SB Nation - Kynan Forney

San Diego Chargers Half-Season Awards

John (obviousman) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:29:28 -0000

When the Chargers schedule initially came out, I remember looking at it and thinking to myself, "I'll take 5-3 at the halfway point." Well, the Bolts are there and the only difference in the situation is that they're looking up at the Broncos. Still, if the season were to end today the Chargers would be in the playoffs.

It has been a rocky first-half though. The team has lost one of it's defensive captains, replaced the starting SS and benched the future starting CB (probably). Also, Brandon Siler started a couple of games and wasn't as bad as everyone feared. All in all, a good 8 games. However, some myself remains......like who won the prestigious BFTB Half-Season Awards?

Chargers' Coach of the Half-Season

Norv Turner

I remember watching a video clip of Norv giving an interview earlier in the season. I believe it was after the Pittsburgh loss. He was being questioned about his job, and his response was something along the lines of "I don't really care what people think." I remember thinking that it was just a cliche line, but I'm starting to think it's true. Norv never seems to be rattled by the constant criticism of the fans and media. Isn't that who you'd want coaching your team?

Turner has done a great job of keeping control of the locker room during a rough patch of games, and they're growing together now (as evident by his hug with LT). He deserves praise for that. He also deserves praise for making the calls for a top 10 offense without a semblance of a rushing threat.

Is Norv ever going to coach a 14-2 mistake-free team that eventually wins the Super Bowl? Who knows? Not many coaches can. However, with each passing year I'm confident that this team will always be competitive with him at the helm. His steadiness is a big reason why.

Chargers' Offensive Player of the Half-Season

Vincent Jackson

#83 / Wide Receiver / San Diego Chargers

Height: 6-5

Weight: 230

Born: Jan 14, 1983

College: Northern Colorado

He has been ridiculously good. His playoff games in the 2007 season cannot even compare to the games he's put up every week of this season.

VJ's numbers are incredibly consistent when you compare his stats by quarters, by halves or even by down. 88% of his catches have been for first down! He leads the team in receiving TDs with 7. The next highest player has 2.

In 2009, Vincent Jackson has been every bit as important to the offense as Philip Rivers. If he isn't with the Chargers in 2010, it will be the shock of the century.

	Receiving						Kickoff Returns					Punt Returns
G	Rec	Yds	Y/G	AVG	Lng	TD	KR	YDS	AVG	Lng	TD	PR	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD
8	42	722	90.3	17.2	55	7	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Chargers' Defensive Player of the Half-Season

Eric Weddle

#32 / Free Safety / San Diego Chargers

Height: 5-11

Weight: 200

Born: Jan 04, 1985

College: Utah

Things I just realized in the last 30 seconds....

Eric Weddle looks a lot like my wife's ex-boyfriend from high school. They're practically twins.
Eric Weddle is exactly 2 weeks older than me.

Anyways, back to the award. Eric Weddle has been ridiculous this season. Talk about fitting out a stat sheet...

		Sacks		Interceptions			Tackles
	G	Sacks	YdsL	Int	Yds	IntTD	Solo	Ast	Total
2009 - Eric Weddle	8	1	6	1	31	1	46	9	55

Every box has a number in it! On top of those stats, he also is second on the team with 4 defended passes. He's been solid against the run and the pass, and has even found some time to lay a handful of big hits on receivers coming over the middle.

Much like Shaun Phillips has been better with the recent re-emergence of Shawne Merriman, Weddle has been even better with Kevin Ellison/Paul Oliver playing next to him since Clinton Hart was waived.

Chargers' Rookie of the Half-Season

Kevin Ellison

#25 / Strong Safety / San Diego Chargers

Height: 6-1

Weight: 221

Born: Jan 08, 1987

College: U-S-C

Here's my argument for Ellison over Louis Vasquez and Larry English. Vasquez almost won the starting job by default due to Kynan Forney's neck injury in camp, and English has yet to make a big splash in any game. Ellison was a 6th round pick and 3rd on the depth chart at the beginning of the season, and is now starting and playing on 90% of the snaps. That not only shows the talent he possesses, but it shows that he didn't give up and continued to fight in practice for the spot even after it looked like he wouldn't get a shot this season.

		Sacks		Interceptions			Tackles
	G	Sacks	YdsL	Int	Yds	IntTD	Solo	Ast	Total
2009 - Kevin Ellison	4	0	0	0	0	0	17	6	23

By the way, anybody else realize that Jackson, Weddle and Ellison all have birthdays within 10 days of each other? Random.....

Chargers' Comeback Player of the Half-Season

Luis Castillo

#93 / Defensive- End / San Diego Chargers

Height: 6-3

Weight: 290

Born: Aug 04, 1983

College: Northwestern

It's funny how confused he looks in that picture. Anyways, I'm not even going to bother posting his stats because they don't matter. He's on pace for a Jamal Williams-type season, where the stats don't show up because the offense he's facing is too busy double and triple-teaming him.

He's been a beast this season and has earned his big contract. The key has been his health. For the second consecutive year, he's managed to stay on the field. The difference this year is that he's practicing and generally seems to be avoiding his usual nagging injury. This is the player we all fell in love with in 2006 and 2007.

Chargers' MVP of the Half-Season

Philip Rivers

#17 / Quarterback / San Diego Chargers

Height: 6-5

Weight: 228

Born: Dec 08, 1981

College: North Carolina State

Was there ever any doubt? Similar to Luis, Philip may be having his best season yet but you wouldn't know it by looking at the stat sheet. Without a rushing attack to speak of, an offensive line to block for him or a defense for the first quarter of the season, Rivers managed to keep himself healthy and dangerous.

His game-winning drives against the Raiders and the Giants speak for themselves. What has impressed me the most has been his ability to avoid mistakes while avoiding pass-rushers on seemingly ever play.

With his strong play, Rivers has solidified his spot as a top 10 QB in the league and has even made some fans in the fanbases of opposing teams. Now it's the Chargers' job to give him the support he needs to finally get that Super Bowl ring that both Ben Roethlisberger and Eli Manning have gotten.

		Passing									Rushing					Sacks
	G	Rating	Comp	Att	Pct	Yds	Y/G	Y/A	TD	INT	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD	Sack	YdsL
2009 - Philip Rivers	8	94.6	166	274	60.6	2245	280.6	8.2	14	6	15	47	5.9	3.1	1	18	119

Broncos Thoughts and Musings - A look back at Chargers Week

Emmett Smith — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:00:30 -0000

More photos » by Denis Poroy - AP

2 months ago: Denver Broncos running back Knowshon Moreno, center, goes over the top of San Diego Chargers linebackers Tim Dobbins (51) and Stephen Cooper (54) while gaining two yards for a first down in the third quarter of the NFL football game Monday, Oct. 19, 2009 in San Diego. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

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Having taken a 'bye' week of my own, I thought that I'd put together a few musings for the general group. Before getting into the meat of this week's offering, though, I'd like to take a minute to mention a phenomena that has been showing its ugly face around Broncos Country. I'm talking about the problems of our fans having a 'Shanahangover': the sinking belief that the issues of the past years, in which the Broncos look good enough to fool us and lull us into a state of complacency before succumbing to a massive blowout (often to an inferior team) and shattering our dreams, could resurface in 2009. It's a dangerous disease, but fatal only to those who believe that this year's team has something in common with the teams of the past - notably, the past three seasons. Time will tell, but I don't see this happening any longer.

