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The 2006 free-agent market includes the usual handful of guys with instant name recognition -- Shaun Alexander, Edgerrin James, LeCharles Bentley, Jamal Lewis. But, as in most years, there also are plenty of guys who aren't yet household names, but who nevertheless will attract plenty of attention once they hit the shelf.

One such guy this year is San Diego linebacker Ben Leber. Drafted in the third round by the Chargers, Leber started 14 games as a rookie in 2002, 16 in his second year, and 16 in his third season.

Then came the 2005 draft. With the first-round pick finagled from the Giants as part of the Eli Manning for Philip Rivers trade, the Chargers were in the twelve hole. When the Cowboys surprisingly passed on linebacker Shawne Merriman, the Chargers pounced.

And Leber's eventual ticket out of town was punched.

"I felt like it was bound to happen," Leber said in a recent phone interview. "They drafted Merriman in the first round and he was going to have to get his snaps in. I held him off for about half of the season, and then I ended up hurting my foot a little more seriously. The week before I broke my foot, Merriman had jumped into the starting role."

But now Leber's contract is up, and the former starter realizes that it's time to move on. "I told the coaching staff that I feel like I'm a starter in this league and I've proved that I belong in the starting lineup. And they said that's probably not going to happen here in San Diego."

With a return to the Chargers not in the cards, Leber is keeping his options open. "It all remains to be seen," he said. "There's some teams that I think would be fun to go to. . . . I'm excited for anybody that's interested in me and that I can come in and start for them."

Are there teams he's not interested in?

"Who wants to end up in Buffalo or Green Bay with the weather?"

It's an ironic observation from a guy who grew up in the steaming rain forests of . . . South Dakota. But with four years in San Diego, Leber now realizes what he was missing.

"Look, man, I've been spoiled," he said.

Leber then made it clear that he'd welcome a return to a less-than-ideal climate. "I would definitely move to a city like Buffalo or Green Bay where it's cold and a major change from San Diego, but if it's a good fit for me and it's going to be successful for me, that's priority No. 1."

From a "fit" standpoint, Leber has experience both in the 4-3 and in the 3-4. Including his time at Kansas State, he has six seasons in the 4-3. He spent the last two years in the 3-4. In both systems, Leber exclusively has played on the strong side.

"In a 4-3 scheme, you have a lot more opportunities to cover the tight end one on one," Leber explained. "In a 3-4, it's a lot of zone coverages. As far as the run game and battling the tight end one-on-one on the run is something I think I do very well. In both systems, that's what you have to do when you're over the tight end."

Does he prefer one system over the other?

"It's hard to say. I think I've had good success in both systems. I think the 3-4 is still kind of a new learning curve for me just because it involves a little more pass rushing, which I've never done until [2004]. So that's still a work in progress, but I think I've shown huge improvements and I can only get better. I may have more potential in a 3-4 but I think the 4-3 right now is probably a little more comfortable."

Still, he wants to stay on the strong side. "I think one of my strengths is playing over the tight end. Playing strong side would probably suit me the best."

Despite his preferences, Leber says he hasn't studied depth charts of other teams to determine the cities in which he might best fit. "The tough thing about that is with all the coaching changes this year, it's hard to look at that stuff."

Regardless of where he lands, Leber has come a long way from his days in South Dakota. He played linebacker, but the position at which he'd ultimately earn a living wasn't his primary focus. "I used defense to kind of catch my breath to run the ball," he said.

In addition to playing baseball and basketball, the guy who now stands 6'3" and weighs 244 pounds was a sprinter on the track team. (He liked the 100 and 200, but not the 400.)

He attended a football camp at Kansas State while in high school, and they liked what they say. Leber received a scholarship offer, and he took it.

"I always wanted to play Division One, and I actually got scared off of the whole recruiting process because my brother who was a really good running back in high school had gotten all of the recruiting letters and phone calls and he came down to the day before signing day and every team backed out at the last second. I was kind of worried about that. I didn't want the same thing to happen to me, so right when they offered the scholarship, I said, 'I've got to take this.'"

He'll likely apply the same approach to free agency, once he finds the fit that he's looking for. And the foot injury that landed him on injured reserve in 2005 won't be an issue. He suffered a break on the top of the arch, but it's almost completely healed.

"I'm actually doing a lot of agility work now and there's no pain," he said. "It'll be 100 percent here in the next couple of weeks."

The injury only hastened Merriman's opportunity to blossom in Leber's place, and blossom Merriman did. But instead of feeling sorry for himself, Leber gives credit where it is due. "The guy's very explosive," Leber said of Merriman. "He does have another gear. He makes it look so easy, and being in the same position I know what a tough job it is. For being a young guy, he's very strong. He's a strong, physically gifted guy. He's got a lot going for him."

One of the only knocks on Merriman came during his last year in college. When Maryland played Virginia, Merriman was neutralized by tight end Heath Miller. So when the Steelers, who drafted Miller in round one a year ago, came to San Diego to play the Chargers, Merriman's teammates decided to have some fun with him.

"We had the video guys cut up some highlights [from the Maryland-Virginia game]," Leber said, "and in the linebacker room we played those tapes and asked him to grade his technique and to grade out his performance. We definitely got a good laugh. He knew it was all in good fun. He had his own twist on the events. 'This guy tripped me,' or 'This guy did this.' He had fun with it."

After the season ended, Leber had some fun of his own -- on an aircraft carrier with a couple of his teammates. "I can't even describe the first-hand experience of being on an aircraft carrier, especially in full operation. We got to see the flight operations during the day and at night, sleep in their quarters, have meals with the officers. We really got to see life as a naval guy on a huge ship. Most people only get to see that on the Discovery channel.

The biggest thrill for Leber was arriving on the carrier on a plane that caught the wire -- and then leaving the next day via catapult.

Said Leber: "You're sitting there, you're sitting there, and then you hear the engines go to full throttle. And all of a sudden, you're just gone."

It's sound a lot like the events he'll soon experience when the free agent market opens.