Will Vincent Jackson Be A Bolt Or Bolting In 2012?

Of the many critical decisions that Chargers’ General Manager A.J. Smith will have to make this offseason, the plan with wide receiver Vincent Jackson has been at or near the top of that list. The Bolts’ dynamic pass catcher has been with the club since being selected in the second round of the 2005 NFL Draft out of Division II Northern Colorado as a relative unknown. He has since blossomed into everything the club thought he could be and then some with his 60 receptions and 1,106 yards in 2011 along with 9 touchdowns representing one of his best years in his career to date.


The apprehension from the Chargers organization toward giving Jackson a long-term contract stems from his issues with the law for DUI arrests in both 2006 and 2009. Although these problems seem to be behind the now 29 year old receiver, the team is still reluctant to make a significant investment in a player with such a checkered past.

Jackson took part in the Pro Bowl this past weekend with four catches for 64 yards in the NFL’s annual Hawaiian exhibition game. He discussed his thoughts on his future with NFL.com saying: "There hasn't been any communication as far as contracts go. If that's their feeling, that's great. I would like to stay in San Diego. Obviously, that's my home, that's where I was drafted. I've got some good guys around me. Philip Rivers, (Antonio) Gates, Ryan Mathews. It would be a great place for me to stay, so we'll see if that works out."

The truth is that Jackson is at the pinnacle of his career right now and this will be his one and only chance to cash in on that peak. San Diego has a reputation for being stingy with their cap room and choosing to let pricey players leave (see: Darren Sproles last year) rather than paying up. Still this will be a difficult decision for all parties involved with many different entities pulling in separate directions.

Bolts’ Head Coach Norv Turner has enjoyed having Jackson as an offensive weapon during his tenure with the team and his ability to stretch the field gives Turner plenty of play-calling flexibility at all times. Defenses have to respect Jackson’s ability to get open over the top of coverage by keeping a safety deep at all times or risk having balls thrown over their heads. Of Jackson’s value to the team, Turner told the National Football Post: “The way he performed this year speaks to how valuable he is to our team. From a coaching standpoint, I’d love to have him here. When you look at his production, his average per catch separates him from a lot of guys. “

Certainly the statistics say that Jackson is an elite receiver, but to play devil’s advocate, couldn’t Rivers be just as responsible for that success? Clearly Rivers doesn’t pick favorites when distributing the pigskin and his knack for finding the open man rather than throwing to a particular number could suggest that any old receiver would do just fine. Even rookie Vincent Brown meshed quite well with the Bolts’ signal caller in year one becoming one of his go-to targets down the stretch. There’s no reason to think that a receiving corps of Malcom Floyd, Brown, and a lower priced free agent or incoming rookie wouldn’t be just as productive as the lineup with Jackson included.

Obviously a lack of talent wouldn’t be the reason to look in a different direction from Jackson, but management has shown a propensity for siding with the less expensive option in the recent past rather than shelling out the dough for a proven commodity. The need to win will be heightened for those in charge given the team’s lack of success over the last two seasons, but it’s difficult to convince anyone that a receiver will make that big of a difference. As a dependent player, it may not be much of an issue to see the Bolts part ways with Jackson this offseason and spend their big money on more urgent needs such as offensive or defensive line help.

Now it’s your turn. Do you see Vincent Jackson as irreplaceable for the Chargers or could they find a more economical replacement in the draft or free agency? Would the offense struggle to be productive if V Jack isn’t kept or will they fail to miss a beat with Rivers orchestrating the attack? Should the team focus all of its resources this offseason on keeping Jackson a Bolt or would they be better served zeroing in on other areas of need? The final exam… is Jackson in San Diego in 2012 or will he be wearing a different uniform? Please leave your thoughts in the comments section below!

