1988 San Diego Chargers Team Season Highlights "Blueprint For Victory"

[Music] this film is brought to you by New York Life and it's over 10,000 agents and representatives who offer you quality financial products and services to help you get the most out of life [Music] in 1989 the San Diego Chargers will be led by one of the most respected football minds in the NFL new coach Dan Henning possesses the background and qualifications that team owner Alex Panos appreciates thing I like about Dan Henning is that he's tough professional and very organized he has 14 years experience as a professional coach in the National Football League dan has been associated with two Super Bowl champions in Washington and knows what it takes to win I want charger fans to know that this team will be physically tough and competitive we're going to have more wins and more excitement the basic philosophy than any coach has to do things well where the team is well coached that they're capable of doing the things that you asked them to do I think we can be better this year than we were last year and hopefully the next year better than that the object being is somewhere down the road and as quickly as possible in my mind we want to get in the playoffs so that we can compete with those teams for the Super Bowl in the mid-60s the San Diego Chargers boasted the most explosive offense in pro football but while players such as Lincoln whoa-hey DeLand or Werth were busy scoring touchdowns a Chargers third string quarterback named Dan Henning equipped himself with a clipboard and a view from the sidelines despite limited playing time Henning still cherishes the memories of his early years in San Diego this is basically where my wife and I started we put everything we had into a 1959 station wagon and moved into a little house out there in a East San Diego my son Dan was born and what was helix hospital it didn't there anymore little Hospital off of Lake Mary Boulevard you know I substitute taught in at least 20 schools in the San Diego area all the way from Chula Vista all the way up to Kearny Mesa down to Point Loma but the classroom handing like best was the one presided over by Chargers coaching legend Sid Gillman sit as a teacher was probably the greatest thing that ever happened to me because I was I went to school to become a teacher to be a to be a coach in a teaching to see this man is enthusiastic and has innovative and creative he turned me on to coaching and I had a much better chance to observe and to watch and to learn than some of those players that were called on to play and utilize their talents the penning Sandiego experience was the starting point to a career in the coaching profession six years and the college ranks were followed by Pro assignments with the Oilers Jets and world champion Redskins and when the Falcons head coaching job was offered in 1983 Dan Henning was ready to take charge come on James play the coverage he could beat inside on bullets pinion they can throw the fade play it hey man listen now you can't let him out of the hole you got to go down there and rip through and be prepared for anything they're gonna try and make a big play but rip through and go to the football check Rick is Rick doing all right keep your eyes on him now if he starts holding his side won't eat you guys get it got to go in and give him a blow you watch him now huh hey quit that safeties way off inside very often and outside and the corners kind of loose next time you get the call talk to him and run it that way pop them right in the hole they're in Atlanta Henning was only too happy to pull out the stops and let the footballs fly [Applause] Hennings Falcons had both brilliance and balance with the ability to run plays best suited to the team's personnel before Henning left Washington for Atlanta the Redskins were world champions when Dan returned in 1987 the skins became champions again right on the turf of San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium penning was the play calling architect for Washington's 35 point second period in Super Bowl twenty-two the most explosive quarter in postseason history [Music] dan Henning hopes to make San Diego Stadium a permanent home for record-setting performances the one-time charges quarterback is now calling the signals for an entire franchise and he expects his plan of action to become the San Diego Chargers blueprint for victory [Music] with four victories in the last six games of 1988 Dan Henning and the Chargers will have some real momentum as they begin the 89 season one of the club strongest departments as the special teams led by pro football's second leading punter Ralph mishchenko when Ralph and kickers Vince Abbott and Steve de line put the ball into orbit superb coverage was provided by Leonard Coleman Tim Spencer Ken Woodard Roy Bennett and David Brandon [Music] along with six blocked kicks the Chargers also led the NFL and kickoff returns for the first time in team history era's lowry to kick off Jamie Holland at the five to the 10 to the 15 swings