Henning Seeks Way to Recharge the Defense

SAN DIEGO â€”  The philosophy is simple.

“Our approach,” Charger defensive coordinator Ron Lynn said, “is to create havoc.”

That certainly happened Sunday in Pittsburgh. The only problem is the defense created more havoc for the Chargers (1-4) than it did for the Steelers.

The Chargers lost, 36-14, and all you really need to know is that the Steelers hadn’t scored an offensive touchdown since last year up until the Chargers came knocking. The leftovers Monday morning weren’t any more appetizing than Sunday’s main course.

“That thing doesn’t look a lot better on film than it did in the game,” Coach Dan Henning said. “We’re not playing as well as we had been playing.”

Rather amazingly, it is the defense that has played a big role in the past two losses. This is the same defense that was supposed to make people around the NFL marvel--not to mention overlook the deficiencies of an offense still in the developmental stages.

But these days, Charger defensive players are defending themselves more than any opposing offenses.

And Henning isn’t coming to their rescue. It was pointed out that the offense, which has scored 14 points in the past two games, hasn’t given the defense much of a break. (Time of possession on Sunday: Chargers 20:53, Steelers 39:07).

Henning responded: “That, to be crude, is a bunch of bull . . . I’ve heard that for years. To get off the field you have to stop them, don’t you? It has nothing to do with the offense. It has to do with the defense.”

It has to do with not being able to stop an opponent on third down. Opponents have converted 19 times on 28 third-down plays in the past two games.

It has to do with inexperience. Linebacker Junior Seau is learning as he goes, playing a different position than he did at USC. Rookie cornerback Donald Frank is learning with each burning.

Linebacker Henry Rolling is filling in for the injured Billy Ray Smith, a player who stabilizes the unit. And two men, Les Miller and George Hinkle, are being used at nose tackle to replace Joe Phillips, who is out with multiple injuries after being assaulted by three men in Mission Beach two weeks ago.

The first sign of trouble came nine days ago in the Chargers’ 17-7 loss to the Houston Oilers. Allowing 17 points looks pretty good against the run-and-shoot offense, and nobody was talking much about defensive mistakes. But Henning was concerned.

“Last week there was a great deal of perception around here that we had played well defensively,” he said. “I didn’t feel that way, and it was kind of the same way it was in this game. The points were different, but that had nothing to do with the way we played.”

Lynn doesn’t think any of this can be attributed to a lack of effort.

“I don’t think there’s an intensity problem,” he said. “I don’t think you could accuse them of loafing. I think that sometimes maybe their attention wanders.”

What’s the solution? First thing on the agenda, says Lynn, is to throw out the fancy stuff and return to your basic “going after them, dogging them, blitzing them.” The “doodads” are out.

He plans to stick with the same personnel. “These are the guys we selected,” Lynn said. “I know that the veterans can play. I have no question this will be solved.”

Whether it happens soon enough to salvage the season remains to be seen. The defense wasn’t supposed to be a concern. It was supposed to to take care of itself.

“It’s disappointing,” cornerback Gill Byrd said. “There’s no doubt about that. We’ve got to go out and play with a sense of urgency.”

Said linebacker Leslie O’Neal: “All of this is a learning experience. You’ve got to go through some negative times to appreciate the good times.”