Smith’s Backup Keeps Chargers Rolling

He was a first team All-State wide receiver for his high school in Henderson, Nev. So when Bernie Kosar’s errant pass landed in Henry Rolling’s hands Sunday, the linebacker was ready.

“I’ve been prepared since my first day in the NFL for this,” Rolling said after returning an interception 69 yards Sunday in the Chargers’ 24-14 victory over the Cleveland Browns. “You see, I’m expecting a lot from myself.”

It’s the moment, more than the interception that excites Rolling. He was in the right place at the right time, he said, because the NFL is about to discover what he always knew.

“It’s unfortunate Billy Ray Smith is hurt,” Rolling said, “But it’s an opportunity for me to show these guys what I can do. To show the NFL what I can do. I have high expectations.”

Rolling replaced Smith in the lineup after the Chargers’ defensive leader went on injured reserve with a strained stomach muscle.

A fifth-round pick of Tampa in 1987, he was released after the seventh game last season when the Bucs grew weary of the injuries that seemed to plague him. He went unsigned the rest of the season.

In the Chargers’ training camp he caught Coach Dan Henning’s eye, and by the start of the regular season, defensive coordinator Ron Lynn had said, “The only thing keeping Rolling out of the starting lineup is Smith.”

With the game on the line in the fourth quarter, the Chargers sent Martin Bayless in on a safety blitz.

Kosar’s pass fluttered into Rolling’s hands, and after shedding a would-be tackler, he weaved his way down the sideline.

About the 20-yard line, however, “It looked like a piano jumped on his back,” Lynn said.

“I had slightly pulled a hamstring in the first quarter,” Rolling explained.

No matter. Three plays later and Rod Bernstine scored from the one.

“It was quite a day,” Rolling said.