SB Nation - Cletis Gordon

The VRR: Cowboys Must Get Back in Saddle after Pulling off Squeaker over 'Skins

Aaron Novinger — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 04:48:58 -0000

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

Tony Romo has to take his bumps and bruises from Redskins to Raiders in just a few days.

The 7-6 victory over the rival Redskins did little to boost fans' confidence in the Cowboys' struggling offense. Running the ball 33 times - including six straight called in the first quarter - may have made the playcalling seem more "balanced", yet it produced no points.

However intriguing it is to see Felix Jones break the double-digit carry barrier for the first time in his career, or to see Marion Barber come up a yard shy from hitting the century mark, the scoreboard is still dependent on Tony Romo to pull that big, fat "0" down.

Heck, even Nick Folk failed (again) to get the team on the scoreboard prior to the end of the fourth quarter. Fortunately, the defense again refused to let that other side of the scoreboard be lit up.

Unfortunately, the Cowboys will be a bit more banged up heading into the shortened Thanksgiving week. Nothing major, but there are some bumps and bruises that must be played through as the team hosts the Raiders on Thursday. Making it through this week unscathed can be a real asset, as the team will get a few extra days to rest up before the Week 13 road game against the Giants.

More VRR after the jump.

Here's the latest on who's hurting:

QB Tony Romo - back (11/22) The quarterback injured his back in the first quarter when he was kneed in the backside while making a tackle. Romo never missed a snap against Washington, but he was limited in practice on Monday. Romo received a pain-relieving shot after the game Sunday, but told reporters he expects to play. Wade Phillips told the media Monday the quarterback was feeling better, but hinted that backup Jon Kitna might have to take some precautionary reps in practice.

TE Jason Witten - foot (11/22) Despite playing the entire game Sunday, Witten didn't practice Monday because of a foot injury. The All-Pro tight end caught two passes on the Cowboys' game-winning touchdown drive in the fourth quarter.

LB Keith Brooking - ankle (11/22) The veteran linebacker was limited in Monday's light practice with an ankle injury he suffered near the end of Sunday's win over the Redskins. Brooking said on Monday he expects to play this week.

CB Mike Jenkins - elbow/head (11/22) Jenkins got "banged up" in the Redskins game, according to head coach Wade Phillips. The cornerback was already battling the elbow injury from the Packers game but suffered the head injury late in the game when making a tackle. He did not practice with the team on Monday in the light workout.

Despite the blow to the back, Romo impressed in the end and sounds good-to-go for Thursday's game.

"That's Romo being Romo," Redskins linebacker London Fletcher said. "We had guys wrapped around him, and he still escaped. He's a tough sack."

And a tough guy. Romo bruised his back in the first quarter tackling cornerback DeAngelo Hall after he picked up a Marion Barber fumble in the red zone.

"I must have asked Tony 10 times, ‘Are you OK?'" Cowboys linebacker Keith Brooking said. "You could tell he was hurting, but he kept grinding."

Romo said he never considered leaving the game.

"I've always felt you can play as long as it's not something like a broken bone," Romo said. "With the adrenaline of the game, you can always do it. It only hurts right before the snap and right after."

The Redskins' injuries were much more severe. RB Ladell Betts and OL Chad Rinehart will be placed on IR and miss the rest of the season.

Along with Coach Phillips' aggressive blitzes, Keith Brooking credits DeMarcus Ware for his career-high four sacks.

Brooking has taken advantage of all the attention opponents pay the NFL’s reigning sacks leader in pass protection. He said his sacks often come on "hug blitzes," when he’s in man coverage against a running back and rushes when the back stays into block. When the back goes to chip Ware, that often leaves a lane for Brooking.

"The majority of my sacks, just to be dead honest with you, come from I'm just running scot-free and a lot of times the backs are sliding toward No. 94," Brooking said. "As I said yesterday, I'd do the same thing if I was in the backfield trying to block that guy. I'm just taking advantage."

Anthony Spencer was almost credited with a sack, but getting the game-winning INT proved much more rewarding.

It was Spencer's first career interception. The theft made up for a review taking away what he thought was his first sack of the season.

Late in the first half, Spencer chased Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell out of bounds for an apparent 5-yard loss. But a replay showed Campbell had released the ball just before stepping out.

"I gave the ref a little mouth about it," Spencer said. "But I'd much rather have the interception. It's a relief for the simple fact I've been around so many opportunities to make plays. It's good to see it come to fruition."

Bradie James on winning ugly:

"We have been sexy," linebacker Bradie James said. "We have been trying to be glamorous. And teams have come in and beat us. They have us ugly. What’s wrong with ugly? We won. That’s all that matters. Now we’ve got Oakland. We are concentrating on winning and getting ready for the stretch drive in December."

Coach Phillips squashed the media's attempt to get more info on the Campo-Newman argument.

If you haven't read it by now, LaRon Landry called Roy Williams "scared". Landry didn't get all Xs-andOs about it, but did imply that Williams' play was "scared".

"Certain pass concepts they had," Landry continued, by way of explaining how he knew Williams was scared. "Certain routes he ran, you could tell he didn't want any part of it."

A good area of focus on both offense and defense will be third-down conversions.

