Charger Notebook : Spanos to Award Saunders

SAN DIEGO — Chargers owner Alex Spanos plans to award Coach Al Saunders a new contract after the completion of the regular season.

Saunders, who replaced Don Coryell at midseason, is working under a contract that runs through the 1987 season.

Spanos said this week he wants to keep Saunders with the Chargers for several more years.

Saunders declined to discuss the contract issue, other than to say he has had some preliminary discussions with Spanos. “It’s a private matter and I don’t want to get into it during the season,” Saunders said.

Defensive end Leslie O’Neal, who underwent knee surgery last week at a Lake Tahoe hospital, is due back in San Diego later this week.

It is now thought that his recuperation may not require a full year, as feared immediately after the injury occurred. The Chargers are hoping he may be able to return early in the 1987 season, instead of missing all or nearly all of the schedule.

O’Neal, a strong candidate for Rookie of the Year, is third as of this week in the balloting. Dallas wide receiver Mike Sherrard and Miami linebacker John Offerdahl are ahead of O’Neal in balloting, which is conducted by phone-ins from fans.

Since the injury to O’Neal, who was not wearing protective knee braces, other Chargers have been reminded of the value of the braces, Saunders said.

“We think the braces can have a significant deterrent effect in reducing the severity of knee injuries,” Saunders said. The club encourages, but does not require, players to wear them.

Quarterback Dan Fouts, seldom used in the shotgun formation under Don Coryell, may find the formation a help in extending his career, according to Saunders.

Defensive teams traditionally have tried to pressure Fouts up the middle. As he ages and loses mobility, the shotgun gives him a bit of added time to pick out receivers. It won’t become a mainstay of the offense, but it will be an option.

“Dan is receptive to anything that helps us win,” Saunders said. “The shotgun gets him back off the line of scrimmage and will help him see his receivers more clearly.”

In the past two games, Fouts has completed 45 of 61 passes (.738) for 540 yards.

Injury update: Wide receiver Charlie Joiner is expected to practice and play this week against Seattle despite a broken right hand and a broken nose. He was injured in Sunday’s win over Houston. . . . Offensive lineman Jim Lachey, who has a pulled hamstring, is listed as questionable, but would be available in a reserve capacity. . . . Running back Gary Anderson is bothered by a bruised back and swelling in his knee, but is expected to play.