A Motley Crew: Chargers Piece Together Backfield

It is patchwork of the finest quality.

The Charger defensive backfield, which intercepted four passes in a 41-10 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday, was pieced together through scans of the waiver wire, non-blockbuster trades and one good draft choice.

Gill Byrd, a first-round selection from San Jose State in 1983, is the only member of this unit who was handpicked by the Chargers.

Here’s how the rest came to San Diego:

--Safety Vencie Glenn arrived in 1986 when the Chargers swapped a 1987 fifth-round draft selection with the New England Patriots. He had started 54 consecutive games until he missed the fourth game of this season because of a concussion.

--Cornerback Sam Seale, who Jim Mora, Charger defensive back coach, says has been the most consistent player in the secondary the past two seasons, was claimed off waivers from the Raiders in 1987.

--Safety Martin Bayless was acquired from Buffalo in 1987 for cornerback Wayne Davis.

--Safety Lester Lyles was picked up as a Plan B free agent from the Phoenix Cardinals in 1989.

--Rookie cornerback Donald Frank, from Winston-Salem State, tried out and won a spot during training camp this year.

--Cornerback Donnie Elder was acquired in the fifth week of this season after spending the first four weeks on the Miami Dolphins’ injured-reserve list.

--Cornerback Anthony Shelton was claimed off waivers from the San Francisco 49ers at the end of exhibition season.

So there you have it. The group that reaps the benefits of the Chargers’ amazing pass rush. Or, at least, that seems to be the general perception.

“We have a great pass rush, granted,” Mora said. “But these guys deserve more credit than they ever get. It’s always the pass rush, but hey, (the defensive backs) do something, too. I think they really get tired of always hearing how bad they are.”

Take Sunday, for instance. What will people remember? Byrd making his 29th and 30th interceptions to become the Chargers’ all-time leader or the play on which everyone blitzed and was then burned by a 68-yard touchdown pass from Chris Chandler to Mark Carrier?

As Charger Coach Dan Henning points out, it’s easy to recall when a defensive back gets beat for a long touchdown but harder to remember all the times when the play is foiled. That’s why people keep asking Seale about Willie Gault, who had a big day in last year’s opener against the Raiders.

“The guy who never seems to get talked about unless he gets beat has been having an outstanding season, and that’s Sammy Seale,” Henning said. “That’s the nature of the business at corner. He’s the only guy who hasn’t missed any time back there this year. He’s playing real solid.”

Injuries to the secondary have been frequent in recent weeks. Glenn has suffered from a concussion, an ankle sprain and a hamstring pull. He was forced to sit out for the second time this season when the Chargers played the Raiders Oct. 21.

“It’s an empty feeling,” Glenn said. “You’re used to being out there battle after battle after battle, and there’s nothing you can do. It’s terrible. It’s the worst feeling in the world.”

Byrd has also been slowed by an assortment of injuries, including the groin strain that he has played with the past two games. Sunday he could be found lying on the bench stretching to keep loose each time the Charger offense was on the field.

And Bayless missed Sunday’s game with an ankle sprain.

As a result of the injuries, Shelton, Elder and Lyles have been called on to fill in, and they have been more than adequate. Both Lyles and Elder had interceptions Sunday.

“There hasn’t been much drop off,” Mora said. “Fortunately we have some young guys who are playing pretty well behind (the starters).”

In the meantime, the starters who are nicked and bruised don’t plan to miss much of the action. And Mora says that has something to do with tradition. These guys may still be trying to live down the days when the Chargers had the leakiest defense in the NFL.

“It’s tough to keep those guys down,” he said. “They’re all so competitive and they hate to miss games. I think part of that is they feel like they have a lot to prove because, for many years around here, there have always been so many negative things said and written about the secondary.”