Stan Humphries was his quarterback, one of the league's many roustabouts. Humphries had a paunch and a mischievous smile. His teammates called him The Michelin Man, the only NFL quarterback nicknamed after a tire. Humphries had few accomplishments in his career. In Southern California, he had a multitude of detractors.
Most quarterbacks do.
And in January, Humphries was just good enough to perform some last-quarter miracles and upset the Dolphins and the Steelers. Bobby Ross' Chargers reached Super Bowl XXIX in Miami. Humphries did not win that Super Bowl. Steve Young, Jerry Rice and the 49ers were much, much better than the Chargers. But Humphries did get to the Super Bowl, pursued tightly by the TV cameraman when the teams were introduced.