ESPN NFL

SAN DIEGO -- If Drew Brees and 40-year-old Doug Flutie both get hurt in a game this year, the San Diego Chargers will have to scramble for a volunteer to put in at quarterback.

Because of numbers crunches at other positions, decided Sunday not to keep a third quarterback. They're keeping four specialists and four tight ends, including former Kent State basketball star Antonio Gates, who hasn't played football since high school.

Seth Burford, last year's third-stringer, and Cleo Lemon, who was competing for the job, were among the 14 players cut to get down to the mandatory 53-player limit.

The Chargers, trying to end a seven-year playoff drought, also put 350-pound guard Toniu Fonoti on injured reserve, meaning he'll miss the whole season. He was slowed by triceps and foot injuries. He started 14 games as a rookie last year. Solomon Page, a free agent pickup from Dallas, will start at right guard.

The last time the Chargers needed three quarterbacks to get through a game was in a 17-7 home loss to the Miami Dolphins on Nov. 12, 2000, when Moses Moreno, Ryan Leaf and Jim Harbaugh combined to throw four interceptions. Moreno and Leaf were both hurt in the game.

The last time the Chargers started a season with two quarterbacks was 1998, when Leaf melted down on and off the field as a rookie. Craig Whelihan was his backup.

``There's always risk in anything you do,'' Brees said. ``Three is better than two if you really want to weigh all the risks. But if we ended up having to get down to our third, I don't think that's a great situation anyway you look at it.

``Every time you make a personnel decision with the 53-man roster, you're always going to have a risk somewhere. I'm not worried, I'm not stressed out any more. I feel like we have a good group assembled.''

Brees started all 16 games last year after Flutie went 5-11 as the starter two years ago. Flutie made just one appearance last year, relieving the ineffective Brees midway through the fourth quarter of a loss at Buffalo. Flutie completed just 3 of 11 passes for 64 yards.

Flutie said the last time he played on a team that had just two quarterbacks was when he was in the CFL.

``Obviously we don't need three quarterbacks, otherwise they never would have done it,'' Flutie said. ``The situation won't come up. That's the way we look at it.''

The Chargers are keeping rookie Mike Scifres to handle kickoffs while veteran Steve Christie will handle field goals and PATs. Scifres is also the likely successor to punter Darren Bennett, the Australian who's entering his ninth NFL season.

Also cut were limit were guards Kevin Breedlove and Luke Butkus, nephew of Hall of Famer Dick Butkus; wide receivers Terry Charles and Grant Mattos; running back Dahrran Diedrick; fullback Joey Goodspeed; defensive end Omari Hand; defensive tackle Scott Pospisil; linebacker Jordan Kramer, son of former Green Bay Packers guard Jerry Kramer; cornerback Tony Okanlawon; safety Cedric Henry; and kicker Mackenzie Hoambrecker.

The Chargers started 6-1 last year but lost seven of their last nine to finish 8-8.

Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press