CHARGER REVIEW : NOTEBOOK : O'Neal Puts Positive Spin on Defeat

L.A. Times Archives

Sept. 30, 1991 12 AM PT

SAN DIEGO — Keep in mind he takes a lot of licks to the head, but after Sunday’s 14-13 loss to the Chiefs, linebacker Leslie O’Neal said the Chargers have the rest of the league right where they want them.

“Maybe we’re going to be 11-5 this year,” O’Neal said. “We’re just getting our losses out of the way now.”

O’Neal will be appearing at the Comedy Club later this week.

In 14 of the 25 losses absorbed by the Chargers during Dan Henning’s reign as head coach, the team’s defense has limited the opposition to 20 or fewer points.

Sunday the Chargers’ defense frustrated the Chiefs’ offense, and allowed them to score only 14 points. But it was enough to earn Kansas City its third consecutive win over the Chargers.

“Our defense played outstanding football today,” Henning said. “They held them and there was only a couple of times when they moved it. This is the way we would like to play defense, and continue to play defense, and the way we’d like to control the ball. But we’re not making the plays to win.”

The Chargers’ defense, which ranked 28th coming into the game, kept the Chiefs off the scoreboard in the second half. They allowed the Chiefs’ running game, which was tied for 10th in the league, to gain only 86 yards. And they put the brakes on Christian Okoye, who averaged 3.4 yards a carry, gaining 65 yards on 19 rushes.

“They played hard; I respect them,” Okoye said.

The Chiefs’ no-huddle offense in the fourth quarter appeared effective against the Chargers’ defense, but eventually they were forced to try for a field goal. Nick Lowery’s 44-yard attempt was wide left.

O’Neal said it was “ugly. We’re snakebitten. We gave up 14 points, 182 yards and lose.

“We look good on film, so we can take some solace in that. Other teams’ players can’t believe we’re losing. I think we’re about ready to break out of this.”

Nosetackle Joe Phillips was so disheartened by the latest defeat that he was at a loss for words. “Catch me later in the week,” he said, “I don’t know what to say.”

Henning on this latest defeat: “It’s disappointing and it’s frustrating and I don’t know a great deal more to say about it.”

Henning was asked where do the Chargers go from here? “We go back to work and play next week.”

The Chiefs had not scored a point in first-quarter play this season; the Chiefs had not played the Chargers this season.

Kansas City needed only 1 minute and 19 seconds to put points on the scoreboard against the Chargers.

Kansas City defensive end Neil Smith tried to plant quarterback John Friesz on third and goal from the five in the fourth quarter. Friesz was sacked, fumbled and had his chin ripped open.

“I got four stitches,” Friesz said. “But it wasn’t like I saw stars or anything.”

Linebacker Gary Plummer, who has been playing football with a painful shoulder, collided with Chiefs’ 260-pound running back Christian Okoye on the Chiefs’ second offensive play and dropped the back for no gain. On the following play Okoye plowed over Plummer and a number of other Charger defenders for a touchdown.

Plummer left the field for X-rays on his thumb. He had his right forearm and hand placed in a cast, and then he returned to do further battle with Okoye.

“It’s broken,” Plummer said. “They took X-rays and it looked ugly. I wanted them to tape it up and let me go back in, but I had to miss a series. I guess I’ll have to play with a cast on for the next few weeks.

“I was hoping it was only dislocated, but it was lying against my finger. It really hurt us when Kansas City had a second and goal on its third play; I hit Okoye, but because of the thumb, I couldn’t grab him and wrap him up.”

You asked for it and you got it.

After refusing to put Marion Butts and Rod Bernstine in the same backfield, Henning bowed to the fans’ wishes and lined them both in the “I” formation.

On the Chargers’ first possession, Friesz gave the ball to Butts, who was lined up in front of Bernstine, and he was stopped for no gain at the Chiefs’ two-yard line. On the next play, Butts took off blocking and Bernstine followed with the ball and leaped into the end zone for a score.

Kansas City quarterback Steve DeBerg is considered one of the game’s best magicians when it comes to faking the handoff and then throwing the ball. In the second quarter, he faked a handoff to Okoye and linebacker Junior Seau reacted by decking Okoye.

Seau obviously wasn’t the only one duped by DeBerg; the fans cheered, believing Okoye had been dropped for a loss.

DeBerg, however, still had the ball. Fortunately for the Chargers, when DeBerg threw it, he was off target.

On third quarter punt return, Charger special teams coordinator Larry Pasquale was sent flying on the sideline when blockers knocked a Chiefs’ defender out of bounds. Pasquale bounced to his feet and began clapping for Kitrick Taylor, who was returning the ball to the Chiefs’ 36.

It can’t get worse, can it? The Chargers have not won a non-strike game in Los Angeles since the Raiders made the move from Oakland.

The Chargers’ replacement team beat the Raiders 23-17 in 1987, but the team’s regulars are zero for eight in the Los Angeles Coliseum.

“I see a lot of people here wanting to go out and prove we’re not as bad as our record,” said tackle Broderick Thompson. “I see a hunger.”

What would you expect from a team that’s starved for a win?