With the short week, Cowboys coach Wade Phillips might not have an opportunity to address the team's struggles with their third-down offense and defense.

"We just haven't played well enough on third downs, and we need to take a look at it."

Nick Folk knows he's in a "funk", and will stay patient.

"A little funk," Folk said Monday. "I got to work my way out of it right now."

Folk said he's not too concerned because he's hitting the ball well. On the 46-yarder he missed on Sunday, Folk said he hit it well, but it just stayed right. The last kick he missed, a 38-yarder in Green Bay the previous week, Folk said he just missed it.

"I feel good, I hit the ball really well, it stayed a little to the right," Folk said. "I dont know I got to go look at it. it felt good coming off my foot had a good week of practice."

Patrick Crayton has worn many hats in his football career. Did you know he can kick? Well, sort of.

Patrick Crayton was once the emergency kicker on his college team.

"Make that the emergency-emergency kicker," he said, smiling. "If it had ever come down to me, we probably would have gone for two."

Even then, at Northwestern Oklahoma State, Crayton had a strong leg. Once, on a bet, Crayton surprised himself.

"I made a 50-yarder," he said, again smiling. "You never know when it comes to kicking."

After waiving KR/PR Allen Rossum, the Cowboys re-signed CB Cletis Gordon to the active roster.

The Buccaneers sure like the Cowboys' practice squad players. They've already plucked rookie CB Mike Mickens off there, now they've signed QB Rudy Carpenter as well.

Matt Mosely is shopping Shanahan. If the Cowboys were to part ways with Wade Phillips after this season, he thinks Mike Shanahan could be a good fit.

I think Jones would do just about anything to win another Super Bowl but you have to question his decision to stick with Wade Phillips after a disastrous ending to the '08 season. The fact that it was partly a financial decision makes you wonder if Jones would be willing to outbid his little buddy Snyder.

Lions Release Alama-Francis, Gordon, and Jennings; Three More Signed to Practice Squad

Sean Yuille — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 22:02:58 -0000

The Lions have just sent out a press release confirming the Kevin O'Connell trade and announcing some other roster moves.

Allen Park, Mich. - The Detroit Lions announced today that they have traded QB Kevin O’Connell to the New York Jets for an undisclosed future draft pick. The team also released DE Ikaika Alama-Francis, CB Cletis Gordon and WR Adam Jennings.

Seven players were signed today by the Lions to the team’s practice squad, including: WR John Broussard (San Jose State), TE Carson Butler (Michigan), RB Tristan Davis (Auburn), LB Zack Follett (California), C Dan Gerberry (Ball State), TE Dan Gronkowski (Maryland) and T Lydon Murtha (Nebraska).

With Marcus McCauley and Yamon Figurs set to join the team, that means there are still two open spots on the roster. You can assume that McCauley took Gordon's spot and Figurs basically replaced Jennings. What does that mean for the other two open spots? Well, I'm guessing the Lions have signed or claimed a defensive lineman, as that would explain why Ikaika Alama-Francis was released. As for who will be brought in to fill O'Connell's spot on the team, that remains to be seen. One thing is for sure -- the Lions are not done making changes to their roster just yet.

San Diego Chargers' Roster: 2009 vs. 2008

John (obviousman) — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 14:02:57 -0000

More photos » by Dave Martin - AP

3 months ago: San Diego Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson (21) and quarterback Philip Rivers (17) watch from the sidelines during their NFL preseason football game against the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta Saturday Aug. 29, 2009. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

Browse more photos »

With the San Diego Chargers' 53-man roster set, I want to compare where the team is today compared to where they were one year ago. How do the position groups match up to each other? On talent alone, has the team gotten better or worse?

QB (2009): Philip Rivers, Billy Volek, Charlie Whitehurst

QB (2008): Rivers, Volek, Whitehurst

Verdict: Equal. There's been no change, but Rivers enters 2009 with no questions about his health (as he did in 2008) and a year of learning how to carry an NFL team on his back. Volek looks more polished as he gets even more comfortable with Norv Turner's offense. Still, any improvements here have more to do with time and chemistry rather than any talent improvement.

See the comparisons and verdicts of the rest of the position groups after the jump.

HB (2009): LaDainian Tomlinson, Darren Sproles, Michael Bennett, Gartrell Johnson, Jacob Hester, Mike Tolbert

HB (2008): LT, Sproles, Hester, Tolbert, Andrew Pinnock

Verdict: Better in '09. The Chargers went into 2008 thinking that Hester could fit the role of power RB and backup to LT. He has shown himself to be a fine FB, but not an NFL-caliber running back. So, based on the fact that there is at least one decent backup to LT in 2009 (Bennett) and possibly another (Johnson), 2009 wins.

WR (2009): Chris Chambers, Vincent Jackson, Buster Davis, Malcom Floyd, Legedu Naanee, Kassim Osgood

WR (2008): Chambers, Jackson, Davis, Floyd, Naanee, Osgood

Verdict: Equal. Same players, same result. Jackson, Floyd and Naanee may be better than they were at the start of 2008, but there's really no way of predicting that. The expectations for Chambers and Davis have dropped in the last year.

