PRO FOOTBALL REPORT WEEKDAY UPDATE : CHARGERS : Beathard Takes Advantage of Rule

NFL owners have approved the addition of five-man practice squads, and General Manager Bobby Beathard said the Chargers will sign four players and begin practicing quarterback John Friesz next week.

“You can’t do anything until midnight Sunday,” said Beathard after participating in Tuesday’s vote in New York. “If you have a guy on injured reserve and he’s practicing, he counts against your five-man squad, and we’ll have Friesz start working Monday.”

Last season, teams were allowed to keep six rookies on a developmental squad, and pay each of them $1,000 a week. Clubs must now spend a minimum of $195,000 this season on a developmental squad and a maximum of $295,000, Beathard said.

Henning expressed concern about the change in rules taking place three weeks into the season, but declared himself in favor of the extra practice players.

Henning said he believes the ability to develop young players is necessary to maintain the standards of the NFL. “I think you need to have 10 to 12 to 15 percent inactive players to fund a developmental squad,” he said. “When you don’t, I think the quality of football goes down.”

Last season, the Chargers were able to carry Eric Floyd on their roster as a practice player. This year, he not only earned a spot on the team’s 47-man roster, but a starting assignment at left tackle.

The Chargers worked out five players Tuesday, including former Ram and Falcon quarterback Hugh Millen. In training camp this year, before the emergence of Mark Vlasic, Beathard had given thought to pursuing a deal for Millen.

“We wanted to get a look at him, but now that Dallas has sent Steve Walsh to New Orleans, I think Millen will sign with Dallas,” Beathard said.

The club also worked out former 49er linebacker Antonio Goss, Viking cornerback Donald Smith, Ram guard Jeff Mickel and Oiler safety Quintin Jones. The team also gave a physical examination to former Viking linebacker Ron Goetz.

The Chargers also waived sixth-round draft pick, cornerback David Pool, off injured reserve. Of the 17 players selected in this year’s draft by the Chargers, nine remain with the team.

Safety Vencie Glenn is expected to receive medical clearance to play against the Oilers, but Henning said it will be up to Glenn if he’s ready to play.

Glenn suffered a concussion in the final moments of the third quarter in Cleveland, and continues to be bothered by a headache.

“It will be touch and go for this week, and maybe for a few weeks,” Henning said. “I don’t know what the physical and psychological condition of Vencie is. I don’t think there’s anything to prevent him from playing in the ballgames, but there’s always a question in somebody’s mind when they go in there to check.

“We do these MRIs (magnetic resonance imaging) and if you’re an adult male who has been in any contact sport, and you had an MRI, you’d have some question, some problem in the neck area,” Henning said. “The question is, can Vencie clear himself. It’s something Vencie will have to deal with.”

Glenn suffered a fractured jaw and broke several teeth in his first season with the Chargers, and did not miss a start. He has now started 54 straight games at free safety.

The Oilers come to town with their version of the run ‘n shoot Sunday, and Henning said the Chargers’ biggest concern will be Warren Moon, the man who pulls the trigger for Houston.

“I think they’re as good as anybody doing it, and that all comes down to the quarterback,” Henning said. “He’s the guy that we gotta concern ourselves with.”

The Oilers, while ranked 28th in the NFL rushing the ball, rank second overall offensively on the strength of 316.7 passing yards a game. Moon has completed 60.4 percent of his passes, and has thrown for seven touchdowns while being intercepted seven times.

“Run ‘n shoot is a third-down offense placed on first down,” Henning said. “You must be prepared to play your third-down personnel on every play. That makes the critical matchup our secondary with their four wide receivers.

“I didn’t think we matched up well against them last year (in the Chargers’ 34-27 loss to Houston),” Henning said. “But I think we’re better now. We’ll miss Vencie if he’s not in there, but we have all kinds of possibilities.”

The Chargers public relations department received a phone call from a soldier on duty in Saudi Arabia Tuesday.

“He said he bought season tickets this season before learning he was being shipped out,” Rob Boulware, assistant director of public relations, said. “I gave him our rushing and receiving leaders, and told him about the quarterback situation, and all the scores.

“He had one question,” Boulware said. “How did we lose to Dallas?”