The San Diego 6 Prove Not All in USFL Is Forgotten : Just Look Who Adds Spring to the Chargers

SAN DIEGO —  Showboats, Bandits, Renegades, Express. Ask any football fan in a Mission Valley pub what league these teams inhabit and the reply is just as likely to be roller derby or English soccer as the correct answer, the United States Football League.

Only the real sharpies would know that half a dozen of the most promising players in a major rebuilding effort by the Chargers received post-collegiate training at these outposts in the USFL.

Liberated from America’s springtime folly by the liquidity of Charger owner Alex Spanos, six players with USFL experience are helping to accelerate the timetable for a return to playoff status, according to San Diego’s chief scout, Ron Nay.

Three of them--running backs Gary Anderson and Tim Spencer and wide receiver Trumaine Johnson--have received coverage that outstrips their early production as Chargers. Three others, defensive end Lee Williams, offensive lineman Jerry Doerger and running back Anthony Steels, have been less heralded. A seventh player, defensive end James Lockette, was injured shortly after his arrival in the preseason and won’t be a factor before 1986.

Representing more than a $6 million investment in the future by Spanos, these players did not come cheaply. But even if the initial return on the dollar hasn’t been spectacular, the Charger high command seems more than satisfied with their haul.

“I thought it would take us at least one more draft to get over the hump, but we’re ahead of schedule now,” Nay said. “Because of our players from the USFL, we’re close to contending even while we’re rebuilding.”

Spanos himself is slightly more reluctant to pronounce Operation Roundup an unqualified success.

“At this point, I feel the money was well-spent,” Spanos said. “I do think we’re ahead of schedule.”

Along with offensive tackle Jim Lachey, drafted this year, the presence of Anderson, Spencer and Johnson means the Chargers have added, in effect, four first-round caliber players to their roster in one season. And they procured another first-round pick in next year’s draft by virtue of trading defensive back Mossy Cade, the only USFLer to escape Spanos’ clutches, to the Green Bay Packers.

Spencer, in an understated but entirely professional way, has been the most successful addition thus far. His blocking has drawn raves from Charger coaches. His unselfish attitude in not complaining about limited chances to run with the ball (43 carries, 150 yards) also has been appreciated.

Two of the USFL refugees--Johnson and Doerger--have been dramatically held back by injuries. Anderson just arrived and hasn’t had time to absorb much of the offense, while Steels has settled into a reserve role because of an abundance of talent in the offensive backfield.

It’s unrealistic to expect these players to perform at the dominant level that characterized many of them in the USFL, according to Al Saunders, San Diego’s wide receiver coach.

“Going from the other league to the NFL is a major change, as big as going from college into the pros,” Saunders said. “The results throughout the NFL have been uniform: most of the ex-USFL guys have been adequate, but far from dominant, and they certainly haven’t had the statistics some people may have expected.

“Look at quarterback Bobby Hebert. He was all-world in the other league, but he’s struggling to even get on the field with the New Orleans Saints. There’s no question that these guys are now competing against the elite, whereas that wasn’t always the case in the USFL.”

Most of the Charger newcomers concede the truth of Saunders’ words.

Johnson, for example, said the caliber of NFL defensive backs is superior to what he saw in the younger league. And the Charger offense is more complex and structured than anything he’d encountered.

Still, based on his great success in twice leading the USFL in pass receiving, Johnson (two catches, 26 yards) is very optimistic about his future.

“I feel I’m an All-Pro, or have the ability to be in the near future,” Johnson said. “If you’d have told me I’d only catch two balls in the first six games, I wouldn’t have believed you. My confidence is down a little, but I know I can play in this league. I just need to have some balls thrown to me.”

Assistant head coach Ernie Zampese said Johnson is still adjusting to being part of a highly structured offense.

“He used to just run down the field and use his natural ability to get open,” Zampese said. “He’s learning to be more disciplined. There’s certainly no lack of physical ability.”

The Chargers are not disappointed in Johnson’s limited contribution thus far, according to Saunders.