right to the 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 [Applause] another area on the upswing is the defense personnel moves trades and key drafting by Chargers general manager Steve Ortmeyer will supplement a sturdy unit that has already achieved positive results what you're going to see in this n Diego Chargers in 1989 is a very aggressive tough attacking defensive philosophy we've got some continuity on that side of the ball now we're gonna plug people in to that situation that will enhance our ability to be more dominant and more consistent over four quarters the continued good help of defensive end Leslie O'Neil number 91 will also be a major boost the 1986 rookie of the year finally returned from a serious knee injury and finished second on the team in sacks a late-season source of help came from eleventh round draft pick George Hinkle number 97 who picked up three sacks in his first three NFL games Hinkle joined a strong front line that included Joe Phillips Mike Charles Tyrone Keyes Carl Wilson and rookie Joe Campbell [Music] but team captain Billy Ray Smith and the rest of the squad know that continued improvement depends largely on one of the league's finest pass washing talents well anytime you got to play like Lee Williams he's gonna be double-teamed and they'll keep backs in instead of get him out in the route which helps line backers tremendously regardless of where they put one or two guys on them sometimes three Lee was always gonna be around the quarterback and usually on top of them Lee always shows up in tremendous shape he seems to get better as the game goes on and you can always count on him in the fourth quarter to come up with the big play the sack caused the fumble he's a guy that's always into the game and that's what makes him such a great player in 1988 Lee earned a Pro Bowl start by finishing second in the AFC with 11 sacks four more sacks were wiped out by penalties all this made Williams the obvious choice as Chargers lineman of the year he has that special instinctive competitive approach that turns the good ones into great ones and the average ones into good ones Polly has the tools to be a top-notch player at defensive end he's ranging he's big he has long arms and he has pulling grab techniques but more than that he had some intangibles that that'll put him on that pedestal and he wants to be on while Williams was leading the team in sacks for the fourth straight season a retooled group of linebackers was just as aggressive [Music] [Applause] [Music] new comers Chuck faucet Keith browner and Cedric Figueroa joined team tackling leader Gary Plummer their names might have been unfamiliar but their hits rang true [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] what made the success of the linebackers even more impressive was the prolonged absence of leader Billy Ray Smith Smith lost seven games to injuries and teammates such as ven see Glenn missed Billy Ray's many qualities I would say the greatest athlete but he plays ahoy and makes up for you know he plays hard it makes things happen he's smart he knows what's coming and knows what this spectacle that point puts itself in the right position [Music] [Applause] [Music] a healthy Billy Ray Smith in 1989 will make an already strong line back in cord that much tougher and when it comes to toughness they don't come more rugged than cornerback gilbird number 22 Byrd enjoyed his finest season in San Diego with a career-high seven interceptions third best in the AFC also on the attack were veterans Vincey Glen Martin Bayless Elvis Patterson Pat Miller and Sammy Co busy on the Blitz and lethal on opponents in the open field [Music] with help from the draft and other sources the defense should be better in 1989 although it will be challenged to duplicate the top performance of 88 a week three dismantling of a Seattle Seahawks the eventual division champions came to San Diego expecting an easy win but linebacker Keith browner and the rest of the defense had far different plans one running back behind Craig he will throw they got up woods coming in the pocket Rose patty [Applause] [Music] Lee Williams spent as much time in the offensive back field as the Seahawks passers and the Chargers rush prevented Seattle from scoring a touchdown four times the Chargers picked off Seahawk passes and San Diego's total of jarring hits far exceeded even that number back to troll camp looks intercepted again 15 for San Diego charges defense which has played great all day as the winners came for [Music] when the charges snapped the ball this season some young but talented building blocks will be in place for Dan Hennings offensive blueprint and running back line l James recognizes the budding talent I think it's kind of like growing pains I think right now we have the athletic ability to really make some big plays and to create a lot of different situations and give defense as a big headache on any given Sunday and it's just gonna take time to for the younger guys to get more experience in what they're doing an improved