I've read this from a few of the members and in other blogs and sites: "The Broncos have fooled us before." It's true, too, but that was before a new sheriff, deputy, posse, marksman and scouts came into the picture. No matter what you've seen in the past, this team has little or nothing to do with the Ghosts of Seasons Past. The improvement in the coaching, performance of players, attitude and execution is light years beyond what we as fans are used to. Whether it's our team or another, living in the past is an exercise in misunderstanding the present. This is not last year's Broncos. It's a whole new experience.

As an example, Arrowhead Stadium is likely to be a tough place to win; but it's not because the Broncos haven't played well there in the past. They often didn't, but that's not a matter for this year's team. It's a windswept, loud, raucous place to play. It's hard to hear signals if the place is full and I don't take any game lightly, particularly a division rival. While I do think that the Chiefs are in early stages of an upswing, I'm not at all concerned that they're better than Denver or that they will beat us, even in their own house. Our veterans aren't going to take games off and they're not going to let the younger players take anyone lightly. If the Broncos play anywhere near their skill level, they're just too good for most teams. We've got a lot of great contests coming up, but one thing that doesn't concern me at all is the possibility that we will revert to the habits of seasons past. It's not going to happen, so put it out of your mind.

Charging into the Future

Before the Monday Night Football game that extended the Broncos' record to 6-0, Chargers TE Antonio Gates said, "One thing that gives us a chance is that we're still in the hunt in the AFC West. We never said it had to be pretty, and it wasn't pretty last year." After the game, it was a lot uglier. If Gates believes that the Chargers are still in the hunt, he needs to define his terms pretty quickly.

"It's tough to always be in this situation," Gates said afterward. "We didn't plan on being here. We didn't plan on being 8-8 last year either. But here we are. We have to keep working, or it could snowball and turn into a losing streak."

"We didn't plan on getting here." If there are words perfectly suited for failure, I think those should be high on the list. "We didn't plan on being here." Yes, that about covers it.

Bear in mind that they also didn't plan well enough to avoid it. They didn't run the extra sprints that the Broncos endured to get in better shape than their opponents. They didn't make the personnel moves that the Broncos did, realizing that no matter how good you were supposed to be, an 8-8 record will rarely get you into the postseason. They didn't identify the weaknesses that they had, nor the ones that could arise with age, injury and contract status. They didn't do enough to prepare themselves for the fact that Shawne Merriman was very unlikely to have a great year this year. Few will, after the kind of surgery that he had. In short - they didn't plan to succeed, either.

I'm sympathetic to their injury issues among linemen. That's tough and often unpredictable. But even there - is it a shock that Jamal Williams (who's had more surgeries than an aging Hollywood ingenue) would start to break down? Nick Hardwick has had a lot of injuries, plenty of surgeries (and I thought that Scott Mruczkowski did a very good job until Mike Nolan outfoxed him). Igor Olshansky was going to be gone. I wrote last spring about the issues that the Chargers were going to be experiencing, and I'm no expert. So, what happened?

Three things, I'd argue, and all are common: arrogance, lassitude and reversion to the mean. Arrogance in this case includes believing that you can start out poorly season after season and still make up the ground - the continuing decline of their schedule argues against that. But the arrogance also includes the behavior of individuals, including fighting within the team that is seen in public. Then there's lassitude, as in admitting, as A.J. Smith did last February, that the Chargers' woes were in great part on him but not doing more about it. And reversion to the mean: this is a team that has been heading for mediocrity (and how obvious can that be, after going 8-8?) for some time. It needed major help, and it got a few band-aids.

I loved the Kevin Burnett pickup, and it's just bad fortune that he's hurt. I liked the Larry English draft pick, and he's getting there. I also liked the Louis Vasquez draft pick, and he's developing quickly. I can't even fathom the Kynan Forney (who's since been released) or Travis Johnson pickups, though. The Bolts tended to stand pat with a suspect secondary, didn't develop their depth and accepted on faith that bad performances were anomalies instead of facts. It bought them a game in which a stellar performance by Philip Rivers wasn't enough, in which Nolan and McDaniels out-coached Ron Rivera and Norv Turner and in which the best the Chargers could bring wasn't close to enough.

There will, as Merriman pointed out, be a rematch. I look forward to it, and I'm sure the Broncos do. Stating before the game that 'the Broncos can't stop me' wasn't Rivers' smartest move. Claiming that they will get revenge after the game wasn't Merriman's, but I do appreciate the help those things gave Denver. If the Broncos needed any aid in getting up for the home half of this series, which I greatly doubt, they won't after that night's statements.

Arrogance...some things don't change.

Losing the Locker Room

That same arrogance has infected the locker room and the very attitude of the Chargers. You could see in a single moment why the Chargers have problems with their team very clearly during the first quarter of the Monday night game. The Chargers bogged down at the goal line - LaDainian Tomlinson was stopped short of the goal line twice. They took him out on the third play and put in Darren Sproles, trying to take advantage of a seam that Turner had seen. Tomlinson paced the sidelines, obviously complaining bitterly about not being in. The Broncos stopped Sproles and the Bolts short again, and they settled for kicking the FG.

It got me to thinking. Last year at this time, the Chargers were starting slow, appeared unmotivated and perhaps even ill-prepared. Tomlinson was also complaining - about the play calling, the offensive line, and not getting enough carries. Now, imagine that he was in orange and blue. How likely is it that a Bronco would do that - two years running? If you consider that Turner's team has gone from 14-2 before he arrived, to slow starts three years running, you start to see why that might be true. Players fight with management in the media. The GM insults his team, as A.J. Smith did by calling their play 'soft'. Nowhere is there a sign that adults are in charge. Merriman has a public feud with Smith, dating back a couple of seasons. Smith doesn't like his side jobs, feeling that it takes away from the team. LDT fights with Turner, expresses his feelings and tussles with Smith this past offseason, very publicly. Smith gets quickly pulled into it. No one wins.

This past week, it was wide receiver Chris Chambers. A non-factor for quite a while now, he was complaining to the press that his snaps are being taken by Malcolm Floyd. I don't know what he expected - he's not gaining separation, he's not getting open and he hasn't shown a ton of skill at fighting for the ball. But he's still touting himself as if it were three seasons ago and he was doing good things. It's the kind of thing that you're not seeing from the Broncos, the kind of thing that tells you when a franchise is in disarray.

I can't even express my gratitude for the fact that Josh McDaniels has very good management skills. He won't carry arguments into the media, rarely gets flustered and keeps things behind closed doors. I've fired people for the kinds of destructive behavior that I've seen from the Chargers over the past two years. Those who claim that this is football and that it's really okay to have things this way should consider how the Broncos do handle things -- and how their team acts and plays. As in, as a unit. As a real team, one that's going good places. It matters. Once in a while, a dysfunctional team has a good year. Most of the time, though, they flame out, and the talent levels don't matter enough to get them where they want to go. That's happening in San Diego, and while it's good for the Broncos, it's an obvious sign of the Bolts organization needing a makeover.

Asked before the MNF debacle, LDT was asked what he saw in the Charger's locker room. "It's a quiet confidence. You look in each man's eyes in that locker room, you can tell there is something extra."

Did they also see that you'd be pacing the sidelines, yelling and pouting, LDT? Perhaps not. That's one reason that the Chargers are 3 games back. Even worse for the Bolts and better for the Broncos, LDT hasn't been alone.