TE (2009): Antonio Gates, Brandon Manumaleuna, Kris Wilson

TE (2008): Gates, Manumaleuna

Verdict: Better in '09. Kris Wilson offers great blocking and good hands out of the 3rd TE position. Having a player like that on the end of the line (possibly next to Manu), offers a great improvement for goal line packages. Expect a lot of "Off Tackle" runs to his side when the Chargers are inside the opponents' 5 yard line.

OT (2009): Jeromey Clary, Marcus McNeill, Brandyn Dombrowski

OT (2008): Clary, McNeill, L.J. Shelton, Corey Clark

Verdict: Better in 2008. Although I really like Dombrowski, I'd certainly prefer to have 2 legitimate backup Tackles and a veteran mixed in there (like Shelton) makes me more comfortable as well. Shelton did a decent job filling in for McNeill in 2008, and it's always nice to have a proven commodity sitting on the bench should anything happen.

G (2009): Kris Dielman, Louis Vasquez, Tyronne Green

G (2008): Dielman, Mike Goff, Scott Mruczkowski

Verdict: Better in '09. Dielman is healthier than he was going into 2008, Goff was a train-wreck last season and has since flopped in KC, and Mooch is still on the team. Louis Vasquez brings a massive presence to the right side of the line that should eventually help balance it out.

C (2009): Nick Hardwick, Mruczkowski

C (2008): Hardwick, Jeremy Newberry, Cory Withrow

Verdict: Better in '09. Hardwick is healthy, which is the biggest improvement here, and Mooch is a better blocker than Newberry and Withrow combined. The reason the Chargers were able to go with only 8 offensive linemen is because Mruczkowski and Green can both play Center and Guard. Dombrowski can also play either Tackle or Guard.

Defense

DT (2009): Jamal Williams, Ogemdi Nwagbuo

DT (2008): Williams, Brandon McKinney

Verdict: Equal. Both McKinney and Nwagbuo are young and have shown themselves to be capable in the preseason. Regular work in the season will let the team know if Nwagbuo is ready to fill that backup NT slot long-term.

DE (2009): Luis Castillo, Travis Johnson, Vaughn Martin, Jacques Cesaire

DE (2008): Castillo, Igor Olshansky, Cesaire, Ryon Bingham

Verdict: Incomplete. For as bland as Igor was as the Chargers' DE, he stayed healthy and was consistent enough to almost never get bowled over. Cesaire's health will help determine if this group has been improved over 2008, as well as how well Travis Johnson can transition back to the 3-4 and if he's improved work ethic. Since neither is a starter, I'll call Martin and Bingham a tie.

ILB (2009): Kevin Burnett, Stephen Cooper, Tim Dobbins, Brandon Siler

ILB (2008): Dobbins, Siler, Matt Wilhelm, Derek Smith, Anthony Waters

Verdict: 2009, better by a long shot. Cooper wasn't on the initial 53 man roster from 2008 because he was serving a 4 game suspension, so that's a big improvement. Burnett has shown himself to be a major playmaker in the Chargers defense, which puts him leaps and bounds ahead of Wilhelm, Smith and Waters.

OLB (2009): Shawne Merriman, Shaun Phillips, Larry English, Jyles Tucker, Antwan Applewhite

OLB (2008): Merriman, Phillips, Marques Harris, Jyles Tucker

Verdict: 2009 wins. A healthy Merriman (remember, the Chargers knew he was planning on playing 2008 on a bad knee), plus a first-round draft pick, makes this an easy choice.

CB (2009): Quentin Jammer, Antonio Cromartie, Antoine Cason

CB (2008): Jammer, Cromartie, Cason, Cletis Gordon, DeJuan Tribble

Verdict: Tie. Gordon and Tribble don't bring anything to the 2008 group. Figuring that out helped the Chargers to take the risk and go with only 3 CBs in 2009.

FS (2009): Eric Weddle, Paul Oliver, C.J. Spillman

FS (2008): Weddle, Oliver

Verdict: 2009, but just barely. I don't know that Spillman will see a lot of time as a FS in '09, but he should be a force on special teams and could eventually develop into the backup FS or a starting SS.

SS (2009): Clinton Hart, Steve Gregory, Kevin Ellison

SS (2008): Hart, Gregory

Verdict: 2009, but just barely. Ellison brings something to the table in goal line situations (where he can't get burned deep), and I hope he can do something for special teams, but that's about it right now. If he continues to develop, keeping him this season will pay dividends in the future.

Special Teams (LS/K/P): David Binn, Nate Kaeding and Mike Scifres are rocks in this group. The Chargers, and their fans, are hopeful that this trio stays together for another five seasons.

Do you have a question 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 week's game.

