James, Abbott Among Eight Cut by Chargers
The personality transplant continues. The Chargers--a team that has added bad boys Jim McMahon and Burt Grossman in the past nine days--cut eight players Saturday on their way down from 80 to 72. They must reach a roster limit of 60 Tuesday.
One of the waived players was running back Lionel (Little Train) James, perhaps the team’s most popular player both among teammates and within the community. Another was kicker Vince Abbott, perhaps the team’s nicest guy.
“The decisions we make out here are not based on that fact,” said Dan Henning, the Chargers’ first-year coach.
The other six waived Chargers were former Ram tight end Tony Hunter, wide receiver Gregory Lewis, free safety Mark Moore, linebacker Rex Moore, offensive lineman Dan Rosado (last year’s starting center) and defensive end Ed Washington.
James, 27, set an NFL record with 2,535 all-purpose yards in 1985. Abbott, 30, was the team’s starting kicker most of the past two years.
The continued improvement of rookie Dana Brinson and James’ salary ($310,000 in 1988) made him expendable. Abbott, who missed both of his field goal attempts this preseason--including a 27-yarder in the Chargers’ 17-14 loss in San Francisco Wednesday--couldn’t beat out Chris Bahr or Steve DeLine.
James and Abbott are eligible to be claimed by other teams until 1 p.m. Monday, after which they become free agents. By virtue of being a vested five-year veteran, James can choose among the teams that claim him. Abbott, if claimed by more than one team, automatically goes to the one with the worst record last year.
Teams expected to show an interest in James include Kansas City and the Rams. The Chiefs’ receivers coach is former Charger Coach Al Saunders, always one of James’ biggest boosters. Ernie Zampese, the Ram offensive coordinator, coached James when he was an assistant with the Chargers.
Abbott almost signed with the Packers during the Plan B free agency phase earlier this year. He said he has heard the Phoenix Cardinals are interested in him.
“When Lionel came in the league, he’d make two guys miss and the next guy might get a glancing blow on him while making the tackle,” Henning said. “Now the first two guys get a glancing blow and the last guy knocks the . . . out of him.”
Henning said he “loved” James’ talents when he came out of Auburn in 1984. And, he said, “if I thought he could still do those things, he’d still be here.”
But James’ production dropped drastically last year when he scored just one touchdown after producing 15 his first four years. James carried the ball twice for 11 yards in exhibitions, caught one pass for six yards and returned one punt for seven yards.
Still, said Charger free safety Vencie Glenn, “I think he has a lot left in him.”
Steve Ortmayer, the team’s director of football operations, said he talked to several teams about the possibility of trading James but couldn’t make a deal.
Bobby Jackson, the Charger running backs coach, gave James the news before lunchtime, and James cleared out of the team’s UC San Diego training camp shortly thereafter.
“I did most of the talking,” Jackson said. “Lionel said he understood. I would say this is probably the hardest cut I’ve ever had to make. He is a special guy.”
Abbott attended his daughter’s baptism in Whittier Saturday morning and drove all the way to San Diego only to find a note on the desk in his room instructing him to see Joe Madden, the special teams coach.
After Madden gave him the news, Abbott got back in his car and drove to his home in Santa Ana. The last Charger kicker before Abbott was Rolf Benirschke, who went on to host the daytime version of the TV show “Wheel of Fortune.”
“I may try to go on a few game shows,” Abbott said. “But I don’t think I’ll host any.”
Ortmayer was loud and clear Saturday in his message to unsigned free agent Gary Anderson, the team’s leading rusher last year.
“It is now time that Gary Anderson needs to be here,” Ortmayer said. “It’s virtually imperative for Gary Anderson to be in here by the end of this weekend. If Gary Anderson showed up today, there’s not an active quarterback here that would even recognize him. There’s not a head coach that would recognize him.”
Ortmayer criticized Anderson’s agent, Peter Johnson, who works for the Cleveland-based International Management Group. Johnson’s boss at IMG is Ralph Cindrich. Ortmayer was also upset with statements made by Cindrich saying the Chargers had told IMG they were exploring the possibility of trading Anderson.
“We’re not interested in trading Gary Anderson,” Ortmayer said. “If he plays in 1989, it will be as a San Diego Charger. He’ll either play here or he won’t play.”
Charger Notes
Rookie defensive end Burt Grossman, who signed Friday, doesn’t count against the Chargers’ roster limit until he plays in a game. The Chargers’ next game is Sept. 1 against the Cardinals at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium. . . . H-back Rod Bernstine practiced in pads for the first time Saturday.