Beating Kansas City has given the Bolts a brief respite, but that's hardly a road back into the land of the competitive. While I do think that the Denver game as been a wakeup call of Shakespearean proportions for San Diego, their problems run too deep to permit them to make the late season run this year profitable. The game in Denver will be a grudge match. Given the state of the raiders and Chiefs, that's a good thing. It may keep thing much more interesting.

Some Other Stats that Matter (With apologies to Lebowski)

What did the Broncos do right so far this year? It's a long list, but try these perspectives on the rushing game:

Stuffs per carry - Correll Buckhalter, 4th, at 0.043 Knowshon Moreno at 9th, with 0.061
Stuffed: Best in league - It only happened on 8 plays. Despite the issues that can improve in short yardage, the problem isn't with negative plays.
YPC: Buck, 1st, 6.7 Broncos 11th, 4.3
Yards: Broncos 7th, 798
Big play rushes: tied for 9th, 20
100-yard rushers against: 0
100 yards rushing by opposing teams: 0
Passes dropped, over 6 games: 5. Four of those came in the first two weeks. It's all about doing your job and doing it right.

Let's also look at the percentage of rushing versus passing plays. Going back to the offseason, Doug (nycbroncosfan) and I published the "Divining Josh McDaniels" series. We said at the time that McD had been viewed at being more of a passing kind of guy than he really deserved. It was true when McD was in NE and it is true in Denver. We're in 8th, with 47.7% rushing and therefore 52.3% passing - a very even, balanced attack. Over the last 4 years, McDaniels had averaged 43.1% rushing plays. That seems low, but it's not if you look at how the team was structured. In 2008 that number was 46.8% rushing and that was similar to 2006 as well. On the other years, the passing game was working too well to minimize it. Josh McD believes in maximizing all of your skill sets and using the ones that the defense lets you win with, whether it's the pass or the run. As you would expect, he's attempting to make sure hat both are viable options. It's that simple. By getting Moreno, Buckhalter, Orton, the O-line and the receiving corps, he can go either way with complete confidence. That makes it very hard to stop the Broncos' offense.

You might also look at how the aging, decrepit defensive secondary is doing. Teams have been challenging Champ Bailey and Brian Dawkins and getting their hats handed to them. Take a look at these stats: Bailey is tied for 2nd in the league with 8 passes defensed; Dawkins is tied for 11th with 6.

The Broncos have two players in the top 11 in the NFL in passes defensed -- and both players are over 30. That's a stat that not a lot of casual fans follow, but it tells you a lot about a team. It tells you that the Broncos have age, wisdom and maturity in the defensive secondary. Experienced players know how to communicate and that skill is constantly undervalued. It also tells you that those who believe that Champ Bailey, Andre' Goodman, Brian Dawkins and Renaldo Hill are 'losing a step' need to find their argument. Dawkins and Bailey are among the league leaders and are getting some payback on the 'lost a step' crowd. Andre' Goodman and Renaldo Hill are playing the best ball of their careers. The young guys, Alphonso Smith and Jack Williams, are also paying well and Darcel McBath has already shown why we drafted him on defense as well as by leading the team on special-teams tackles.

I'll be back later today with more Thoughts and Musings...

Is it Time to Panic or Not?

Stephen (shaynes41) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 13:16:58 -0000

More photos » by Paul Sakuma - AP

3 months ago: San Diego Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson, right, fumbles the ball and is brought down by Oakland Raiders defensive end Greg Ellis (99) during the first quarter of their NFL football game Monday, Sept. 14, 2009 in Oakland, Calif. The Raiders recovered the ball. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

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All right, so on Monday I was a big proponent of panicking. I have had a few days to cool off and I thought I should take a look at this a little more methodically. After all, if we're going to start panicking, at least we should have a reasonable justification for it.

We began the season with high hopes, but we did have some areas of concern after the off season and through the preseason. I figured I'd start by looking at each one of those areas of concern after two real games against a decent opponent and a very good opponent.

Area of Concern #1 - The right side of the Offensive Line

Jeromey Clary had received his fair share of lumps, and the unknown of the RG position was a little concerning. We all agreed that losing Mike Goff was going to help a bit, but were we not sure how much. Was Kynan Forney an upgrade? Could the rookie Louis Vasquez learn the ropes in time to contribute? How much of Clary's problems last year were due to Goff's inadequacies and how much were due to his own abilities and ceiling?

Turns out Vasquez did come along quick enough to earn the starting job in week 1. Vasquez's ability, Forney's average play, and some injury problems in camp actually lead to Forney surprisingly not making the 53 man roster. Unfortunately Vasquez didn't last past the 1st half of the first game and we have seen Mruczkowski and Dombrowski in that spot since them. Surprisingly, the right side of the line has held up pretty well. Clary has done pretty well against some decent pass rushers. He had a little trouble in the Raider game, but overall has done well. It will be interesting to see him against the Steelers in a few weeks to compare his play to his lackluster playoff game last year. Dombrowski has taken the majority of the snaps at RG and has looked really good, especially considering he is a second year guy who was on the practice squad all last year. All in all, I'd say this area of concern isn't worrying me too much right now. I may change my might after the Steelers game (even the Dolphins have Joey Porter and Jason Taylor and will present a good challenge)

more after the jump...

Area of Concern #2 - Running Game

Last year we couldn't run the ball if our life depended on it. Despite a moderately successful season from LT, we were in the bottom half of the league in rushing. A lot of reasons contributed to that including a relative shortage of offensive plays, playing from behind, the emergence of the passing game, etc., We were hoping some improvements along the offensive line, a healthy LT, and another year under the belt of Hester would contribute to a reemergence of the vaunted Charger running game.

It hasn't quite worked out like that. LT is injured again, and didn't look that good for the 1.5 quarters he was healthy. It is still early and we have faced two relatively strong teams against the run, but I think this is still an area of major concern. We are all happy to see Rivers have 400+ games, but more often than not, you end up losing those games. Without a strong rushing attack, you will have trouble in the red zone and in short yardage situations (like 4th and 2, for example). I know the offense as a whole is explosive, but I'm afraid that we are going to have an easier time scoring from the 40 yard line than we will from the 10 yard line.

Area of Concern #3 - Pass Rush

We all hoped The Return of Shawne Merriman would solve all our pass rush woes. Plus, the evil genius of Ron Rivera would employ Larry English in new and exotic packages that would bring wreak havoc on opposing QBs. Perhaps we were a bit ahead of ourselves.

Well, Shawne has yet to get a sack and English's motor has been apparent even if his rudder has not been as he has appeared somewhat lost at times. However, there has been good pressure if not a lot of sacks to show for it. There has been lots of blitzing and exotic blitzes at that. Last year we rarely saw the ILBs involved in blitzes. This year (and especially last week against Baltimore) the inside guys were blitzing a lot. Lot's of twist and 6 man rushes. I feel that this area of concern is not so concerning anymore. Aside from the lack of actual sacks, I think it has been going pretty well, and I think one week soon, we are going to get a bunch of sacks.

One surprising development has been Luis Castillo getting pressure from the LDE spot. I think part of it has to be due to the flurry of activity around him. With all the twists and blitzes from different angles, it has been easier to Luis to get some pressure. He has 1 sack so far and I've seen him chasing QBs from the pocket on several occasions.

Area of Concern #4 - Safety Play

Clinton Hart should be shipped out of town. Steve Gregory is too slow to play safety. We should start Kevin Ellison, the rookie 6th round pick simply because he has not yet disproven himself. Eric Weddle is a bust. Or so the preseason talk went. An interesting development in the preseason was Hart playing SS on the running downs and Gregory playing SS on the passing downs. Same as at the end of last season, but it seemed to work much better. Weddle's role was able to change because we had an ILB who can cover people (Kevin Burnett), so Weddle can play more of a "center field" position, rather than the "in the box" safety position he played last year on passing downs.