Thursday Notes: Lions Claim Cletis Gordon, Release Keith Smith

Sean Yuille — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 05:18:44 -0000

More photos » by Lenny Ignelzi - AP

4 months ago: San Diego Chargers cornerback Cletis Gordon, left, breaks up a pass intended for receiver Malcom Floyd during practice at NFL football training camp, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)

Browse more photos »

Cornerback Keith Smith was released on Wednesday. Though Smith was injured for part of training camp and hadn't been great since he returned, this was an unexpected move. I personally thought Smith would make the team over Ramzee Robinson, albeit not by a very wide margin. This decision really just came out of left field, especially when news broke a few hours later that Cletis Gordon was claimed by the Lions to fill Smith's spot on the roster. Gordon is a cornerback who was cut by the Texans after spending only a few days with the team. Before that he was with the Chargers, where he spent three seasons and was a starter in one game last year.
Expect Matthew Stafford to play for around 25 snaps tonight against Buffalo. The coaches don't want him to play for too long, but they do want him to get some more work in before the regular season.
It doesn't sound like Kevin O'Connell is going to play tonight. The Lions will evaluate him by working him out on Friday and probably Saturday as well. The final cuts have to be made on Saturday, but the Lions will have time to put him through a workout.
The Lions' value as a franchise dropped by 6% from last year, according to Forbes.
At one time it looked like both Charles Rogers and Pacman Jones could end up signing with the CFL's Winnipeg Blue Bombers, but now neither are expected to head north of the border. Rogers isn't allowed to sign with any CFL team because he is still suspended by the NFL. As for Jones, it looks like the Blue Bombers had a change of heart once their pursuit of him became public knowledge.
If Brandon Marshall were to be traded to the Jets, the Broncos reportedly would want linebacker David Harris in return. Harris is a former Michigan player and is who I hoped the Lions would draft in the second round back in 2007. Instead they chose Drew Stanton.

First Round of Cuts - Down to 75

bigfatdrunk — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 20:50:09 -0000

Gary Kubiak just announced four cuts on Texans TV. These are:

CB David Pittman
WR Mike Jones
OT Jason Watkins
Finally, sadly, CB Cletis Gordon

I haven't really changed my stance on my final 53-man roster, and there are very few roster battles going on, though Kubiak did mention there are some position battles still up in the air, including WLB.

An Updated San Diego Chargers Depth Chart

John (obviousman) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 18:59:58 -0000

Last week, prior to the Cardinals game, I was going to make a post showing the differences in the Chargers Week 1 and Week 2 depth charts. The problem was that there was only one tiny change, Tim Dobbins and Kevin Burnett switching places. This week there still aren't a ton of changes, but I'd like to take this opportunity to go back over the entire San Diego Chargers depth chart.

The starters and backups at every position (including the backup holder for kicks!) lie after the jump.

Offense

WR (1)

Vincent Jackson
Legedu Naanee
Buster Davis
Kassim Osgood
Rodgeriqus Smith

WR (2)

Nick Hardwick
Scott Mruczkowski
Ryan McDonald

Defense

DE (1)

DE (2)

OLB (1)

OLB (2)

ILB (1)

ILB (2)

Kevin Burnett
Tim Dobbins
Anthony Felder

LCB

RCB

Special Teams

Nate Kaeding

Holder

Mike Scifres
Eric Weddle

Long Snapper

David Binn
Brandon Siler

Darren Sproles
Buster Davis
Jacob Hester
Antonio Cromartie
Cletis Gordon
Charly Martin

Darren Sproles
Buster Davis
Antonio Cromartie
Cletis Gordon
Charly Martin

Notes

English moved from 2nd to 3rd on the depth chart, with Applewhite moving over to that side. A message from the team?
Ben Muth and Wopamo Osaisai have been waived.
Contrary to what some people think, Buster Davis will not be getting cut. Look at him all over this depth chart, and usually fairly high up.
Anyone else curious as to why the Chargers didn't bring in another Kicker to save Kaeding's leg? This is a common practice and the only reason Truman Spencer is on the team as a Punter.
Tyronne Green still not listed as a Center. Is this going to be like Naanee, where they try to change his position and eventually give up?
Before you ask, the Fullbacks are listed like that. I didn't do that. There are literally two starting FB spots on the depth chart, one has Hester (and the 2 backups) and the other simply has Manumaleuna (no backups). I don't get it either.

Do you have any thoughts about Bolts From The Blue? Any tips you want to send our way? Whenever you have something to say, don't hesitate to e-mail me directly.

Keeping a Watchful Eye on the Rookies - Updated

Stephen (shaynes41) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 14:00:14 -0000

Charly Martin - half Wes Walker, half Devin Hester, half Steve Smith Credit: Mike Nowak/San Diego Chargers via www.chargers.com

View full size photo »

So we've got another two weeks of camp and one preseason game under our belt. A lot of guys who we hadn't heard anything about about are now mini-celebrities here on BFTB (I'm looking at you Charly Martin). So, let's take another look at the rooks and see how they are doing and what their chances are.

see here for the initial installment.

I've included names, positions, and number, so when you're watching this Saturday, you can see how they're doing...

