SAN FRANCISCO – Donnie Edwards played one quarter, and that was evidently enough.
After sitting out all of training camp with a lower-back injury and practicing for the first time on Monday, the forlorn linebacker appeared in midseason form last night, his pressure ending one drive and his fumble recovery ending another.
“It felt good to get back out there and make some plays,” said Edwards, who was put on the trading block in April and has become so resigned to leaving his hometown that he requested of General Manager A.J. Smith last month that a trade be worked out.
Edwards has throughout his career shown a penchant for being in the right place, so there ought to be no doubt about his ability to make plays. However, last night he was clearly the most advanced player on the field most plays.
On some plays he ran unfettered. His pressure of quarterback Alex Smith on third down forced a hurried pass and brought an end to the 49ers' first drive.
At the start of San Francisco's next drive, Derreck Robinson hit Maurice Hicks 6 yards behind the line of scrimmage, jarring the ball loose. Edwards swooped in and picked it up at the 20 and returned it to the 8.
Three plays later, the Chargers scored to take a 7-0 lead.
Leading man
Ray Perkins started at running back last night, as not only LaDainian Tomlinson sat out another exhibition game but Michael Turner was also a spectator.
Perkins played just the first quarter, carrying five times for 16 yards, and finished the preseason as the team's leading rusher with 167 yards and a touchdown on 45 carries.
“When the season starts I want to have a job,” Perkins said last week. “When they dial my number, I have to answer the phone. It's not how many opportunities you get, it's how you respond. I feel like I've done some things.”
While Perkins has shown impressive moves this preseason, he remains likely to be relegated to the practice squad when final cuts are made today.
Emotion man
Linebacker Shawne Merriman has taken over as the player around whom the team gathers pregame in the end zone, where he whips the players into a frenzy with dramatic gestures and a fiery speech.
“It's just a natural thing for me,” Merriman said. “I've always done that at every level.”
DeQuincy Scott, who left as a free agent in the offseason, had previously had the honor.
Oben recognized
Left tackle Roman Oben will be honored tomorrow night by his alma mater when Louisville places his jersey No. 72 in the school's Ring of Fame.
“It's an honor to be mentioned in the same breath as some of the Louisville legends,” said Oben, who will join Johnny Unitas, among others, as being so honored.
Ticket news
While none of the eight regular-season home games has sold out yet, Chargers tickets have been moving.
The Chargers have sold approximately 56,000 season tickets, about 3,000 more than their total season-ticket base in 2005.
Nuts 'n' Bolts
The Chargers turned the ball over four times to bring their preseason total to 11 in four games, five fumbles and six interceptions.
Backup defensive end Jacques Cesaire suffered a right-knee injury pulling off a tackle of 49ers quarterback Shaun Hill. Results of X-rays were not known.
Kevin Acee: (619) 293-1857; kevin.acee@uniontrib.com