So far, this seems to have worked. It's a little hard to tell if our improved pass defense is truly because of improved safety play, combined with a little more pressure, or if it's simply because other teams find it easier to run on us. I will say that I have seen Hart making plays in the running game that I haven't seen him make in a few years. And I think Gregory has played a decent coverage SS. I am going to tentatively say that this area of concern has been addressed. I don't think it will really get tested anytime soon by the Dolphins or Steelers so I'm not going to worry about it until it actually shows itself as a problem.

Area of Concern #5 - We can't cover TEs

Stupid TEs. Last year I was offended at first when the fantasy football experts told you to start any TE facing the Chargers. Then I came to the realization that it was actually sound advice. We all loved to blame Wilhelm for the TEs having career days against us, but I wasn't so sure. Burnett is a clear upgrade, plus an improved pass rush and improved safety play was how to improve this.

Did it work? Well, Oakland's TEs put up over 100 yards on us in week 1. Todd Heap had one catch for 9 yards and 1 TD, plus a 30 yard PI call that put the Ravens at the 1 and lead to a walk in TD. Overall, I'd say this is still a concern. If we make Anthony Fasano look like Tony Gonzalez this week, I am officially going to be picking up/trading for the TEs going against the Chargers in fantasy football every week from here on out.

Area of Concern #6 - the Defense can't get off the field

Last year the Chargers were 29th in total offensive plays. This is partly because our offense was explosive and scored quickly, and partly because our defense gave up a lot of long drawn out drives. It is really way too early to judge here. I think in general we've looked pretty good, but we've face two offenses that were not highly regarded before the season began and they have looked pretty good against us, which is not a good sign. As far as plays from scrimmage so far this year, we are middle of the pack, so that is an improvement. I'm still going to worry about this, especially when we pick up dumb running into the kicker penalties that give the opponents a fresh set of downs (I don't care if it was a blown call by the refs, if you aren't close to blocking the punt, you need to never touch the kicker... period).

Area of Concern #7 - Cromartie of 2008 or of 2007

Cromartie was hottest thing ever after 10 picks in just over 1/2 a season of starting in 2007. Expectations were off the charts for 2008 and he proceeded to stink the joint up. Who is the real Cromartie? Well, so far the jury is still out, although by this time last year, Cromartie had already been exposed twice, and so far this year we haven't heard his name much (although there was that Raider TD where he and Hart decided not to cover Murphy). I'm going to go on record as saying a good CB is the one who you never hear of. I will gladly live with 3-6 picks and 16 solid games from Cromartie, as opposed to him making SportsCenter highlights with a few athletic interceptions and a bunch of spectacularly bad outings.

Places we thought were not a concern, but actually are a concern... Go Figure

The left side of the offensive line... What happened here? Last year we had Hardwick's and McNeill's injury excuses. This year, between our healthy offensive line and LTs healthy toes, we were going to run the ball again! Everyone take LT high in your fantasy drafts, he is a man on a mission... I'm beginning to think it's not LT degrading as much as it is the left side of the offensive line not being as good as advertised. Even for the 2 quarters where everyone was healthy, these guys were getting pushed around. They single handedly made Al Davis look like a genius with the Richard Seymour trade (and that is saying something). And listen, I can understand that McNeill is never going to be a dominant run blocker, he is a pass blocker, a 350lb man with the feet of a ballerina who is able to go an entire season without giving up a sack to the league's elite, so I don't really blame him. But Kris Dielman is playing like a very mediocre player. Such is not what we expected from our all-pro. Honestly, I think it has been going on for longer than just this year. I think last year he was little soft too. He gets beat too often on pass rushes and isn't the dominant LG you need for a dominant rushing attack. I'm not sure why... Did he get figured out? Has his technique slipped? Some injury we aren't aware of? Half a dozen baby-mamas demanding his time and financial support? I don't know, but he hasn't been the same since signing that big contract (there... I said it).

Places we thought we were strong, but we are actually much stronger...

We knew our passing game was nails; Rivers, Jackson, Gates, etc. But it has been even better than I thought it was going to be. As expected, Rivers has kept up his game. But somehow Vincent Jackson has picked his up to another level. His game against Baltimore was ridiculous. RIDICULOUS. How many times did he have three guys around him and he came down with the ball anyways? I'm reminded of that old NFL films clip of the Chargers' OC talking to Fouts about his pass progressions and what to look out for on a third down play. Don Coryell steps in, interrupts, and yells, "Just throw it to JJ!!" (John Jefferson). That is exactly how I feel with Jackson, just throw it to VJ!

And Antonio Gates. I do believe he is back from his injuries and is as good as ever. I had almost forgotten what is was like to have a dominant TE. The only thing that is going to keep him from putting up all-world numbers are the other options around him.

So, that's about all I can think of. I think there are only two things that really concern me: 1) complete and utter lack of a running game, and 2) inability to get off the field on defense. I can't seem to muster up a lot of concern about other areas and even the injuries don't strike me as an insurmountable problem. Those two concerns are the things that are going to keep this team from going deep into the playoffs, and of those two, the running game is the biggest problem. I know some of us were calling for more passes and shootouts, but those won't take you far once the playoffs come around. We need a balanced offense, and by that I don't mean we need to have equal run and pass plays, but that we need the threat of a run, and we need to be able to get 2 yards when we absolutely have to have 2 yards. If that doesn't get fixed, we can go ahead and panic.

Pour Some Sugar On Me - Preseason Wrap-up: Can We Build a Team That Can Beat the Raiders? Yes We Can!

Sugar — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 10:00:22 -0000

I understand how important this last preseason game was for roughly 20-30 players per team. I do. For some it was the difference between making the 53-man roster or getting cut. For others who were relatively certain of their impending unemployment, it was a chance to get on tape for potential future employers. For coaches, it was one last look at a few players they may try to retain on the practice squad. But for just about everybody else (in the world) these games were simply painful to watch.

As a Redskins' fan, I of course watched the game against the Jaguars intently and hung on most every play. But as I watched the games around the league, I found myself losing interest quickly as penalty flags rained down on my living room as if Pacman Jones himself were throwing them.

To write a recap of each game would be worse than having to read Peter King rate every latte he has ever drank. So instead, this week I thought I would put my preseason watch-a-ton to the test. Every team has made their final cuts. I will attempt to build a 53-man roster from all the players released by the Saturday deadline. This may include some players who ended up on the practice squad, but you'll have to excuse that. After all, even though I did watch pretty much every preseason game played in the last month, my knowledge of certain teams' backups probably doesn't go much further than guys who should rightfully land on the practice squad. This already feels like a poor man's version of Madden fantasy draft. I get to decide who I am going to keep and at what position they will play. My ultimate goal: a 53-man roster capable of beating the Oakland Raiders final 53-man roster. Our team name: Sugartime Ballers. At the end, you'll get to vote on whether you think the Ballers can take down the Raiders. The first picks after the jump...