offensive line will welcome some excellent new players to blend in with rookie tackle David Richards veteran guard Broderick Thompson and offensive captain Dennis McKnight mammoth tight end Arthur Cox number 88 will add his bulk to the blocking scheme clearing pathways for versatile runners such as Tim Spencer Curtis Adams Y&L James and Barry Retton [Music] [Applause] [Music] while Henning contemplates deployment of his ball carriers large and small the coach may have special plans for the Chargers most prolific offensive weapon in 1988 Gary Anderson rushed for 100 yards five different times and the Chargers won on all five occasions as Anderson goes so go the charges and Gary can go at the opposition in almost any way imaginable with what we have here right now we know that Gary Anderson is a very complex and flexible football player in terms of his talents and what he's capable of doing he can run he can catch I've seen him throw he's gone out as a wide receiver he's somebody that we would certainly try to utilize to the the best advantage of this football team at first glance Anderson seems speedy yet slight but Gary proved his durability with 225 carries the most attempts by a Chargers runner in the last four years in the final two weeks of the season Anderson ran for a total of 300 87 yards in both games the AFC's third leading rusher carried the Chargers to victory first over the Pittsburgh Steelers and then a season-ending performance against the Kansas City Chiefs that made Chargers history the give Gary Anderson sweeps right to the Fievel Accola touchdown 216 yards for Gary Anderson and that is an individual game record surpassing the 206 yards performance by keep Lincoln back in an AFL playoff game against the Boston Patriots in 1964 Gary Anderson over the top the Chargers will be wheeling out more firepower in 1989 as they seek to improve their production in the passing game the candidates include Mark Malone and El Cajon native with experienced leadership and superb mobility cannon-armed mark Vlasic will also compete relying on shore handed rod Bernstein number 82 a receiver who can turn routine patterns into game breaking plays speedy Jamie Holland number 86 san diego's leading receiver should be a favored target for even more passes in 1989 free-agent find darren flutie number 89 provided the charges with the possession receiver all passing attacks must have and San Diego's price rookies of 1988 should be even more explosive with a year's experience number 83 Anthony Miller and Quinn early number 87 are both aware that when it comes to pass catchers Chargers fans are accustomed to the best know being in the NFL this is my first year just working hard things have come along pretty nicely on the charges have always had a tradition of great receivers and hopefully I can just keep that going so far Quinn early has lived up to that pledge paired with Miller the two young talents are blessed with unlimited skills those two guys they have more athletic ability than anyone on the football field they have great speed great hands and both fairly intelligent guys I can see those guys as a young west challenge Charlie joiner John Jefferson tight because of the athletic ability the potential for an explosive aerial attack is something Anthony Miller recognizes and he knows he's in the perfect spot to make it happen I think it's a great place their fans are really great and I knew once I went down there they would be throwing the ball because they're known for putting the ball up and I'm I was just really happy just to be a part of that the Chargers were happy to have Miller against the Rams in week 12 San Diego's most impressive performance of the 88 season it's short can be grabbed there by the up man at the 8 to the 10 to the 15 to the 20 finds a seam here he comes 2530 to the 40 [Applause] [Music] the charges demolished a quality playoff team with strong performances on both sides of the football the 38:24 victory was the high point of a late season rush that should bolster the team's confidence as it looks to 1989 straight ahead [Music] the San Diego Chargers no there is work to be done but now there is a blueprint drawn up by a man who once wore the lightning bolt himself I would like to leave this situation someday the way I found it a championship team in 1963 is the way I found this this franchise and someday I'd like to leave leaving a championship team behind [Music] this video is part of a complete blockbuster lineup of NFL Films capturing go football's greatest plays and biggest heroes with crunchies Follies highlights and Super Bowl hits plus new releases each season we've got action back videos of every superstar team in the NFL call 1-800 NFL tape now for a free catalog and order your NFL hits today or look for NFL Films at your nearby video store the seasons never over with NFL Films and Fox Hills video

Channel: Sports Odyssey

Views: 2,494

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Id: AC48LorT15s

Length: 23min 46sec (1426 seconds)

Published: Thu Sep 19 2019