Name	#	Round	Notes
Larry English - OLB	52	1	Has been injured for two weeks. Didn't play in last week's game and probably won't play against the Cardinals. I still think he can contribute week 1 if he can get a preseason game or two under his belt. I think his responsibilities are going to be limited when he is in the game, especially early this year, so it won't take him a lot to figure things out.
Louis Vasquez - G	65	3	Still the future at RG for the Chargers. Just started practicing again early this week after missing a week and a half or so. From what I saw of the Seahawk game, Kynan Forney did not ink his name onto the #1 spot on the depth chart. If Forney had been more convincing, I would not have any hope of Vasquez starting week 1, but I think he left the door cracked. If Forney still looks rusty this week and Vasquez looks good, I could see Vasquez get a start in a preseason game to see how he reacts to being in there with the #1s.
Vaughn Martin- DT	92	4	Still has a lot to learn. I love that he is getting lots of time in practice and the games. With Ryon Bingham out until the regular season (at least) and Jacques Cesaire a little nicked up, Martin should continue to get lots of time. The more time he gets, the more likely he is to make some serious contributions this year.
Tyronne Green - G/C	69	4	He lives! And he played with the #2s in the Seahawks game. Looked pretty good as well. I still think he might be on the bubble due to numbers more than anything.
Gartrell Johnson - RB	33	5	We were all hopefull Gartrell would be our short yardage back. He didn't have a great game against the Seahawks, so we may have been a bit premature. Let's see how he does against the Cardinals. Barring a complete meltdown, he still makes the team, but might be inactive week to week.
Brandon Hughes - CB	36	5	Brandon played a lot against the Seahawks in the second half and struggled. He was injured on and off during camp so we'll chalk it up to that and see how he does against the Cardinals. He is still on the bubble and probably needs to beat out Cletis Gordon to make the team.
Kevin Ellison - SS	25	6	Had a decent game against the 'hawks and had a big hit, which is what we expected from him. Looks like SS is going to be manned by the Hart-Gregory committee which might actually make it easier for Ellison to make an impact. He is physically suited to take over the run down SS from Hart. Whether he does or not is still a question. I do believe he is still on the bubble and is a little hard to see him making the team unless we keep 5 safeties.
Demetrius Byrd- WR	82	7	Will not be reporting to camp. Is still recovering from his pre-draft car accident.
Darry Beckwith - ILB	46	UDFA	I'm still optimistic about Darry. He missed the first preseason game, but has been practicing this week. He should get some good time in the Cardinals game and we can get a better feel for him. If he can't make an impact during some preseason game, he will probably be headed for the practice squad, unless we keep 5 ILBs which might happen.
Kory Sperry - TE	47	UDFA	Sperry is competing with Kris Wilson for the 3rd and final TE spot. Kris Wilson looked real solid in the Seahawks game so I think Kory is destined for the practice squad.
Dan Gay - OT	71	UDFA	Another UDFA I was hopeful for when the Chargers signed him. Haven't heard a lot about him either way
C.J. Spillman - FS	30	UDFA	Didn't stand out in the Seahawks game. At this point he is a practice squad candidate, no way he makes the 53 man with Hart, Weddle, Ellison, Gregory, and Oliver in front of him.
James Chandler - TE	45	UDFA
Greg Carr- WR	8	UDFA	not hearing alot about him... he did get leveled by Kevin Burnett during practice on KO coverage last week.
Charly Martin- WR	13	UDFA	Hello Mr. Martin... I think we can all agree that Charly is the second coming of Wes Walker.. Or maybe we're getting ahead of ourselves. Charly turned some heads and increased his chances of making the practice squad. Since the Chargers will probably hemorrhage WRs after this season, the practice squad is not a bad place to be for a WR.
James Holt- OLB	53	UDFA
Truman Spencer - P	4	UDFA	had some decent punts, he may find work elsewhere
Rodgeriqus Smith - WR	3	UDFA	I've seen Smith catch a few balls from our main man Chuck Whitehurst in some practice video.
Rashaad Jackson- DT	77	UDFA
Ryan McDonald - C	60	UDFA	Who is this guy? He was running with the #2s at guard during the Seahawk game, and seemed to hold his own. May be a practice squad candidate.
Wopamo Osaisai - CB	38	UDFA	I thought I had read that Osaisai was put on IR... but I can't find it anywhere. Either way, he won't make the team.
Ben Muth - G	72	UDFA
Anthony Felder - OLB	58	UDFA	Originally signed as a UDFA and then released in June. Resigned after Wilhelm was released.
Kestahn Moore - RB	30	UDFA	Signed after Curtis Brinkley was shot. No way he makes this team.

Things are starting to get a little clearer and we are starting to get a feel for some of these guys further down the chart. The guys who don't make the 53 man roster may be added to the practice squad if no other team picks them up, there are 8 players on the practice squad. I think a max of 2 of the UDFAs will make the 53 man roster, more preseason games will flesh this out further.

There are two cutdown dates set by the NFL, Sept 1 - 75 players and Sept 5 - 53 players. Cuts may start before those dates, but I haven't heard of any yet.

Photos from San Diego Chargers Training Camp

John (obviousman) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 12:50:09 -0000

I suppose this deserve a disclaimer. Since I don't have to worry about looking like a professional journalist for another few months, let me tell you just how unprofessional I am.

I had a digital voice recorder. I have one, I should say. It's awesome. You can set the mic sensitivity, break up interviews into chunks while you're doing them and at the end of the day you can plug it into your computer and all the audio turns into mp3 files. Voila. Before I left for San Diego, I had the voice recorder sitting on my living room coffee table. It was supposed to be there so I wouldn't forget to pack it. Guess what happened.