“He’s done a credible job as our nickel receiver and backup to Wes Chandler,” Saunders said. “He just lacks the experience to knock out an All-Pro like Wes, or the No. 1 receiver in history, Charlie Joiner, out of our starting lineup.”

His biggest problem, aside from adjusting to the numerous variations of the Charger offense, has been a lingering hamstring injury, the first serious muscle injury of his life. He pulled the muscle during warmups before the Chargers’ second game, and the soreness hasn’t departed yet.

Soreness of a different variety afflicts Williams, the 275-pound defensive end who has been the team’s top pass rusher with six sacks. Because he believes Williams can be and should be even better, defensive line coach Gunther Cunningham has been a rather harsh critic at times during practice.

“He doesn’t like being pushed all the time,” Cunningham said. “I know it gets long for him, listening to me all the time. But it’s my job, and I wouldn’t be doing it if I didn’t think he could be a great player.

“Actually, I hate to label him with the word great, because that raises the expectations everyone has. But we’re dealing with a guy with a 37-inch vertical leap, which is seven inches above the average . . . and a guy who can run 10 yards in 1.6 seconds, which is as fast as most backs.”

Williams said he saw offensive tackles in the USFL who were up to NFL standards. The difference is, he now sees a competent player every week.

“I want to be the best,” he said. “I know that’s going to take a lot of work.”

Anderson, who has been rated among the two or three best offensive players in the USFL, appears to have the speed and talent to be a superstar in San Diego, but he may need a full training camp to become fully assimilated into the offense.

Since signing with the Chargers less than three weeks ago, Anderson (19 carries, 40 yards) has been given only a fraction of the offense.

“We’re trying not to confuse him,” Saunders said. “All our other players were with us in camp, so they know what we’re trying to do. With Gary, we want him to have plays he can execute without having to learn the whole package.”

Zampese said Anderson seems to be growing more comfortable with the offense’s terminology each day.

“When he gets the feel of our system, he’s going to break some long runs,” Zampese said. “He’s already come close in his first two games.

“It’s no secret how we plan to use him. We’re going to employ him just like we have Lionel James, and you may even see both of them with Spencer in the same backfield . . . Even if Gary doesn’t get the total concept this season, we’ll be adding a few things for him each week.”

Anderson, in his quiet manner, said he’s doing his best to fit in. The biggest difference in the USFL and the NFL, he said, is in the speed of pursuit by linebackers crossing from one side of the field to the other.

Spencer, like Anderson, is impressed but not overwhelmed by the level of competition in the NFL.

“It really hasn’t been as hard as I thought it would be,” he said. “The linebackers are stronger and there’s more depth, but I’m having fun.”

Spencer said he anticipated being used more as a blocker than as a runner.

“I knew they had Earnest Jackson (since traded) and I knew they were going after Gary, so I haven’t had any surprises,” Spencer said.

Zampese gave a hearty endorsement to Spencer’s attitude.

“He’s tough and bright and just a class person,” Zampese said. “He has done very well as a blocker, which was what we told him role was going to be, but now we will expand on that. I know he’d like to get his hands on the damn ball more often, and we’re going to do that.”

Steels and Doerger have been somewhat less prominent.

Steels, who sang the national anthem before a preseason game, has been the No. 2 punt and kick returner. His place on the roster could be jeopardized when another young runner, Curtis Adams, recovers from a knee injury, but the Chargers like his work as a special teams player, so he may not be easy to dislodge.

Doerger, who has been idled by a hamstring injury and later a broken hand, is likely to remain in a reserve role this year.

“He’s done all we’ve asked,” offensive line coach Dave Levy said. “We thought enough of him to keep him on the basis of what he showed in playing an entire preseason game the same week we acquired him.

“It’s difficult for a backup guy to get better when he doesn’t play, but it’s possible he could be a future starter. He is smart and versatile and seems to have the tenacity. We’re quite pleased with what he’s done.”

In general, that last comment applies to the entire group of former USFL players.

“We’re elated,” Nay said. “All these players will help us this year, but the best won’t come until next season.”