Chargers Face Tough Start to 1991 Season

SAN DIEGO —  Does it really matter if it’s Billy Joe Tolliver or John Friesz at quarterback? Or Dan Fouts, for that matter?

Take a look at the Chargers’ 1991 schedule and fret not about making travel plans to a Super Bowl to be played in Minneapolis this year. By the time the Chargers reach their “bye” in week No. 10, they may be waving bye-bye to another season gone sour.

Six of the team’s first nine games will be played on the road, and this is a franchise that has compiled an 18-43 mark in non-strike games played away from San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium the past eight years.

Last season the Chargers played a fifth-place schedule, with a combined mark of 117-136-3. They went on to lose five of their last six and close the year 6-10--for the third year in a row.

This year the Chargers will play five playoff teams and opponents with a combined record of 136-120. That’s the best mark for Charger foes since 1986, when they took on a schedule of teams with a combined record of 141-115.

The Dan Henning Fan Club take note: The Chargers went 1-7 to open the 1986 season, and after Coach Don Coryell was fired and replaced by Al Saunders, the club finished 4-12.

“Too many road games in the beginning,” Henning said. “It gets old . . . hey, it’s not exactly the way you’d want it, but there’s nothing you can do about it.”

For their opener, the Chargers travel to Pittsburgh, where they have compiled an 0-7 mark in regular-season play. Then it’s on to San Francisco and Joe Montana and Jerry Rice and how many teams have opened the season 0-2 and come back to make the playoffs?

The Chargers’ home opener will be against Jerry Glanville’s Atlanta Falcons on Sept. 15. The Falcons are 2-0 in games played in San Diego.