Butts’ Strong Season Might Be Cast Away : Chargers: NFL’s leading rusher now is on crutches, yet downplays his injury.

Marion Butts, the NFL’s leading rusher, walked through the doors of the Charger training room on crutches Monday afternoon with a cast on his right leg.

He sat down for an impromptu press conference and quickly was asked about the severity of his injury.

“It’s not really an injury,” he said.

That got a big laugh.

Next question: What exactly is it then, Marion?

“I just have a sprain, as you might say,” he said. “It’s not as bad as you perceive it to be.”

Butts isn’t one to overreact. That doesn’t necessarily mean the Chargers’ primary ballcarrier will play Sunday against Kansas City or in the season finale against the Raiders.

“It could be a debilitating injury for this game and possibly the next game,” Charger Coach Dan Henning said.

Tight end Rod Bernstine now is eligible to come off injured reserve. This would seem to be a good time for the Chargers to activate him, but Bernstine has had a history of injury problems that often have caused the Chargers to question his durability.

Bernstine shared backfield duties with Butts before he was put on injured reserve four weeks ago with a hamstring pull. Henning said if Butts was unable to play the Chargers would consider bringing Bernstine back. If Butts is healthy, Henning said Bernstine “wouldn’t be as much of a consideration.” That’s as good an indication as any that Bernstine’s future with the Chargers is uncertain.

Bernstine says he is not 100% healthy but is ready to play. “I’m much better than I was four weeks ago,” he said. “I can play on a little soreness.”

With or without Bernstine, the Chargers likely will start Ronnie Harmon if Butts is unable to play. Harmon had a career-high 116 yards on eight receptions Sunday. He carried the ball three times for a 5.7-yard average.

Butts now leads the NFL in rushing with 1,225 yards in 265 carries. He is ahead of Detroit’s Barry Sanders (1,148) and Buffalo’s Thurman Thomas (1,143).

The injury occured in the second quarter of Sunday’s 20-10 loss to the Denver Broncos. Butts ran left and was tackled by safety Dennis Smith. As he hit the turf, his foot turned. He didn’t think much about it at the time.

“I didn’t really feel it,” he said. “I jumped up and kept playing. It didn’t really hurt.”

But he felt it after the game. It began to get stiff and, in his own words, rigor mortis set in.

Butts said he had a similar injury earlier this season, and he told trainers he didn’t want to use crutches or be put in a cast. This time, they insisted.

“The doctors thought it would be good to be off it for a day,” Butts said.

If Butts misses time, it undoubtedly will diminish his chances to win the NFL rushing title. He says he isn’t thinking about that much, but it’s hard to dismiss it completely.

“It will enter anyone’s mind,” he said. “I mean if you’re giving off the effort and doing a great job throughout the year you want to compete.”

Still, Butts is more concerned with helping the foundering Chargers (6-8) salvage some respect in a season that is beginning to look as if it might end in the same dismal fashion as last year.

“I’m not really thinking of statistics,” Butts said. “I just want to compete. That’s my only desire. . . . We’re paid to produce. You hate to sit there and observe.”

What are his chances of playing?

“It’s a possibility,” he said. “I’ve had worse injuries.”

He paused and corrected himself.

“Not really injuries,” he added. “But (I’ve been) nicked up a little and come back.”

In Sunday’s loss, Butts broke the team’s single season rushing record of 1,179 yards, set in 1984 by Earnest Jackson. Butts gained 63 of his 71 yards in the first half. He said the injury wasn’t the reason he carried the ball only three times in the second half but rather that the Chargers were forced to run their catch up offense after the Broncos took a 14-3 lead in the third quarter. Quarterback Billy Joe Tolliver had 51 attempts in the game.