Clinton Hart's route to the end zone was as serpentine as his life story.
He ran right and then left, this way and then that, each step forward but few steps straight. His 70-yard interception return was largely superfluous, piling-on punctuation in the Chargers' 34-10 romp over the Oakland Raiders, but the metaphor was perfect.
The course of true grit never did run smooth, but few athletes have negotiated more bumps than Clinton Hart. He joined the Chargers last year with no college football experience, with obscure stints in Arena Football and NFL Europe, following a series of frustrating breakups with the Philadelphia Eagles.
For a while, Hart abandoned football to stay closer to his mother while his father and brother were incarcerated. Though the strong safety is 28 years old, in some ways, he's just getting started.
"I think this was my first game my dad got to watch me on national TV," Hart said. "I called him before the game and he said, 'I'm going to be right in front of the TV watching you.' That means a lot to me, being able to perform like I did, knowing he's watching me and being proud of me."
This was Hart's second start in place of sore-ankled Terrence Kiel, and easily the most resounding effort of his NFL career. He forced a first-quarter fumble by the Raiders' LaMont Jordan to provide the Chargers a short field for their first touchdown drive. He was credited with six tackles and expanded his special team duties to include the kickoff return team after Kassim Osgood went out with an injury.
But it was the fourth-quarter interception of Kerry Collins that made Hart's night and gained him a long-awaited reprieve in the Chargers' locker room. Hart had muffed an earlier interception opportunity when the two teams last met in October, and he has been hearing about it with annoying regularity.
When a substitute squanders a glimpse of glory, the reflexive response of his teammates is to taunt him.
"The first game we played them, I let one hit me in the throat," Hart said. "I wasn't expecting it because he overthrew (Randy) Moss. This one I just couldn't let pass me by.
"They (teammates) have been ragging me. Every time we had to watch that play this week, when we were scouting them, over and over and over, I kind of got tired of them saying, "Catch the ball.' "
Like many NFL defensive backs, Hart is athletic enough to have been an option quarterback in high school. He would later play both sides of the scrimmage line for Arena Football's Tallahassee Thunder and Tampa Bay Storm. In practice, Hart is generally regarded as one of the good-hands people on the Chargers' defense.
Yet NFL reputations are based almost exclusively on game results. Until last night, Hart's most memorable achievement may have been a statistical quirk. His previous NFL touchdown was the product of a Donnie Edwards' lateral in New England, Thus Hart's stat sheet summary showed no interceptions and 40 yards of interception returns.
Now, Hart owns one interception and 110 yards in interception returns. It's still a little screwy, but a lot more satisfying.
"I know I have a little skill running the ball," Hart said. "I get a little bit from LT (LaDainian Tomlinson) – that peripheral vision, seeing people coming from the side, he does a great job of that and I just try to use a little bit of his mojo and take it to 'The House.'
"This game I got an opportunity and I took advantage of it and I wasn't going to settle for nothing but 'The House' . . . I'm going to relish it. I'm going to cherish it.
"Our secondary, we've had our ups and downs throughout the season, but we declared that we're going to step up and make it happen. We've got a name: D-Beware, and we haven't been able to use that just yet. This game we finally are able to use that."
Collins would complete 22-of-40 passes against the Chargers, but his 236 passing yards were achieved at a cost of three sacks, Hart's interception and a modest per-throw average of 5.9 yards. The dreaded Moss caught seven balls, but produced only 74 yards.
On balance, it was not bad at all. For Hart, even better.
"Everyone has a role to play," he said. "My role is to be a backup and Terrence Kiel is down right now. And hopefully we can get him back because he's a great asset to our defense. He brings a lot of energy. I just hope to continue to do the things I'm doing."
One interception does not a career make, but it gives a career grinder good cause for gratitude.
"All those guys threw some great blocks," Hart said. "They were hustling. I think I've got to give them all $50 or something like that."
Tim Sullivan: (619) 293-1033; tim.sullivan@uniontrib.com