QB (3): Jeff Garcia, Joey Harrington, Chase Daniel

This team is going to have a questionable offensive line, so I am going to need a veteran quarterback capable of escaping pressure and getting rid of the ball. I watched as much of the Raiders' preseason as I could stomach and to me it seemed like Jeff Garcia was the quarterback that gave them the best chance to win now. My guess is that they sensed that too and decided that going with a guy staring down 40 years old would be the nail in the coffin for the JaMarcus Russell era, at least from a confidence perspective. Joey Harrington (cut by the Saints) is experienced in the art of art of hand signaling, which is what I want in my backup QB. Plus he is a great pianist so he can play getaway music on the piano as Jeff Garcia is running fro his life behind whatever offensive line I can put together. Chase Daniel gave it a good run in D.C., but failed to be named as the 3rd quarterback when the team decided to go with nobody instead (ouch).

RB (5): Dominic Rhodes, Anthony Alridge, Ian Johnson, Fui Vakapuna, Isaac Redman

It struck me as a little odd when the Bills jettisoned Rhodes. With Lynch out for the beginning frames of the season and Fred Jackson a little dinged this preseason, I figured a veteran like Rhodes would have value for that team. Alridge just barely missed being the last running back kept by the Redskins and adds speed out of my backfield. Ian Johnson is a young buck that got bounced by the Vikings. I have a soft spot in my heart for this guy after watching him have such a great career at Boise State, not to mention the now famous Statue of Liberty play against Oklahoma a couple seasons ago. Vakapuna is a guy I picked because I need a blocking fullback and I have been watching HBO's Hard Knocks this season featuring the Bengals. He is a big, athletic dude, and we are going to need a Samoan presence in the backfield on this team. Redman had a great preseason in Pittsburgh but the numbers game beat him. We are lucky to have him and Vakapuna muscling up in our backfield.

TE (4): Leonard Pope, Alex Smith, Bear Pascoe, Garrett Mills

The Cards cut Pope and the Pats cut Smith. Both are capable receivers that understand the position well. Bear Pascoe was on the 49ers squad and I remember hearing his name for the first time late in the game against the Raiders I think. He was described by his college coach at Fresno State as the "most devastating blocker" they had ever seen. He started out there as a quarterback. He blocked 6 kicks on special teams, and keeps his edge by participating in rodeos. He's an old-school kind of player and on my team he will play an old-school role: Iron Man. At 6'5", 250+ lbs, he will never leave the field. Our wildcat offense will be called the "Wild Bear" formation and we will direct snap it to him. He will rush the passer on defense and he will line up all over the field on offense. His importance on this roster almost necessitated adding a 4th tight end to help carry the load at the position, and Mills, fresh off the Vikings roster, will fit in nicely. The Raiders will not have a chance.

OL (9): Damien McIntosh, Tony Pashos, Andrew Crummey, Kynan Forney, Jeremy Bridges, Scott Burley,Justin Geisenger, Mike Butterworth, Mark Wilson

McIntosh (Chiefs), Pashos (Jaguars), Crummey (Bengals), Forney (Chargers), and Bridges (Redskins) are my starting five. Burley (Redskins), Geisinger (Panthers), and Butterworth (Falcons) are my backups. Burely went to University of Maryland and has been hanging around the league the last two years. Geisinger is a journeyman lineman who spent a season with the Redskins but has also been a member of the Bills and Titans. The Raiders gave Mark Wilson his walking papers, but he has had steady employment as a backup since 2004. Mike Butterworth made this team because I simply ran out of guys that I really knew much about...and I love maple syrup on pancakes.

All of my starters would likely be welcome on most squads in the league after a few weeks when teams are all of a sudden hit by injuries and become starved for guys who have played before. Forney was a huge shock getting cut by San Diego. He might be one of the two or three best players on the Ballers.

WR (6): Keary Colbert, Robert Ferguson, David Tyree, David Patten, Trent Shelton, Steve Sanders

Ferguson (Falcons), Colbert (Lions), and Patten (Browns) have all been unfortunate members of previous unfortunate fantasy teams of mine. So they owe me. Hard to argue against Tyree (Giants). He can start on special teams and catch balls with his helmet. With Bear Pascoe behind center, he might have to catch a few wild pitches. Shelton (Redskins) should make their practice squad and Steve Sanders (Cardinals) was great on Beverly Hills, 90210.

DL (8): Shaun Smith, Alex Buzbee, Ryan Boschetti, Darryl Richard, Rob Jackson, Tommie Hill, Matthias Askew, Terrance Taylor

The Patriots drafted Richard last April, and that is pretty much good enough for me. I recall Tommie Hill made a huge play late in the first Monday Night game against the Panthers, scoring a touchdown with no time left on the clock. Not being good enough for the Giants defensive line does not necessarily make you bad. Rob Jackson and Alex Buzbee both got cut from the Redskins so I have seen plenty of them and are comfortable with them as backups. Boschetti got dumped by the Raiders--can't remember anyone listing their personnel decisions as better than...well, anyone's. Shaun Smith was a shock to get sent home by the Lions. He is definitely good enough to anchor the Ballers' defensive line. And Terrance Taylor was a 4th round pick for the Colts. I am little surprised to see him gone from there, but we will not ask too many questions and scoop him up.

LB (8): Tim Crowder, Zach Thomas, Rocky Boiman, Khary Campbell, Bruce Davis, Jeremy Leman, Robert Thomas, Cody Glenn

Crowder should have cracked the Broncos' Final 53. Our squad will benefit from the veteran presence of Zach Thomas, who might not really have ever been realistically in the Chiefs' plans. Rocky Boiman has been around, most recently ending his second stint with the Titans. He has a ring from the Colts' Super Bowl victory and his experience will be put to good use for the Ballers. Khary Campbell is a special teams standout that did not make the last cuts in Houston. Bruce Davis was a huge underachiever for the Steelers. Here's hoping he can turn it around for the Ballers. Leman (Panthers) was a guy who I thought played well enough in the preseason to stick. I guess that is why my phone isn't ringing off the hook to become anybody's GM. Thomas and Glenn were both waived by the Skins. Thomas has plenty of experience in the league and Glenn (while still an odd draft choice by Vinny Cerrato--read: "wasted draft choice") is a raw player from the Nebraska Cornhuskers' program.

DB (8): Deltha O'Neal, Brian Russell, Brian Williams, Bernard Pollard, Corey Lynch , Deangelo Smith, Corey Ivy, Lendy Holmes

O'Neal (Texans), Williams (Jaguars), Russell (Seahawks), and Pollard (Chiefs) are my starting defensive backs (first two are CB's, second two will man the safety positions. Smith (Cowgirls), Lynch (Bengals), Ivy (Browns), and Holmes (Redskins) round out our scrappy secondary.

P: A.J. Trapasso - Any guy who takes aim for a $40 million video board in a preseason game, ESPECIALLY one bought by Jerry Jones, gets a spot on my team.

K: Brandon Coutu (Seahawks) - The 'Hawks kept this guy on their roster all season last year behind Olindo Mare in the hopes they could trade him. He has a hell of a leg and will get a shot from another team very soon.

Give Me the Numbers, Stat!

27-17, Ballers over the Raiders. Bear Pascoe has 78 yards rushing, 2 rushing touchdowns, 1 blocked field goal and 3 sacks. Jeff Garcia runs in for the other TD and throws the ball straight into the owner's box where Al Davis is sitting. Davis sues the NFL.

Next week at this time, we will be through the first weekend of meaningful football. Imagine...four quarters without any fourth-stringers (God willing). The season of excessive penalty-calling is over. Let the games begin. We'll see you back here on Tuesday--with nary a mention of any battles for the backup long snapper position.

