1988 San Diego Chargers season

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1988 San Diego Chargers season
Owner
Jack Murphy Stadium
Results
Record6–10
Division place4th AFC West
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro Bowlers
1
AP All-ProsNone
Babe Laufenberg was one of three quarterbacks tried as a replacement for the retired Dan Fouts.

The 1988 San Diego Chargers season was the franchise's 19th season in the National Football League, its 29th overall and the second and final full season under head coach Al Saunders.

This was the first season after the retirement of Dan Fouts, who had been the Chargers' starting quarterback for the majority of games over the past 15 seasons.[1] The new-look passing attack struggled in his absence, ranking 26th out of 28 teams.[2] San Diego team failed to improve on their 8–7 record in 1987 and finished 6–10: following a 2–2 start, they lost six straight games to drop out of the playoff race.

Saunders was fired the day after the season finale, amid rumors of friction between the head coach and Director of Football Operations Steve Ortmayer.[3]

Offseason

Departures

The San Diego offense saw three major departures: Dan Fouts had retired shortly after the 1987 season,[4] Wes Chandler was traded to San Francisco in the off-season,[5] while Kellen Winslow had a dispute with management over his fitness to play, and officially retired early in the 1988 season.[6] Each of the trio are in the Chargers Hall of Fame; Fouts and Winslow are both in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.[7] Fouts had his number retired on November 27, at halftime of a game against the San Francisco 49ers.[8]

Other departures also affected the passing game: Fouts' backup of the past three seasons,

DUI and the possession of cocaine,[12] and linebacker Thomas Benson was traded to New England.[13]

Arrivals

San Diego looked to the free agent market for their replacement at quarterback, acquiring eight-year veteran Mark Malone from Pittsburgh on April 12, in exchange for an eight-round draft pick.[14] They later added journeyman Babe Laufenberg,[15] who had previously been with four different teams (including San Diego in 1985) without throwing a pass.[16] Another offensive acquisition was blocking tight end Arthur Cox, who would start every game in 1988.[17]

On defense, linebacker

CFL in interceptions the previous year.[18] Also in the defensive backfield, Leonard Coleman was acquired from the Colts in exchange for a 12th round draft pick,[19] and two weeks into the season, Sam Seale was brought in from the LA Raiders after to replace an injured Pat Miller.[20] Later in the season, kicker Vince Abbott was injured, and free agent Steve DeLine replaced him for the final five games.[21]

NFL draft

Main article: 1988 NFL draft

San Diego made 10 selections in the 1988 draft.[22] They addressed their need at wide receiver by choosing Anthony Miller and Quinn Early with their first two selections. Both were seen as speedsters - Miller was timed at 4.33 seconds in the 40-yard dash, with Early at 4.36. Al Saunders had considered trading up to ensure the team could draft Miller, but the Chargers were able to secure their target with the 15th overall selection.[23] Both receivers signed contracts in July.[24]

In total, San Diego signed six of their ten selections.[25] Miller (15 starts) and Early (11 starts) both saw extensive action as rookies, as did fourth-round pick David Richards, who started every game at right tackle.[26]

1988 San Diego Chargers draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 15 Anthony Miller *  Wide receiver Tennessee
3 60 Quinn Early  Wide receiver Iowa
4 91 Joe Campbell  Defensive end New Mexico State
4 93 Stacy Searels  Tackle Auburn
4 98 David Richards  Guard
UCLA
6 152 Cedric Figaro  Linebacker Notre Dame
9 238 Joey Howard  Tackle Tennessee
11 285 Ed Miller  Center Pittsburgh
11 293 George Hinkle  Defensive end Arizona
12 324 Wendell Phillips  Defensive back North Alabama
      Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

[27]

Personnel

Staff

1988 San Diego Chargers staff

Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

[28]


Roster

1988 San Diego Chargers final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists
  • 10
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 42
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 84
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 82
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 77
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 53
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 79
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 93
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 68
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 62
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 63
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 54
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 13
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • --
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)

[28][29]

Rookies in italics
 47 active, 14 inactive

Preseason

Going into preseason, the Chargers' starting quarterback job was up for grabs, with Babe Laufenberg, Mark Malone and Mark Vlasic each given substantial playing time. In the first game, Laufenberg enhanced his case by leading a 4th quarter comeback against Dallas. The Cowboys took a 21–0 lead in the 3rd quarter, and were still up 21–3 when Laufenberg entered the game with 12:40 to play. He led three consecutive touchdown drives to put San Diego ahead, passing to Darren Flutie and Lionel James for scores, either side of a Tim Spencer touchdown run. The victory was confirmed when rookie wide receiver Michael Irvin lost a fumble in the Charger red zone with a minute to play.[30]

Laufenberg struggled the following week, being on the receiving end of four of the seven sacks San Diego gave up in a one-sided loss to the Rams. Both he and Vlasic threw interceptions, while Malone completed 5 of 12 for 45 yards, and was credited by head coach Al Saunders with having shown the most poise.[31] The passing attack improved the following week against San Francisco, as the Chargers built a 27–10 lead before conceding 24 unanswered points to lose. Laufenberg threw a pair of touchdown passes to Quinn Early, and Malone added a third, to Jamie Holland; Holland had 3 catches for 118 yards while rookie Anthony Miller added 5 for 96.[32]

