Rookie RBs seek exposure, not job in Bolts' backfield

By: MIKE SULLIVAN - Staff Writer | Friday, June 8, 2007 3:29 PM PDT ∞

SAN DIEGO ---- Reggie Merriweather played major college football and topped 100 rushing yards against national power Miami as a sophomore. Eldra Buckley played at the NCAA Division I-AA level and set a school record for single-season rushing yards. Germaine Race set the Division II career-rushing-yardage record and scored more points than any player in the history of college football.

Something even more attention-grabbing than their gridiron accomplishments: Each of these three running backs went undrafted and signed as rookie free agents with the Chargers, a team with few roster openings and NFL MVP LaDainian Tomlinson at their position.

All three will be looking to make a splash at a three-day voluntary minicamp that begins today. What's already evident is that they certainly didn't stear clear of the hard road for their first-ever opportunities at impressing an NFL organization.

"It seemed like it was the right fit," explained Race, who rushed for 6,985 career yards at Pittsburg State in Kansas. "It seemed like this was the best place for me to come in and learn more and try to get a shot at making a team."

Buckley, who played at Tennessee-Chattanooga, and Merriweather, who played at Clemson, expressed similar sentiments. Learning from an elite back such as Tomlinson rated as an important factor in why each player opted to sign with the Chargers.

Even the three players know that it is a near-certainty that only one of them will be part of the organization when the regular season rolls around.

And that player will likely find himself on the team's practice squad.

"That's life in this business," Race said. "You have to go in with the mind-set of learning as much as you can and perform to your best. That's all you can do."

Such is the plight of an undrafted free agent trying to open eyes and catch on with an NFL team. Imagine the eye-scratching from people trying to figure out why players facing such long odds would sign with a team that employs a running back coming off one of the NFL's all-time best seasons and also features a second-stringer (Michael Turner) considered better than many teams' starting backs.

Try tackling this one ---- because there will be more opportunities to shine with the Chargers.

"It's funny ---- people think, 'Well, why would you come in there with L.T. and Michael Turner in there?' You've got two guys that are established,'" Chargers coach Norv Turner said. "Yeah, but from our standpoint, we didn't play L.T. in preseason last year and we're going to play Michael a limited amount this preseason.

"So someone's going to play in the (preseason) games. If these young guys learn what to do and they know how to execute, then they're going to play in the preseason games.

"That's how, as a young player, you catch people's attention. Whether it be our attention or somebody else's."

Each of the three players is very much aware that impressing one of the league's other 31 teams during the preseason might be his best route to landing an NFL job.

"Definitely, that's why film is so important," Merriweather said. "You've got to get on the field; you've got to play. You don't want people to say 'Well, he's a has-been or a never-was.' "

Avoiding the "never-was" tag fuels all three players. Their past accomplishments suddenly mean nothing as they practice with and alongside established NFL veterans.

The 5-foot-10, 218-pound Race is used to being overlooked and then stunning people with his performance. He grew up in Warrensburg, Mo., a town of less than 20,000 people, and wasn't recruited by any major-college programs despite rushing for 2,069 yards and 29 touchdowns as a high school senior.

He headed to Pittsburg State with a chip on his shoulder and made opponents pay. Race rushed for 2,213 yards and 26 touchdowns as a sophomore and followed that up with seasons of 1,846 yards and 33 touchdowns and 1,944 yards and 31 touchdowns. He scored 658 career points, more than any player at any level of college football.

"Playing at that level, you have to actually stand out, so I made it a point to do that," said Race, who also considered Chicago, the New York Giants and Arizona before signing with the Chargers. "Not just play at the Division II level, but excel at it at a higher level than most people have. Like you said, those are high numbers regardless of what level of football it is."

The 5-9, 207-pound Buckley played high school football in Mississippi and then at Northwest Mississippi Community College before transferring toTennessee-Chattanooga.

He rushed for a school-record 1,233 yards as a junior in 2005 and gained 1,204 yards last season despite dealing with wrist and ankle injuries. In his lone college game against a Division I-A program, Buckley gained 105 yards against Memphis.

"I'm just trying to get the opportunity to play," said Buckley, who signed with the Chargers over Dallas and Arizona. "I just want to learn from the best."

The 5-7, 218-pound Merriweather was a high school All-American in South Carolina and chose Clemson over Florida and South Carolina. He led the Tigers with 670 yards rushing as a sophomore, a season that included a 114-yard outing against vaunted Miami. He rushed for 715 yards as a junior while splitting time with freshman phenom James Davis.

But as a senior, he carried the ball just 30 times for 171 yards after another prolific freshman, C.J. Spiller, joined the program. Merriweather injured an ankle early in the season and spent most of the season either third or fourth on the depth chart.

"You either live with it or die with it, so I chose to live with it," said Merriweather, who also considered the New York Jets and Chicago before opting for the Chargers. "I made the best of it and got a couple carries here and there. I stayed healthy for the most part of the season and showed what I could do to develop and become a better ballplayer."

For now, the three players are digesting the Chargers' offensive system and preparing for the month of August, which could make or break their NFL hopes.

Turner points out that the other 31 teams know that the Chargers will be a "tough team to make" and there could be some NFL teams unsettled at the position looking to spot a diamond in the rough.

And that's perfectly fine with Merriweather, Buckley and Race.

"It's not just about making this team," Race said. "It would be nice, but you have to think about your other options too."

Contact staff writer Mike Sullivan at (760) 739-6645 or msullivan@nctimes.com.

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