Backs Run for Daylight : Chargers: It’s overcrowded in the backfield where nine contenders are vying for no more than six spots on the roster.

The Charger backfield is mighty crowded at mini-camp this week.

There are nine contenders for the starting position in the team’s one-back offense. Coach Dan Henning expects to keep no more than six and maybe as few as four of those players when the team opens the regular season.

But it’s early, so who is counting? Actually, just about everyone.

“I don’t know how I fit in the picture,” said Tim Spencer, a six-year veteran. “We’ve got a lot of running backs this year. In fact, we’ve got nine, and they’re all looking to get some playing time.”

That has made for some anxious feelings among a few of the contenders. As all of them can see, not everyone will be around for the Sept. 9 opener at Dallas.

“I’ve been to camp many times, but I don’t think I’ve ever been to one with nine running backs, especially with a one-back offense,” said Darrin Nelson, a ninth-year player acquired in midseason last year. “This is a little different.”

Nelson and Spencer, with a total of 13 NFL seasons behind them, are the most experienced of the Chargers’ nine running backs. They join Marion Butts, who led the Chargers in 1989 with 683 yards on 170 carries as a rookie, as the only full-time holdovers at the position.

But they are not the only veterans. The Chargers worked hard in the off season to create plenty of competition.

They moved Rod Bernstine, who split time last year as an H-back and running back before a knee injury ended his season after five games, to full-time running back. They signed two Plan B running backs--Ronnie Harmon from Buffalo and Thomas Sanders from Chicago--to lucrative three-year contracts. They added a third Plan B free agent--Joe Mickles from Washington. And they added two rookies--J.J. Flannigan, an eighth-round draft choice from Colorado; and Jerry Mays, a free agent from Georgia Tech.

Subtracting Gary Anderson, traded 2 1/2 weeks ago to Tampa Bay after sitting out last season in a contract dispute, has not significantly lessened the crowded field.

“At this point, the job is pretty much open,” Sanders said. “But it is not going to be just one guy playing all the time anyway. You don’t see that a whole lot in the league.”

Still, much of the attention has been on Harmon and Sanders, whom General Manager Bobby Beathard called the best running backs available in Plan B. They were added after signing three-year contracts worth a total of approximately $3.3 million, including a $150,000 signing bonus each.

Each came for their own reasons.

Harmon said he wanted to leave Buffalo, where his career had taken a controversial turn that included a two-year silence with the news media and where he was known more for his receiving rather than running skills.

Sanders wanted to leave Chicago, where he was tired of playing understudy for five seasons to Walter Payton and then Neal Anderson.

After some frustrating seasons, both are looking for a chance to break into their own.

“I wasn’t getting the right opportunity in Chicago,” Sanders said. “I’m not saying I wasn’t treated well, but I wanted to play. It was just a matter of trying to get on the field.”

Sanders carried a total of 211 times and gained 909 yards in five seasons with the Bears. After gaining a career-high 332 yards in 1988, he carried only 41 times for 127 yards in 1989.

For Harmon, the problem at Buffalo was not so much getting on the field as it was what he was allowed to do once he did. He rarely got a chance to run the ball.

He carried 244 times in four seasons for 968 yards and three touchdowns, but caught 144 passes for 1,442 yards and 10 touchdowns. He came to the Chargers with hopes of carrying the ball more than in the past and being used as more than a third-down specialist.

“It’s like an all-star team out there,” Harmon said. “There are a lot of good backs here.”

Harmon and Sanders might be among the more secure members of the group, if for no other reason than the Chargers’ financial investment in their talents. That might tighten the situations for Nelson and Spencer, the team’s two other more highly paid veterans.

Spencer is a free agent and will be looking to sign a contract after having earned $407,000 last season. He gained a career-high 521 yards on 134 carries in 1989.

Nelson, who was used primarily in third-down situations last year, is scheduled to earn $350,000 this season. He rushed for 197 yards and caught 31 passes for 328 yards in nine games.

But Henning was quick in his praise of both veterans Tuesday. He said both played steady last year, especially at the end of the season when injuries to other players made them more valuable.

They are not the only veterans unsure about the changing scenery. After two seasons cut short by knee injuries, Bernstine has returned to find himself at running back. This after spending most of his first three seasons as a tight end and H-back.

“You can’t worry about the changes,” Bernstine said. “You have to take care of your own business and just see what happens.”

The one player who seems to be taking the competitive situation as philosophically as possible is Butts. After a rookie season in which he said he exceeded even his own expectations, he’s taking a fresh outlook into the new season.

“It’s like being a rookie all over again,” Butts said. “I have to compete for a position all over again. I just have to adjust to do what I did last year, only better.”

That mainly was running the ball, particularly on first-down and short-yardage situations. He had nine of the team’s 13 rushing touchdowns.

“The coach considers me a first-down back, so I have to battle for first-down back situations, and that is running the ball. If I can continue running to impress the coach, I will. If I don’t, someone else will step in and accomplish it.”

Butts and the others accept the new challengers as an inevitable part of NFL life.

“I got my foot in the door last year,” Butts said. “Now I’m trying to get the other foot in and that takes time. But really, you never really get that second foot in the door; you can never be that comfortable with a team. You can do well and be traded the next day. That’s the way it is. All you can do is work day by day and do the best you can do.”

Charger Notes

Defensive end Burt Grossman limited his action in practice Tuesday because of a sore groin. . . . The Chargers will hold one full workout at 4 p.m. today. But there will be skill testing and a special teams practice at 10:30 a.m. . . . Coach Dan Henning said he is a long way from selecting his kicker but of the four in camp he said the early edge would go to Fuad Reveiz because of his experience. Reveiz kicked for three seasons with the Miami Dolphins before being signed by the Chargers as a free agent.

THE CHARGER RUNNING GAME

Name Hgt. Wgt. Yr. Comment Rod Bernstine 6-3 238 4 Coming off knee injury, moving from H-back. Marion Butts 6-1 248 2 A load, led team in rushing as rookie. J.J. Flanagan 5-10 195 R Eight-round pick from Colorado, good speed. Ronnie Harmon 5-11 200 5 Plan B free agent from Buffalo is known more as receiver. Jerry Mays 5-7 173 R Free agent from Georgia Tech, may return punts. Joe Mickles 5-10 221 2 Plan B free agent from Washington, has no NFL carries. Darrin Nelson 5-9 185 9 Acquired midseason from Vikings, used mostly on third down. Thomas Sanders 5-11 203 6 Plan B free agent from Chicago, a straight-ahead runner. Tim Spencer 6-1 223 6 Unsigned veteran, must fight for a job.