SAN DIEGO (AP) – Rodney Harrison is playing for one of the NFL’s best teams, a hard-hitting safety so respected by his teammates that they asked their coach to make him a captain after the season started.

Linebacker Junior Seau’s team has a shot at the playoffs, too.

Obviously, they’re not with the San Diego Chargers anymore. Harrison is with the New England Patriots, Seau with the Miami Dolphins.

The Chargers, who dumped their longtime defensive leaders in the offseason, are a wreck. Their defensive-minded coach, Marty Schottenheimer, is feeling as blue as the Chargers’ home jerseys.

“I’m as miserable as I’ve ever been,” Schottenheimer said. “This is frustrating.”

This defense could be the ugliest in Schottenheimer’s 17 full seasons as an NFL coach.

The Chargers made Harrison and Seau the scapegoats after ranking 30th of 32 teams in total defense by allowing an average of 377.1 yards last season, Schottenheimer’s first in San Diego. They got younger, particularly in the secondary.

With five games left in this wretched season, the Chargers (2-9) are in the same place – 30th in total defense.

at 377.2 yards per game. The NFL average is 319.5 yards. Before coming to San Diego, Schottenheimer’s previous 15 teams, with Cleveland, Kansas City and Washington, allowed an average of 301 yards and never ranked lower than 19th in total defense.

What’s more, the Chargers have allowed an NFL-worst 314 points, or 28.5 a game.

Do the Chargers miss Seau and Harrison?

“You’ll have to ask Marty that question,” said Donnie Edwards, who moved into Seau’s spot at weakside linebacker.

Schottenheimer is sticking with the company line.

“We as an organization made a decision that it was time to move forward. And I’m not going to look back and second-guess it. We’re in the process of developing some young players. Their development, which I’m reasonably confident can be achieved, will put us in a position in the future to be better than we were a year ago.”

So, was that a “yes’ or a “no,’ coach?

Schottenheimer laughed and dodged the question again.

While admitting that Seau and Harrison were team leaders, Schottenheimer said other players needed opportunities to emerge.

“We tried to create an opportunity for leadership, at the same time,” Schottenheimer said. “These younger players, I never dreamed that it would be as difficult as it has been.”

Said general manager A.J. Smith: “I don’t know if they’d make a difference in our situation.”

Smith took defensive backs with his first three picks in the April draft, and four overall in his seven picks. Then, confident their young players were on the rise, the Chargers cut their most experienced defensive back, free safety Ryan McNeil, midway through training camp.

With a weak pass rush and porous secondary, the Chargers have allowed an NFL-high 26 touchdown passes.

On Sunday, Cincinnati left no doubt that it’s been replaced as the NFL’s doormat by San Diego. Jon Kitna threw four TD passes in the first half as the Bengals moved easily against the Chargers’ defense in a 34-27 victory.

The Bengals gained 454 yards and 33 first downs, both season highs. It was the third time in as many weeks the Chargers gave up at least 448 yards, and the fifth time they gave up more than 400. The NFL average for total offense is 319.5.

“We should be beyond the kind of numbers that we’re getting put up against us,” Schottenheimer said.

The Chargers don’t have many answers, other than they’re terrible both converting third downs and stopping opponents on third down.

Marcellus Wiley, San Diego’s $40 million defensive end, has just two sacks.

Seau and Harrison each have two sacks.

Cornerback Quentin Jammer, San Diego’s first-round draft pick in 2002, has just two interceptions in two seasons. This year’s top pick, Sammy Davis, the cornerback with the Hollywood name, sometimes plays more like he really is Mr. Bojangles, although he does have two pickoffs.

Harrison leads the Patriots in tackles and has two interceptions.

Schottenheimer said he’s surprised that some players, both on offense and defense, are failing to grasp their assignments.

“It’s not brain surgery, I promise you that,” he said. “It should not be this difficult.”

AP-ES-11-25-03 1839EST