Chargers' Means Has Surgery

October 25, 1999 / 11:49 PM EDT / CBS/AP

As if the San Diego Chargers' dreadful offense needed further deflating, running back Natrone Means underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Monday and will be lost for 2-4 weeks.

Means, hobbled with ankle and knee injuries since the season opener on Sept. 19, tore cartilage in his left knee four minutes into Sunday's 31-3 loss to the Green Bay Packers. He hobbled off the field and later returned, but gained only 28 yards on 12 carries.

"He wanted to go back in," coach Mike Riley said. "It's been a rough five weeks for Natrone since the Cincinnati game and it culminates with this."

And it's the fifth straight season that Means has been sidelined by injury. He hasn't played all 16 games in a season since 1994, the year he set a franchise record with 1,350 yards in leading the Chargers to their only Super Bowl appearance.

In subsequent seasons, he was sidelined by groin, thumb, ankle and foot injuries.

In Means' absence, the Chargers hope third-year pro Kenny Bynum can spark their sagging running game. Bynum has carried just 21 times for 87 yards, but averages 4.1 yards per carry. Means averaged just 2.6 yards per carry in gaining 227 yards on 89 carries.

Bynum played in NFL Europe in the spring, ranking second with 960 yards and five TDs on 194 carries, a 4.9-yard average.

The Chargers also hope to get Terrell Fletcher as involved in the running game as he is in the passing game.

Meanwhile, quarterbacks Erik Kramer and Jim Harbaugh took their share of the blame for Sunday's debacle, in which they each threw three interceptions.

"I feel horrible that I was responsible for some costly mistakes, but I just have to pick up and learn and move on," said Kramer, who had led the Chargers to three straight wins. "I don't know if there's any legal pills you can take for short-term memory loss, but if there was, I would take one."

Kramer has thrown seven interceptions in two games. His three pickoffs Sunday the first coming in the end zone as he badly underthrew Mikhael Ricks all led to Packers touchdowns. Harbaugh, who hadn't played since cracking two ribs on Oct. 3, threw three interceptions in the fourth quarter.

"I feel bad that I personally screwed up and didn't find a way to win," Harbaugh said.

Kramer and Harbaugh were supposd to stop the flood of turnovers committed by Ryan Leaf and Craig Whelihan last year. Instead, their combined 14 pickoffs are one more than Leaf and Whelihan threw at this point last year.

"That's unbelievable," Kramer said. "It's not been part of my history to make mistakes like that. Hopefully you'll get another crack at redeeming yourself."

As he has for the last two weeks, Riley will wait until Wednesday to announce the starter for Sunday's game at Kansas City, which is tied with San Diego and Seattle for the AFC West lead at 4-2.

"I'm sure he's going to take some time to evaluate that catastrophe," Kramer said.

Leaf, who last week reported soreness in his surgically repaired right shoulder after overthrowing one day during rehab, is scheduled to have an MRI exam sometime this week.