They said they didn’t think the Chargers had a chance,” he said. “People have never given us a chance. Fact is, the Rams just couldn’t block us up front. We’ve got people here laboring in anonymity that are as good as any people in the league.”

They also finally have something for the 1988 Charger highlight film.

“San Diego is a team that’s flying right now,” Ram Coach John Robinson said.

Charger Notes

Rookie linebacker Cedric Figaro started in place of Keith Browner. . . . Before Anthony Miller’s 93-yarder Sunday, the last Charger kickoff return for a touchdown was by Gary Anderson, who scored on a 98-yarder in 1985. Against the Rams, Anderson ran for 52 yards in 11 carries in the first half. He finished with 53 yards in 14 attempts. . . . The Chargers were 6 of 14 on third-down conversions, including 3 of 3 in their first scoring drive. Going into the game, they had the worst third-down percentage in the league. . . . Charger defensive end Lee Williams had 3 sacks. . . . Said first-year Charger offensive coordinator Jerry Rhome, whose team had scored the fewest points in the league after 11 weeks: “Tonight I’ll sleep better.”