I landed at 11pm on Thursday night and had to get to Chargers Park (which I had an idea of where it was, but had never been to) by 9am on Friday morning. It was the first time in my life that I remember saying "Thank God for Walmart", the only store in the world that sells everything and opens at 7am. So I went to Walmart and, after running around their electronics section like a madman for ten minutes, found the digital voice recorders.

Since I already had my sweet recorder at home, I just needed something to tide me over. The cheapest one will do just fine, thank you. It wasn't until I was ripping open the packaging in the parking lot that I realized what a step down I had taken. No separation of audio, no way to export (you can listen you your headphones only) and no mic sensitivity settings. I'm surprised the thing didn't have a tape in it.

Find out if the voice recorder worked and what happened with my camera after the jump.

So, did the voice recorder work? It seems as though it did. I've only made it through about half of what I recorded so far, but I think it did the job. Unfortunately, I have no way of exporting the audio and posting it here.

The camera was another issue all together. Again, it shows my lack of professionalism.

I'm not big on pictures. I like looking at them, but never remember to take them and therefore I don't have a huge collections of pictures. I was a late-comer to the digital camera revolution for this reason. Right now, my wife and I have a very nice digital camera, but it's a personal camera. The type of camera you'd see a group of 18 year old girls taking pictures of themselves with while laughing up a storm, that's the camera I have. At least mine is black.

My plan was to bring this camera and snap photos all day Friday and Saturday. Not surprisingly, at this point anyways, I forgot the camera also. Just another thing I was panicked about on Friday morning. I may have looked at disposable cameras at Walmart, if not for my parents lending me their camera right before I left. I was in such a rush I just grabbed the case the camera was in. Sitting in the Walmart parking lot, I opened the camera case. It was the exact same camera I had intended to bring.....but it was purple. Oh boy.

I got to practice on Friday and I'm standing behind about 7 professional photographers. Big lenses for extreme close-ups, tri-pods for steady shots, etc. All of the journalists are walking around with either pen and paper (which I didn't care to bring) or with their phones out (I'm in that group). None of them had cameras, they had camera people there for them. I overheard Acee telling his cameraman whom to take pictures of. After one big play by the defense, Casey Pearce turned around and said "Did you get that?!?" to his camera guy.

While this is going on, I met Bill Johnston. I told him that I had a camera in my pocket, but was a little embarrassed to take it out. Along with the media, there were select season ticket holders at the practices and even their cameras looked more professional than mine. The last thing I wanted to look like was a fan. Bill didn't say anything, but the look he gave me said "This is your one chance and you're going to hold back because you're ashamed of your camera?" The look was right.

When I came back for the afternoon practice, with renewed vigor, I threw my pride to the wind. I pulled out my little purple camera and snapped away. Hilarity ensued when I started talking to Curtis Egan, a writer from BoltTalk.com, and realized he was a blogger. Not only did he have a long lens and a professional camera, he had the neck-strap to make sure his expensive piece of equipment wouldn't drop and break. Even amongst the bloggers I looked under-prepared. I wasn't going to let that stop me, and here are the pictures I collected.

Clinton Hart was one of the first guys out of the locker room and onto the field. Although he wasn't overly impressive in practice, like Steve Gregory was, that could've been because he wasn't allowed to hit anybody. He was certainly working as hard as anybody on the team.

I really feel for Jeromey Clary. Fans seem really down on him. Lucky for him, the team loves him. Every person I talked to about him couldn't say enough about his potential and his work ethic. Norv even said "I don't know why everybody's so down on the kid, I thought he had a great year last year."

There were three offensive linemen that were really impressive as they stood around or walked past. Kris Dielman, who couldn't possibly have thicker arms, legs or a thicker body than the one he had (he's the mean-looking bald guy walking towards Clary). Just by looking at him you can tell that it'd be damn near impossible to move him backwards. Marcus McNeill, who was the tallest offensive lineman by a bit and had a tremendous wingspan. Just watching him walk past me, walking on asphalt with spikes, it was obvious that the man has been gifted with such great balance that he's able to use all of his strength when he blocks. Jeromey Clary, who seemed to be a mixture of the two. He wasn't quite as thick or as intimidating as Dielman, but he was close. He also wasn't as tall and didn't have that gracefulness that McNeill has, but he has better-than-average balance for a guy with his height. That whole package made him a fun player to watch in practice.

The one and only, Mr. Charlie Whitehurst. Apart of my admiration for his beard, long hair and clipboard-handling prowess, I admire Chuck as a legitimate NFL quarterback. I think he's a little bit better than Billy Volek in practices, but he's never had a shot at doing anything outside of the preseason. At the end of this season, Charlie becomes a free agent. I'd love it if Volek's contract was up and Charlie could sign back as the Chargers backup, but Billy V has another year on his contract after this season. I fully expect Whitehurst to catch on somewhere as a backup and eventually crack a starting lineup.

I love this picture. I wanted to get one of LT, Sproles and Gartrell together, but wound up getting one with Bennett in there as well. Does Gartrell look like he's about to run throw a brick wall to anybody else? Did you know that in his last college football game he ran for 285 yards on 27 carries and scored 2 TDs? He also caught the ball 5 times for 90 more yards in that game.

I took this to show how close I was to the players. About 5 minutes later, McNeill put his hand on my shoulder so that he wouldn't walk into me as the tackles crossed to the side field. Also, this picture does a good job of showing Dielman's thick legs as well as McNeill's height and wingspan.

