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. The new-look passing attack struggled in his absence, ranking 26th out of 28 teams. 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.
Offseason
Departures
The San Diego offense saw three major departures: Dan Fouts had retired shortly after the 1987 season, Wes Chandler was traded to San Francisco in the off-season, while Kellen Winslow had a dispute with management over his fitness to play, and officially retired early in the 1988 season. Each of the trio are in the Chargers Hall of Fame; Fouts and Winslow are both in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Fouts had his number retired on November 27, at halftime of a game against the San Francisco 49ers.
Other departures also affected the passing game: Fouts' backup of the past three seasons, Mark Herrmann, also departed, traded to the Colts, while tight end Pete Holohan moved on to the Los Angeles Rams after seven seasons in San Diego. Pro Bowl left tackle Jim Lachey expressed discontentment in San Diego, and was traded to the Raiders for second-year lineman John Clay and a pair of draft picks. On defense, cornerback Danny Walters was released after being charged with DUI and the possession of cocaine, and linebacker Thomas Benson was traded to New England.
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. They later added journeyman Babe Laufenberg, who had previously been with four different teams (including San Diego in 1985) without throwing a pass. Another offensive acquisition was blocking tight end Arthur Cox, who would start every game in 1988.
On defense, linebacker Keith Browner and defensive back Roy Bennett were both added via free agency; Bennett had led the CFL in interceptions the previous year. Also in the defensive backfield, Leonard Coleman was acquired from the Colts in exchange for a 12th round draft pick, and two weeks into the season, Sam Seale was brought in from the LA Raiders after to replace an injured Pat Miller. Later in the season, kicker Vince Abbott was injured, and free agent Steve DeLine replaced him for the final five games.
NFL draft
San Diego made 10 selections in the 1988 draft. 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. Both receivers signed contracts in July.
In total, San Diego signed six of their ten selections. 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.
Personnel Staff
Roster
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.
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. 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.
On August 23, Saunders named Laufenberg the probable starter for the opening weekend of the regular season. 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.
WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueAttendance 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
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. Only three seasons earlier, San Diego had topped the league with over double the yardage.
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 - the league average for 1988 was 72.9, and Fouts had posted a rating of at least 70.0 in each of his last 12 seasons in San Diego. 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. 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, 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. Anderson had five 100-yard games, each of which the Chargers won, and rushed for 387 yards in the final two games alone.
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. 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, rebounded to snag seven - nearly half the team's total of sixteen. Ralf Mojsiejenko's average of 44.1 yards per kick ranked second in the league. 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.
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.
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 RecapNote: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries All game reports use the Pro Football Researchers' gamebook archive as a source.
Week 1: at Los Angeles Raiders
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.
Week 2: at Denver Broncos