The third halfback is called upon to work in all phases of special teams, and right now Eldra Buckley may have have the edge. At least that was the indication given by both offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg and special teams coordinator Ted Daisher on Sunday.
"Eldra Buckley has been excellent covering kicks and doing all the things that he does," Daisher said.
Buckley, who toiled on the Chargers practice squad the last two seasons, ripped off a 45-yard run on his first carry during the initial day of full contact at training camp and has not let up since. A hard runner, he has rushed for 41 yards in the preseason and added another 89 yards receiving. He also has two touchdowns among his 26 preseason touches.
"Eldra will play in this league. I don't think there's any question about that," Mornhinweg said. "He's a fine football player and a heck of a special teams player."
Booker, meanwhile, has had 15 touches during the preseason. However, not one of them came in Thursday's win over Jacksonville. That being said, Booker refuses to get caught up in the numbers game.
"I don't look at it like I'm in a battle," said Booker, who has two years worth of experience on his side. "That's my teammate. That's the bottom line. When he does great, I pat him on the back just like I do with LeSean (McCoy) and everybody else. It's not like we can't be friends. Sure, he wants to make the team. I want to make the team. Who's to say we both can't make the team.
"It's pointless to think about things that you don't know about. Worrying about what other people are doing and thinking, that does me no good because at the end of the day I don't have control over anything that happens. I don't know what they're talking about up there (in the front office), I don't know what they're thinking."
Booker hopes to get some significant work Thursday night against the Jets, both on offense and special teams.
"Special teams may end up having some effect on that situation," Mornhinweg said in discussing the third halfback job. "Both of them have played well. Lorenzo really has had a fine camp and then Buckley has done well. They're two different type of athletes and some of that will come into play as well."
In Booker's mind, Thursday's preseason finale game matters just as much as any other game.
"Every game is a make-it or break-it type game, whether it's preseason or regular season," he said. "That's why football is so exciting, because every game matters. You have to look at every game that way, so my mentality doesn't change."
-- Posted by Bob Kent, 5:04 p.m., August 30