Poll

Can this team I have constructed beat the Raiders today, on a neutral field, with a run-heavy offensive philosophy behind the Iron Man Bear Pascoe?

Yes, handily

164 votes

Maybe 51 times out of 100

142 votes

Maybe once in a 100 tries

51 votes

Not a chance

42 votes

399 votes | Poll has closed

San Diego Chargers 53-Man Roster Cuts

John (obviousman) — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 21:48:07 -0000

22 players will be cut (or placed on Injured Reserve) from the San Diego Chargers' roster today to get the number of players down to 53. Stay here (and refresh the page every so often) for up-to-the-minute reports on who is in and who is out.

From Kevin Acee: "Michael Bennett on roster. Ian Scott and L.J. Shelton cut".

"Forney gone too. Wow! Bingham to IR"

"Ogemdi Nwagbuo and Brandyn Dombrowski on team. Can't help but be happy about that. Kids worked hard"

"C.J. Spillman on roster; Just three corners"

Players cut thus far:

~~I'll keep this post updated as the rest of the cuts are announced.~~ That's all of them.

Hank Bauer Interviewed on XTRA 1360

Stephen (shaynes41) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 13:30:15 -0000

Hank Bauer is a former Charger and current radio color guy. He has a weekly interview on XTRA and I always get something from it.

Josh and Jeff interview Hank Bauer, XTRA 1360, (mp3)

Go see the San Diego Chargers' Complete History
Is the Q a dump? I had a lot of good memories from there, but its kind of like a beautiful woman who is rotting from the inside out. It's serviceable, and the fans love it. But if you compare it to the new stadiums, it is a dump. Even Atlanta has a better stadium than us now.
Who among the rookies do you really like their character? It's a tribute to AJ and the Spanos that all the rookies are here to work and have their heads on straight. At this point it's more about who can play, since they all have the character and work ethic to be successful. One guy who I thought really had a great game in Atlanta was Louis Vasquez, I thought he had a terrific game and I wouldn't be surprised if he was the starter in Oakland
Another guy who had a good game was Mooch, Scott Mruczkowski. When Kris Dielman came out (with his shoulder injury) Mooch, who has played exclusively at center in this preseason, stood in very well at left guard. He played some center after the half and some more guard later on.
Kynan Forney looked good as well. Hank would start Vasquez because he thinks Vasquez has more upside and Forney would be better off the bench if Vasquez struggles.
Defensively, Ian Scott jumped out at NT. Hank did not think he had a chance to make this team, but he really stood out.
Did Michael Bennett impress you, will he make the team? Hank say yes, he can make people miss like few people can and he has exceptional speed. Bennett is a big play guy. It is a big chance to cut him and hope he will still be around if you need him later on.
Bauer would keep Bennett and Mike Tolbert and try to sneak Gartrell Johnson through the waiver wire and onto the practice squad where he can develop. Let's face it, we're looking for a super bowl, this is not a developmental type team. Bennett might be around for a couple years as well.
None of the rookie WRs are going to make the team.
OL sure things are McNeill, Dielman, Hardwick, Vasquez, Clary, Forney, and Mooch. Who are the other 2-3 guys? Tyronne Green, you can get him through waivers and onto the practice squad, I don't think you need another guard at this point. L.J. Shelton is an 11 year vet, he is solid, but he is going to get burned once or twice a game and isn't a road grader any more at his age. So do you keep him or a younger guy like Dombrowski who can also play guard? It's a tough decision. Corey Clark can play both as well.
DL sure things are Luis Castillo, Jamal Williams, Jacques Cesaire, Vaughn Martin, and Travis Johnson. What is up with Ryon Bingham? I don't know when he is going to be back. How long can you carry him on the roster without him playing? You need someone to back up, is it Ian Scott or Ogemdi Nwagbuo? Keeping Bingham around might make you keep an extra DL and squeeze someone elsewhere.
Everybody is talking about us needing 4 corners. Steve Gregory came in as a corner, maybe you keep 4 safeties and use Gregory as your 4th corner if needed.

Other recent interviews:

Eric Weddle on XTRA (mp3)
Jay Paris, North County Times, on XX Sports with John Kentera (mp3)
Nick Hardwick on XX Sports with Darren Smith (mp3)
Jim Steeg, Chargers COO, Talking blackouts, 619Sports.net (mp3)
3 Questions with Vincent Jackson, 619Sports.net (mp3)
3 Questions with Louis Vasquez, 619Sports.net (mp3)
3 Questions for: Shaun Phillips, 619Sports.net (transcript)

A Proposed 53 Man San Diego Chargers Roster

Stephen (shaynes41) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 13:47:14 -0000

We've gone through some of the position battles and depth chart at several of our key positions. While those discussions are fruitful for who is starting and who is backing up, it is always difficult to figure out who might stick around from that group as a 3rd guy or special teams guy. Those sorts of decisions tend to be made in the context of the entire roster rather than a specific position group.

We will know the real answer by Saturday, but I thought we might take a cut at it now in light of how the preseason has progressed so far. Outside of wasting some of your time, it can't really hurt to take a preliminary cut at who is going to be on the 53 man roster once Saturday evening rolls around.

So if you're interested read on!

First of all, let's review some roster size basics. By the time the regular season starts, the Chargers will have 53 players on their roster. On game day, the coaches will pick 45 players to be "active." These active players will suit up and can play. The inactive players will be on the sideline in street clothes. The exception to this is the 3rd string QB who is labeled as the emergency QB. He is technically inactive, but is still suited up. He can be activated during the game if the first two QBs get injured. If he comes into the game, the first two QBs are not allowed back in. You don't have to have an inactive emergency QB. Theoretically, you could have 3 active QBs (no one does this) or you could only have 2 QBs on your 53 man roster and have a WR or RB effectively be your third QB (I know Marty did this a few years and the Colts have done it forever). No other inactive player can be activated during the game.

They will also have a practice squad of up to 8 additional players. The practice squad is composed of players who have been cut and gone through waivers without being signed by any other teams and are then signed to the practice squad. Not every player is eligible for the practice squad. The eligibility rules are:

No more than 3 years on the practice squad.

No more than nine games on the active list in a previous season.

- from the Collective Bargaining Agreement p.170 (interesting read if you are into this kind of stuff)

If the guys who are cut get cut Saturday around noon, they can be resigned to any team's active roster or practice squad on Sunday afternoon. All right, so you know the basics, so let's start counting!

First of all, the starters who we all agree will be starting opening day (injuries excepted of course)

#	Name	Pos.	Yrs.
1	Mike Scifres	P	7
2	Nate Kaeding	K	6
3	LaDainian Tomlinson	RB	9
4	Kris Dielman	G	7
5	Antonio Gates	TE	7
6	Nick Hardwick	C	6
7	Vincent Jackson	WR	5
8	Marcus McNeill	T	4
9	Philip Rivers	QB	6
10	Luis Castillo	DE	5
11	Stephen Cooper	ILB	7
12	Jamal Williams	DT	12
13	Antonio Cromartie	CB	4
14	Quentin Jammer	CB	8
15	Shawne Merriman	OLB	5
16	Shaun Phillips	OLB	6
17	Kevin Burnett	LB	5
18	Chris Chambers	WR	9
19	Jeromey Clary	T	3
20	Jacob Hester	FB	2

Now, the backups, critical specialty guys (Sproles, Cason, etc.), and guys in position battles where they are sure of making the team even if they aren't starting.