On August 23, Saunders named Laufenberg the probable starter for the opening weekend of the regular season.[33] San Diego then finished their preseason schedule with a second defeat to the Rams, falling behind 31–0 at halftime before recovering to lose by just seven points. Laufenberg played the bulk of the game, finding Flutie for two touchdown passes in the 3rd quarter, and completing 15 of 25 passes for 214 yards.[34]

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance
1 August 7 Dallas Cowboys W 24–21 1–0
Jack Murphy Stadium
 40,110
2 August 14 at Los Angeles Rams L 6–27 1–1
Anaheim Stadium
 48,841
3 August 20 San Francisco 49ers L 27–34 1–2 Jack Murphy Stadium 39,044
4 August 27 Los Angeles Rams L 24–31 1–3 Jack Murphy Stadium 37,392

[35]

Regular season

Overview

In the absence of Fouts, Winslow and Chandler, the once-mighty Charger passing attack collapsed completely, ranking 26th in the league with 2,388 yards.[36] Only three seasons earlier, San Diego had topped the league with over double the yardage.[37]

Saunders tried three different quarterbacks during the season: Babe Laufenberg, Mark Malone, and second-year pro Mark Vlasic. Each of the trio finished with a passer rating in the 50s[2] - the league average for 1988 was 72.9,[38] and Fouts had posted a rating of at least 70.0 in each of his last 12 seasons in San Diego.[1] The receiving corps lacked experience - Jamie Holland, in his second year, led the team with 536 yards, while rookies Quinn Early and Anthony Miller caught the most touchdowns, with four and three respectively.[2] Darren Flutie, another rookie, caught a pair of touchdowns - thirteen years later, his elder brother Doug would join the Chargers as their starting quarterback.

The running game fared considerably better, thanks in large part to the form of Gary Anderson. After gaining most of his yardage as a receiver out of the backfield during his first three years in San Diego,[39] Anderson was used as a more conventional running back to good effect. Despite missing two games due to injury, his total of 1,119 yards ranked sixth in the league, and his average of 5.0 yards-per-carry was better than any of the five backs above him.[40] Anderson had five 100-yard games, each of which the Chargers won, and rushed for 387 yards in the final two games alone.[41]

On defense, San Diego had a mediocre campaign, ranking 18th for points allowed and 21st for yardage. Linebacker Chip Banks, who had started every non-strike game in 1987, was a holdout.[42][43] Lee Williams led the team in sacks for the fourth consecutive year, with eleven; Leslie O'Neal saw limited action after missing the previous season through injury, and picked up four sacks in nine games. Linebacker Gary Plummer was credited with a team-leading 118 tackles. Gill Byrd, who had gone without an interception the previous season,[44] rebounded to snag seven - nearly half the team's total of sixteen.[2] Ralf Mojsiejenko's average of 44.1 yards per kick ranked second in the league.[45] Holland and Miller ranked second and third respectively for kickoff return average; they each scored a touchdown return, making San Diego the only team with two such touchdowns.[46]

Before the season, the Chargers made modifications to their uniforms, changing the color of the helmet and jersey from royal blue to a darker navy blue. They also switched the colors on the lightning bolt: it went from a yellow bolt with a white outline to a white bolt with a yellow outline. The team's facemasks also changed from yellow to navy blue. They would keep this helmet and uniform through the 2006 season.[47]

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap
1 September 4 at Los Angeles Raiders L 13–24 0–1 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 39,029 Recap
2 September 11 at Denver Broncos L 3–34 0–2 Mile High Stadium 75,359 Recap
3 September 18 Seattle Seahawks W 17–6 1–2
Jack Murphy Stadium
 44,449 Recap
4 September 25 at Kansas City Chiefs W 24–23 2–2 Arrowhead Stadium 45,498 Recap
5 October 2 Denver Broncos L 0–12 2–3 Jack Murphy Stadium 55,763 Recap
6 October 9 New Orleans Saints L 17–23 2–4 Jack Murphy Stadium 42,693 Recap
7 October 16 at Miami Dolphins L 28–31 2–5
Joe Robbie Stadium
 58,972 Recap
8 October 23 Indianapolis Colts L 0–16 2–6 Jack Murphy Stadium 37,722 Recap
9 October 30 at Seattle Seahawks L 14–17 2–7 Kingdome 59,641 Recap
10 November 6 Los Angeles Raiders L 3–13 2–8 Jack Murphy Stadium 55,134 Recap
11 November 13 at Atlanta Falcons W 10–7 3–8 Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium 26,329 Recap
12 November 20 at Los Angeles Rams W 38–24 4–8
Anaheim Stadium
 45,462 Recap
13 November 27 San Francisco 49ers L 10–48 4–9 Jack Murphy Stadium 51,484 Recap
14 December 4 at Cincinnati Bengals L 10–27 4–10 Riverfront Stadium 56,866 Recap
15 December 11 Pittsburgh Steelers W 20–14 5–10 Jack Murphy Stadium 33,816 Recap
16 December 18 Kansas City Chiefs W 24–13 6–10 Jack Murphy Stadium 26,339 Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