It's funny how the 2 hour practice builds tension. It starts with the team separating by position group. Then the offense will get together on one field, running plays against nobody, and the defense will do the same thing on the other field. When the offense and defense finally start playing each other, it's the number 1 offense against the number 2 defense and visa versa. A few big plays come here and there, but for the most part the number 1s dominate this part of practice. Only the last 20 minutes or so of practice is the number 1 offense against the number 1 defense, but those 20 minutes are intensely watched by media and coaches alike.

Larry English spent the first half of the afternoon practice throwing a medicine ball around with Jacques Cesaire. Then, him and another linebacker went over to the side field with a coach and did running drills down the field. Maybe I read him wrong, but he did not seem happy with me wanting to get his picture on the side field. Every time I turned around he seemed to be staring a hole right through me. Later on a I met him for a minute and he was very nice, but I don't think he's real happy with the way his Chargers career has started.

As usual, I came away both impressive and disappointed by Cletis Gordon. He made some absolutely spectacular plays, especially on Saturday during FanFest, but was burned several times as well. Consistency is the name of the game for a cornerback, and right now he has none. Also, Malcom Floyd catches absolutely everything. Whether it's on the sideline and he has to keep his toes in, or he has to dive for it, or out-jump the defender, Floyd always seems to end up with the ball. About 30 seconds before this picture was taken, Floyd made a catch similar to this one on Gordon.

The lines create chaos. There's lots of smashing and bodies flying all over. I always wondered how football would be different if there were no offensive or defensive lines, and the Chargers actually run parts of practice in just that way. This is to make sure that even without a pass-rush, the defense can still be effective. As far as reviews of the players in the picture, here they are really quick. Kevin Ellsion - Unimpressive. Antwan Applewhite - Not good enough to start, but a solid backup. Just as good as Jyles Tucker. Brandon Siler - A little slow, but very powerful. If the play comes to him, he can make something happen.

I don't know if it's just because he's the third string Tight End or not, but Kris Wilson seemed to catch 2-3 touchdowns each day. He's a good enough blocker, has soft hands and is apparently good at sneaking behind the defense when our offense is inside the 10 yard line. He made a couple of good catches in the flat as well. I was very impressed with what I saw from him. (Local celebrity Jenny Cavnar is in the background of this picture)

And that's all I have. I would've had more if I hadn't gotten lost in a discussion with the cameraman from Ch 4, but I think the ones I took did a good job of showing what the day was like. I'll try to get one or two of the interviews up today, but there may be a couple of days before I get all of them up because of a death in my family. I'm sure you guys understand.

If anyone took pictures from FanFest, feel free to post them in a FanPost (and I'll put it on the front page) or you can e-mail them to me and I'll do it for you.

Do you have any thoughts about Bolts From The Blue? Any tips you want to send our way? Whenever you have something to say, don't hesitate to e-mail me directly.

Keeping a Watchful Eye on the Rookies

Stephen (shaynes41) — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 14:00:12 -0000

Louis Vasquez

View full size photo »

I love watching the rookies as camp progresses. Not just Larry English and the rest of the draft choices, but even the undrafted free agents (UDFA). The Chargers have a pretty impressive recent history with UDFAs, from Antionio Gates and Kris Dielman of the storied UDFA class of 2003 to Mike Tolbert last year. So I thought it would be interesting to start tracking all the rookies and what is being said about them. If we've been paying attention, we've probably heard plenty about the high draft picks, but some of the other guys we might not pick up on just because we haven't heard their name very often. So this list will help to give some context to these guys we are hearing about. Most of the news is about the high picks and I'll summarize that, and a lot of the camp fodder guys we won't hear anything about, but there are some guys who were UDFAs who are already starting to make a name for themselves and might unseat some vets and find their way onto the 53 man roster.

I've included names, positions, and number, so when you attend one of the next two practices at the Q, you can see how they're doing...