#	Name	Pos.	Yrs.
21	Malcom Floyd	WR	4
22	Kynan Forney	G	9
23	Brandon Manumaleuna	TE	9
24	Scott Mruczkowski	C	5
25	Legedu Naanee	WR	3
26	L.J. Shelton	T	11
27	Darren Sproles	RB	5
28	Billy Volek	QB	10
29	Charlie Whitehurst	QB	4
30	Ryon Bingham	DE-DT	5
31	Antoine Cason	CB	2
32	Jacques Cesaire	DE	7
33	Jyles Tucker	OLB	3
34	Eric Weddle	FS	3
35	Travis Johnson	DE	5
36	Buster Davis	WR	3

Let's throw in our top 3 draft picks and assume they are making the team no matter what.

#	Name	Pos.	Yrs.
37	Louis Vasquez	G	R
38	Larry English	OLB	R
39	Vaughn Martin	DE	R

We are through 39 spots on the roster and now we are to the spots where guys might need to worry about not making the roster. The veterans have the inside track on making the team, but could be dislodged by someone else, or even squeezed because of roster pressures elsewhere (For instance, what if Bignham isn't going to play until week 5, we would need to keep an additional DL until Bingham comes back. That could squeeze someone at a different position). First of all, here is where we stand depth-wise at all the positions (needed starters in parenthesis)

K/P (2) - 2
QB (1) - 3
RB (1) - 2
FB (1) - 1
TE (1) - 2
OT (2) - 3
OG/C (3) - 5
WR (2) - 5
DL (3) - 6
OLB (2) - 4
ILB (2) - 2
S (2) - 1
CB (2) - 3

Here is how I see the rest of it shaking out. I've added in a practice squad eligible (pse) column to mark guys that can be placed on the practice squad. If a guy is practice squad eligible, the team may be inclined to cut him and keep the non-eligible guy (all other things equal). Then they hope the guy makes it through waivers and they sign him to the practice squad and essentially keep both. The guys without a number by their name are the guys who don't make the team.

#	Name	Pos.	Yrs.	pse
40	Antwan Applewhite	OLB	2
41	Tim Dobbins	ILB	4
42	Clinton Hart	SS	7
43	Brandyn Dombrowski	G/T	1	X
44	Gartrell Johnson	RB	R	X
45	Ian Scott	DT	7
46	Brandon Siler	ILB	3
47	Kris Wilson	TE	6
48	Steve Gregory	DB-S	4
49	Paul Oliver	DB-S	3
50	Kassim Osgood	ST	7
51	Michael Bennett	RB	9
52	Kevin Ellison	S	R	X
53	David Binn	LS	16
	Darry Beckwith	ILB	R	X
	Mike Tolbert	FB	2
	Tyronne Green	C	R	X
	Ogemdi Nwagbuo	DT	1	X
	C.J. Spillman	FS	R	X
	Simeon Castille	CB	2
	Charly Martin	WR	R	X
	Corey Clark	OT	2	X
	Sam Allen	G	R	X
	Eric Bakhtiari	LB	1	X
	Ramarcus Brown	CB	R	X
	Jeremy Childs	WR	R	X
	Andre Coleman	DE	1	X
	James Holt	OLB	R	X
	Rashaad Jackson	DT	R	X
	Billy Latsko	FB	1	X
	Ryan McDonald	C	R	X
	Kory Sperry	TE	R	X
	Keith Grennan	DE	2	X

If the numbered guys at left make the roster, our position counts look like this:

K/P/ST (2) - 4
QB (1) - 3
RB (1) - 4
FB (1) - 1
TE (1) - 3
OT (2) - 3
OG/C (3) - 6
WR (2) - 5
DL (3) - 7
OLB (2) - 5
ILB (2) - 4
S (2) - 5
CB (2) - 3

QB(3) - Rivers, Volek, Whitehurst

RB/FB(5) - Tomlinson, Sproles, Hester, Bennett, Johnson

C/G/T(9) - Hardwick, Dielman, McNeill, Clary, Forney, Vasquez, Mruczkowski, Dombrowski, Shelton

TE(3) - Gates, Manumaleuna, Wilson

WR(5) - Jackson, Chambers, Floyd, Naanee, Davis

DL(7) - Castillo, Williams, Cesaire, Bingham, Martin, Scott, Johnson

OLB(5) - Merriman, Philips, English, Applewhite, Tucker

ILB(4) - Burnett, Cooper, Siler, Dobbins

S(5) - Weddle, Hart, Gregory, Ellison, Oliver

CB(3) - Cromartie, Jammer, Cason

ST(4) - Scifres, Kaeding, Binn, Osgood

There are plenty of debatable items above. Does Dombrowski beat out Green? Scott beat out Nwagbuo? Siler beat out Beckwith? I really don't know. I intentionally leaned the roster towards the vets, but that could shake out differently. Having Bingham injured but still on the roster means we have more DL than we might normally want. Three CBs seems like a bad idea, but maybe Oliver and Weddle can play it in a pinch.

Cutting the list of players down to 53 players leaves some good players on the street. I'm pretty sure I won't be right, but this is as good a place as any to start from.

Obvious Answers: Low on Questions

John (obviousman) — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 21:42:46 -0000

Come on guys! I asked for questions for the mailbag and I got....two. I guess that means it's a short one this week. I'll try this one more time next week, but if the turnout is the same I'll bail on this idea all together.

Why in the hell does Clinton Hart still have a job? - sdsuaztec4

Easy. Clinton played the role as special teams player and "effort guy" as a backup safety for 3 years with the Chargers. When he finally got a chance to start, in 2007, he shined. Five interceptions, one sack, nine passes defensed and eighty-five tackles. Sure, in 2008 his numbers and performance went down, but how much of that should be attributed to the injuries he was fighting through, the poor ILB play (Wilhelm/Smith/Dobbins) and the complete lack of a pass-rush until the later part of the season?

If we're benching everybody who had a poor 2008, Luis Castillo and Antonio Cromartie can take a seat as well. The case with each of these guys is the same: they have proven that they can play at a high level when healthy and in the right scenario. Is Clinton Hart healthy and in a defense that can rush the quarterback and give him some help in coverage? It certainly seems that way, even though it's only preseason. However, if the team had 100% faith in him as their starter at Strong Safety he wouldn't be sharing time with Steve Gregory and the Chargers wouldn't have drafted Ellison.

In summary, everyone with the exception of Quentin Jammer on the defense had at least one bad stretch of the season last year. Clinton Hart cannot be named the scape goat just because he had the worst year of any of the defensive starters.

Why doesn't AJ ever try and sign older free agent veterans to one year deals so that they could serve as leaders and help win a SB? The Bolts had SB caliber teams the last few years, but they always seem to be missing a piece or two. I don't understand the NFL salary cap well, but I'm equally puzzled why the Bolts can't pick up a decent veteran RT or DE. Why do they rely on J. Clary or R. Bingham (who both appear to be career backups) to start as opposed to picking up a decent veteran? - garrett1230

First off, Jacques Cesaire will be starting at DE instead of Bingham.

Secondly, I can't pretend to know what runs through A.J. Smith's mind....but I can tell you why I agree with his method of building a good football team. It's going to be detailed though....

Free agents are expensive. If you can find one that is willing to sign for a one year deal and for the league minimum, that means that no other team in the league sees any value in the player and he's probably not worth the league minimum (which is still higher than what most players make while playing out their rookie deals). So in building the Chargers, A.J. Smith tries to find players that are of equal or greater talent than what he'd find in a free agent and then he saves money by having them on rookie deals. If every player on the roster was playing on their second contract, the team would have no money for backups.