All game reports use the Pro Football Researchers' gamebook archive as a source.[48]

Week 1: at Los Angeles Raiders

Week One: San Diego Chargers at Los Angeles Raiders – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Chargers 0 3 3713
Raiders 0 14 01024

at

Los Angeles, California

Game information

The post-Fouts era began with Babe Laufenberg at quarterback. The journeyman failed to lead his offense past midfield on their first five drives, which resulted in four punts and an interception. In the early stages, San Diego's defense held the Raiders at bay, with Lee Williams forcing a fumble in Charger territory; following Laufenberg's error, Los Angeles drove 52 yards and Marcus Allen opened the scoring. Laufenberg then completed passes of 31 and 34 yards to rookies Quinn Early and Anthony Miller, setting up a Vince Abbott field goal. NFL debutant and future Hall of Famer Tim Brown sliced through the Charger coverage on the ensuing kickoff, for a 97-yard touchdown and 14–3 Raider lead at the intermission.

San Diego trimmed the deficit with another Abbott kick after halftime, then drove to a 1st and 10 on the Raider 17, courtesy of Early's 37-yard reverse and Laufenberg's fourth down sneak. From there, the Chargers committed a penalty before losing yardage on three consecutive plays and punting on 4th and 44. After a Raider field goal, San Diego started out on their own 22-yard line with seven minutes to play. Lionel James had receptions of 13 and 31 yards on the next two plays, and Jamie Holland finished the drive with catches of 15 and 24 yards, the latter in the back of the end zone on 4th and 10. Los Angeles picked up one first down in response, before punting to pin the Chargers at their own 11 with 1:31 to play and only one timeout. The offense went backwards from there, with Laufenberg eventually throwing incomplete on 4th and 20 from his own 1-yard line. Allen added an insurance touchdown two plays later.[49]

Week 2: at Denver Broncos

Week Two: San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Chargers 0 3 003
Broncos 10 14 7334

at

Denver, Colorado

Game information

Babe Laufenberg was chased from the game as Denver thrashed the Chargers. After punting on their first possession, Denver scored 17 points on their next three, which proved to be more than enough to win. Laufenberg completed 2 of 8 passes for just 5 yards, and was replaced by Mark Malone after a 2nd quarter interception. Malone led the Chargers to an Abbott field goal on his first possession, but Denver came straight back with a Tony Dorsett touchdown run to lead 24–3. Lionel James had three receptions for 44 yards on the next drive, but was stopped a yard short when San Diego attempted to convert a 4th and 4 at the Denver 5-yard line. The best Charger chances after halftime were foiled by another failed fourth down try and a Malone interception.[50]

James rushed 4 times for 29 yards, caught 5 passes for 51 yards, and returned 2 punts a total of 31 yards.[51]

Week 3: vs. Seattle Seahawks

Week Three: Seattle Seahawks at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Seahawks 0 3 036
Chargers 7 3 0717

at

San Diego, California

Game information

Two interceptions each by Keith Browner and Gill Byrd sparked the Chargers to their first win of the year. Dave Krieg led his team into Charger territory on the game's first possession, before an onrushing Tyrone Keys batted a pass in the air for Browner to intercept behind the line of scrimmage - the linebacker returned the ball 55 yards for a touchdown. Seattle drove right back into Charger territory, but Krieg was picked off by Byrd in the end zone. After forcing a Charger punt, Seattle again threatened, but Vencie Glenn's third down sack forced a 43-yard field goal try by Norm Johnson, which fell short. Abbott made a kick from 48 yards, before Johnson pulled it back to 10–3 at the break.

Laufenberg was intercepted early in the third quarter, but Browning's second interception cancelled out the error two plays later. Abbott missed a field goal on the ensuing drive, and Johnson's second successful kick trimmed the lead to four points with 9:27 to play in the final quarter. San Diego then put together a crucial 9-play, 76-yard touchdown drive, with Laufenberg producing two third downs completions and Gary Anderson rushing four times for 49 yards; Anderson faked a reverse and scored on a 25-yard sweep with 4:05 to play. Byrd's goal line interception ensured there would be no late scare.[52]

Anderson finished with 19 carries for 120 yards and a touchdown, and the Chargers won despite producing only 78 net passing yards.[53]

Week 4: at Kansas City Chiefs

Week Four: San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Chargers 14 0 01024
Chiefs 0 14 9023

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: September 25
  • Game time: 3:00 p.m.
    CDT
  • Game weather: 64 °F (17.8 °C), relative humidity 63%, wind 8 mph
  • Game attendance: 45,498
  • Referee: Pat Haggerty
  • TV announcers (NBC): Ray Scott and Merlin Olsen
  • Box score
Game information