Name	#	Round	Notes
Larry English - OLB	52	1	We all know about English. Barring injury there is no chance he starts this year. That being said, he will be on the field a lot during passing downs and may get some time on running downs as well. He was impressive in shorts and has continued to impress with pads on. Has been struggling with a tight hamstring recently.
Louis Vasquez - G	65	3	Definitely the future at RG for the Chargers. Despite coming from a spread offense where he was rarely in a three point stance and did a lot of pass blocking, he has picked things up pretty well. He is competing with Kynan Forney for the starting position. A recent interview with OLine coach Hal Hunter indicated that he still has some stuff to learn. I'm betting on him not starting by week 1, but I would not be surprised if I'm wrong. August 6 note: Vasquez is not practicing and is wearing a protective boot...
Vaughn Martin- DT	92	4	Coming out of Canadian college football (they play Canadian rules) he has a lot to learn technique-wise. All reports say his athleticism and natural talent are as impressive as we've heard. That being said, technique is key in the NFL. His hasn't been mentioned much since the pads went on, and I think he is hitting a steep part in the learning curve. I heard Don Johnson (DLine coach) say he has seen Martin do some amazing things, but he still has a ways to go. Martin is the future, the only question is how effective he can be until then. I think there is very little chance of him starting in week 1, or anytime this year. Hopefully, he can start contributing to the DL rotation at some point early in the year.
Tyronne Green - G/C	69	4	Only news about him so far is about him being beaten three straight times by Ogemdi Nwagbuo in the Oklahoma drill. Will be competing with Scott Mruczkowski for the backup guard and center job. If Green loses the battle, he will probably head to the practice squad, if another team doesn't pick him up.
Gartrell Johnson - RB	33	5	Some guys look good in shorts and then look worse when the pads come on. Gartrell is NOT one of them. He is a guy whose measurables at the combine weren't so good and his draft stock fell despite a productive college career. He has been effective and people have talked a lot about him since the pads went on. He is probably duking it out with Michael Bennett for the #3 RB spot, but will make the team either way. He should also get a lot of time in the pre-season games so keep your eye out for #33
Brandon Hughes - CB	36	5	Not a lot of news about Brandon since he signed his contract mid summer. He has been mentioned a lot on injury lists, which is not good. He is probably competing with Cletis Gordon for the 4th and final CB spot. Former Charger coach Mike Riley says Brandon runs like a Gazelle. So he's got that going for him... which is nice.
Kevin Ellison - SS	25	6	Reported to camp a bit late, but it probably won't hurt him. Is chasing Clinton Hart and Steve Gregory for playing time. Hart has been an effective SS in the past despite a big down year last year, and Gregory is really hitting his stride entering into his fourth year. Both seem to be responding to the challenge Ellison represents. So Ellison is going to really have a great camp to even see the field once the regular season rolls around.
Demetrius Byrd- WR	82	7	Will not be reporting to camp. Is still recovering from his pre-draft car accident.
Darry Beckwith - ILB	46	UDFA	The first of the UDFAs. Darry was the subject of a UT article about how his staying in school another year dropped him from an early second day pick to UDFA. Bummer. None the less, I think this is the kind of guy who AJ loves to find. He is a bit undersized for the ILB position, but is another guy who has been mentioned positively since the pads came on. His hit of Gartrell in one of the biggest hits of camp so far. I think the release of Wilhelm has opened the door for Darry to make the 53 man roster, but this would require us to keep 5 ILBs.
Kory Sperry - TE	47	UDFA	Hasn't been mentioned a lot, but is in competition with Kris Wilson for the 3rd and final TE spot. Sperry is more in the Gates mold while Wilson is more of a Manumaluena blocker type. I'm betting Sperry ends up on the practice squad.
Dan Gay - OT	71	UDFA	Another UDFA I was hopeful for when the Chargers signed him. Haven't heard a lot about him either way
C.J. Spillman - FS	30	UDFA	The last UDFA who I thought had any chance of making the 53 man roster this year. Haven't heard anything about him.
James Chandler - TE	45	UDFA
Greg Carr- WR	8	UDFA
Charly Martin- WR	13	UDFA
James Holt- OLB	53	UDFA
Truman Spencer - P	4	UDFA
Rodgeriqus Smith - WR	3	UDFA
Rashaad Jackson- DT	77	UDFA
Ryan McDonald - C	60	UDFA
Wopamo Osaisai - CB	38	UDFA	on the list of injuries once
Ben Muth - G	72	UDFA	on the list of injuries once
Anthony Felder - OLB	58	UDFA	Originally signed as a UDFA and then released in June. Resigned after Wilhelm was released.
Kestahn Moore - RB	30	UDFA	Signed after Curtis Brinkley was shot.

As you can see, not a lot of notes about the guys further down the ladder. The guys who don't make the 53 man roster may be added to the practice squad if no other team picks them up, there are 8 players on the practice squad. I think a max of 2 of the UDFAs will make the 53 man roster, preseason games will flesh this out further.

There are two cutdown dates set by the NFL, Sept 1 - 75 players and Sept 5 - 53 players. Cuts will probably start before those dates although not before the 1st preseason game. I'll update this list again near the end of the month after we've got a few preseason games under our belt.

New Photos from San Diego Chargers Training Camp

John (obviousman) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 19:00:11 -0000

I'll be at Chargers training camp tomorrow and I'll bring a camera with me to see if I can snap any good pictures at practice, but the Associated Press has done a great job of photographing the teams practices thus far. More of their pictures, including a really cool shot of Gartrell Johnson, are after the jump.

Gartrell Johnson, RB

Legedu Naanee, WR

LaDainian Tomlinson, RB and Antonio Cromartie, CB

Antonio Cromartie, PR

Chris Chambers, WR

Cletis Gordon, CB

Malcom Floyd, WR

Clinton Hart, SS and Darren Sproles, RB

LaDainian Tomlinson, RB and Vincent Jackson, WR

Greg Carr, WR and.......

Okay, so the caption to this picture says that the other guy signing autographs for the wounded United States Marine is Larry English. However, I don't think that's Larry English. I think it's Stephen Cooper. As a matter of fact, I think that's English's head directly over Cooper's right shoulder. I could be wrong though.

All Photos are courtesy of the Associated Press and Lenny Ignelzi.

Do you have any thoughts about Bolts From The Blue? Any tips you want to send our way? Whenever you have something to say, don't hesitate to e-mail me directly.