This Quarterback Enjoys Nice Little Niche in NFL

Early Monday evening, families settling down to dinner, the World Series on television, and the strangest thing happens.

Sean Salisbury comes into a football game, and people who normally wouldn’t be cheering are cheering.

Impartial sportswriters, cynical radio guys, sophisticated businessmen, baseball fans switching the TV back and forth.

People from all over the area, all over the country, from Seattle to Minneapolis to South-Central Los Angeles.

People cheering not for the San Diego Chargers.

People cheering for a friend.

That would be Salisbury, and if you’ve met him, you know exactly what this column is about.

If you haven’t, walk up to him, and you will.

The former USC quarterback will be making his first NFL start in two years--only his 11th in eight NFL seasons--today in Seattle in place of injured Stan Humphries.

Not that he hasn’t been on the field at the start of a Charger game before.

No matter what happens today, he will be hard pressed to match the impact he made that first Sunday in September, when a little girl belted out the national anthem at the Charger home opener.

After she finished, Salisbury left the sideline and met her on the field to congratulate her, his huge hand dwarfing hers.

“I didn’t think anybody saw that,” he said, with a hint of embarrassment. “I couldn’t imagine the courage it took for that little girl to sing for all those people. I wanted to congratulate her.

“I also figured, if it was my daughter, then I’d want somebody to shake her hand.”

While some quarterbacks are known for passing, others for running, Salisbury is known for reaching.

Without agenda or reward, Salisbury has created his NFL niche by just being a nice guy.

In today’s sports world, those who don’t think that is news haven’t been paying attention.

In eight years, he has never thrown a touchdown pass longer than 34 yards. Never thrown more than two touchdown passes in a game. Never started more than five games in a year.

Never failed to smile at someone who was smiling back.

“The one thing I hear most about Sean is, he’s like their neighbor down the street,” said Curt Salisbury, his older brother and agent. “We get that all the time.”

Got it just the other day, in fact, from a San Diego County Pop Warner football coach.

Perhaps it’s because Salisbury had just spent three hours on a Saturday afternoon standing on the sidelines, watching his nephew play and signing autographs.

Which is not to be confused with the two area high school football games he has attended this year.

Which were far different from the speeches he has given at elementary schools.

Which has nothing to do with the weekly meal that he buys for his Charger teammates, every Thursday night at a different restaurant.

Oh, but the quarterback always buys for his offensive linemen, right?

Salisbury offers to buy for the entire team. As the players learned this strange sub was serious, at least half of them have been showing up.

“There is a psychological thing there, about guys sticking together after work, becoming close, having it carry over to the field,” he said.

Like Monday night, when he entered the game late in the first quarter after Humphries injured his shoulder.

The Chargers trailed the Oakland Raiders, 7-0. The Charger offense had gained a total of 31 yards. Salisbury had thrown 10 passes in two seasons.

And what happened?

His friends in the offensive line threw their bodies around. His friends among the receivers ran hard routes.

He completed four of his first five passes for 57 yards and a touchdown. He finished the game completing 22 of 35 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns with an interception.

This sort of burst happens nearly every time he plays, which is not much, as coaches have perceived him to be shaky in the pocket and branded him a career backup.

Another reason for his record, perhaps, is that he has been on teams with the likes of Dave Krieg, Jim McMahon, Warren Moon and Humphries.

A career backup. With the attitude of a starter.

“I’ll admit it, I’m a glass-half-full kind of guy,” said Salisbury, who credits his parents and Mormon faith for developing his character.

He did not even waver last year, when he spurned several backup offers because he wanted more money and spent the fall hosting a sports talk radio show.

Yes, he’s way too nice for talk radio. And yes, he was “aching” every Sunday while watching the games, and waiting for a phone call every Monday after a starter was injured.

“But that year was good for me because it taught me a lot about pride and ego,” he said. “I let those things get in the way. I will never do it again.”

When the Chargers called him in February, offering him a chance to return to his boyhood home at age 33, he immediately signed.

He then became perhaps the only player in NFL history to host a charity golf tournament involving his new team before he had even taken a snap.

Listen closely Sunday. The roar could be deafening.