Leadership comes from within. Do you really think the Vikings offensive players are going to look for Favre to be their leader this year? Heck no. The players that become clubhouse and "on-the-field" leaders are the ones that have been with the team for years, in the trenches with every guy on the field. The leaders on the Chargers are LaDainian Tomlinson (running backs), Kris Dielman (offensive linemen), Philip Rivers (offense in general), Jamal Williams (defensive linemen), Shawne Merriman (linebackers, although Cooper filled the role last year), Quentin Jammer (secondary) and Kassim Osgood (special teams).

If the Chargers signed Jon Runyan to play in place of Clary, do you really think he'd step into Dielman's spot as the leader of the line? While you could argue that Runyan may produce better at RT, he would be expensive and would toy with the chemistry of the line. This is why teams that buy free agents, like Washington and Dallas, never seem to have consistent chemistry.

The kids are better. I get it, nobody likes Jeromey Clary. Even I'll admit that he could use some refining on his footwork. With that being said, A.J. Smith's history with letting free agents go says that most of the time the younger, cheaper replacement is just as good if not better than the guy that's leaving (or the guy left unsigned). Let me show you the league's most talented roster, and you try and tell me that mistakes have been made in building it.

Philip Rivers (drafted)
LaDainian Tomlinson (drafted)
Jacob Hester (drafted)
Antonio Gates (signed as undrafted free agent)
Vincent Jackson (drafted)
Chris Chambers (traded for)
Marcus McNeill (drafted)
Kris Dielman (signed as undrafted free agent)
Nick Hardwick (drafted)
Kynan Forney (signed as free agent) / Louis Vasquez (drafted)
Jeromey Clary (drafted)
Jacques Cesaire (signed as UDFA)
Jamal Williams (drafted)
Luis Castillo (drafted)
Shawne Merriman (drafted)
Shaun Phillips (drafted)
Stephen Cooper (signed as UDFA)
Kevin Burnett (signed as free agent)
Antonio Cromartie (drafted)
Quentin Jammer (drafted)
Eric Weddle (drafted)
Clinton Hart (claimed off waivers)
Nate Kaeding (drafted)
Mike Scifres (drafted)

What has been missing from this team is not veterans signed to one-year contracts, but it's been health. In 2007, it was the health of Rivers, LT and Gates that killed the team's SB chances. In 2008, it was the health of LT and Merriman that stopped them.

In 2009, A.J. Smith identified Kevin Burnett as someone who was worth the free agent money because the team didn't have any players that could step into the ILB spot and provide the same impact, so he signed him. Chargers fans should be thankful that the GM of their favorite team picks his spots with free agents, to build talent and leadership from within rather than trying to build a team that's great one year and poor the next. This team, because of the focus on the draft and young players, is built to be a title contender for at least another five years.

As for Clary, who you referred to as a career backup. Many people thought the same thing about Stephen Cooper, even after seeing him play. These guys have the physical gifts (in Clary's case, he has great size and strength to go with good speed and good use of his hands), but they need time on the field to mature and get better at their position. You won't see the 2008 Clary out there with the team in 2009. The common phrase used is "Don't judge a book by it's cover", but in the case of young players in the NFL it's more like "Don't judge a book by it's first chapter."

Do you have any questions for next week's mailbag? Don't hesitate to e-mail me directly with your question and I'll make sure to answer it before next Friday's game.

Pre-Season Open Thread: Atlanta Falcons vs. San Diego Chargers

Dave the Falconer — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 20:00:10 -0000

via image.examiner.com

Look at Michael Turner running over those helpless people. Never has an image of men being crushed beneath the wheels of a mighty train amused me so.

We're back for the third week of pre-season games, this time against our ~~hated disliked corpulent~~ erstwhile foes in San Diego. The Chargers are a very good team and are likely to be the class of the AFC West this season, so this is a very good chance for us to see how we match up against an upper echelon squad. My guess: Pretty darn well.

And since there ain't no party like a Georgia Dome party, let's kick this off.

Who? Atlanta Falcons vs. San Diego Chargers, 8 p.m. EST

Where? Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

Weather? Dome equipped with solid roof = no concerns about weather.

Fun Fact? Our very own Michael Turner once played second fiddle to LaDanian Tomlinson in San Diego. In turn, they signed Kynan Forney, who used to start for us at guard. No offense to Forney, but I think I'm happier with the guy we grabbed from San Diego.

Odds? Never tell me the odds!

Foe? Please check out Bolts From The Blue for all things Chargers, and visit the FanPost from our talented friend over there on this very site for any updates about the San Diego Powder Blues.

GO FALCONS! LET'S WRECK THE CHARGERS!

Poll

Who will win this here game between the Falcons and Chargers?

Them Falcons

85 votes

Those Chargers

19 votes

Yeehaw!

15 votes

119 votes | Poll has closed

What to Look for in Tomorrow's Chargers/Falcons Game

John (obviousman) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 18:36:00 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Roberson - AP

4 months ago: Atlanta Falcons running back Michael Turner (33) slips past St. Louis Rams linebacker James Laurinaitis on his way to a short gain during the first quarter of a preseason NFL football game Friday, Aug. 21, 2009, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Browse more photos »

Larry English is playing! Anything less than 3 sacks and 2 spinal cord injuries to opposing players will be booed. Just kidding. All I want to see from English is the same smoothness coming off the edge as a OLB as I saw from him as a DE in college. I'd also be interested to see at least one play with Shaun Phillips, Shawne Merriman and Larry "Sean" English on the field at the same time.
The Right Guard position is not as locked up as we once thought. I haven't heard who is starting, but I'm willing to bet it's Kynan Forney (partially because they're playing his old team). If Forney plays bad and Vasquez stands out with an excellent performance, this could get serious.
First team offense and defense typically play the most in the 3rd preseason game. Word from the team is the first teamers will play the entire first half and maybe more, with some obvious exceptions (LT, Gates, Cesaire). It's the most entertaining game of the preseason and also the one with the most risk (especially on turf). I want to see the offensive line holding their own and the LBs getting some pressure on a few blitz packages.
Michael Turner will undoubtedly be pumped up to be going against his ex-teammates and they'll want to stop him in his tracks. The first half of this game will tell us everything we need to know about the strength of our run defense without Jacques Cesaire. I feel like Kevin Burnett will make some big plays.
Without LT, and wanting to avoid injury to their most important players, the Chargers running game will probably be handled mostly by Michael Bennett, Gartrell Johnson and Jacob Hester. A lot of decisions are made after this game, so Gartrell and Mike Tolbert should be focused and determined.
I can't get enough of the Chargers secondary. I don't know if it can possibly be as good as it looks in practice and looked against Arizona last week. Can it? I think almost anyone could play SS with these guys around them and a good pass rush, so I'm not worried about Clinton Hart. (Pick City!)
How do we handle Tony Gonzalez? He's a player we're familiar with, and one that our defense had trouble defending in 2008 (16 catches, 175 yards, 3 TDs in two games). Does Burnett follow him all over the field? How do the Safeties (Weddle, Hart, Gregory) handle him? When Atlanta is on offense I'm going to keep an eye on Tony G.
Ogemdi Nwagbuo could make a great impression with fans and coaches with a strong performance against Atlanta's first-team offense (if he's not starting, he's definitely in the rotation).

Don't forget to e-mail me your questions for tomorrow's inaugural BFTB Mailbag.