San Diego Chargers 2011 Season Recap

The Super Bowl is near, and soon fans of all teams except the Patriots or Giants can put their disappointments behind them and look optimistically ahead to what next season has in store. But before we do that, let’s take a somewhat-exaggerated look back at the good and the bad from the Chargers 2011 season…

2011 Offseason

Following a dominating Green Bay Packer win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV (that's Extra-Large Version for you casual fans), the attentions of the football world immediately turned toward talk of an NFL lockout. And with labor negotiations failing faster than a Nate Kaeding playoff field goal attempt, a lockout did happen which resulted in keeping the NFL at the top of newspaper headlines for the entire offseason. As the lockout become the most popular offseason story in NFL history, commissioner Roger Goodell and NFLPA President DeMaurice Smith agreed to implement some sort of lockout every year going forward. The lockout for 2012 will include Peyton Manning being locked out of Lucas Oil Stadium.

The offseason was also dominated by speculation regarding the annual NFL draft, and the effect that the lockout could have on draft day proceedings. Just in time for the draft, courts ruled that the lockout was illegal, ending the conflict just long enough for top draft picks to visit their respective teams and pick-up a jersey and a playbook, before having the doors slammed angrily in their sweet rookie faces a few hours later as the lockout was reinstated.

With much work to do to improve on a hugely disappointing 8-8 record, Chargers fans and the Chargers’ front office alike couldn’t wait to put the lockout behind them and hit the free agent marketplace. And with the lockout ending in July that’s just what the Chargers did, albeit in the senior citizen line of said marketplace. In fact, when signing veteran safety Bob Sanders and veteran’s veteran Takeo Spikes, GM AJ Smith was heard saying, “I like early bird specials, and so do they. I also prefer players who most likely qualify for Medicare, as that’s one less expense we have to worry about.”

Unfortunately, not every free agent from the 2010 team could be resigned. Most notably, Darren Sproles left the team for greener and apparently beaded pastures after being largely ignored by the Chargers, a sign that AJ was finally serious about fixing the team’s historically inept special teams units. Sproles went on to ruin the New Orleans Saints’ special teams while setting an NFL record for combined yards (rushing/receiving/kick returns).

2011 Preseason

The Chargers built on their 2010 theme of, “Are we really that good or really that bad?” by going 2-2 in the preseason following an abbreviated training camp. Highlights of the preseason included watching new additions Spikes, Sanders, and Travis LaBoy, along with the resigned Eric Weddle come together under highly regarded defensive coordinator Greg Manusky. It was believed by the Chargers front office that the aging, high-character players signed in the offseason would more than make up for a lack of playmakers rushing the passer.

The most interesting positional match-up to watch in the preseason was for the back-up wide receiver positions. Richard Goodman, Brian Walters, Laurent Robinson, Seyi Ajirotutu, and the infamous Geezer Bandit were all in the running for the 5th or 6th wide receiver slots on the roster. Said coach Norv Turner, “It’s a tight race for those final spots. No one has been able to catch that Geezer Bandit yet, so he has to be able to improve our kick return game.” Unfortunately, after the Geezer Bandit was seen fleeing Weddle’s freshly filled locker full of gold, the Chargers settled on keeping Goodman and Wes Welker. Sorry, not Welker, I mean the other guy whom fans assumed would become Welker.

September

The regular season began with hopes of a fast start, something previously unattained under the Turner administration, which would eventually lead to a much-predicted Super Bowl trip. September offered a somber start to the season with a league-wide remembrance of the 9/11 attacks. To commemorate the 10th anniversary of that national tragedy, the Chargers brought back coach Turner, the offensive coordinator of the 2001 Chargers team, for what would again surely be his final season in San Diego.

With anticipation of a championship season in San Diego reaching an all-time high, the Chargers faced the Minnesota Vikings in the first week of the season, and promptly lost kicker Nate Kaeding for the season on the first kickoff of the game, as well as starting defensive end Luis Castillo by the end of the game. Maintaining their emphasis on continuity, September also brought the losses of rookie LB Jonas Mouton and S Bob Sanders for the season as well.

Quarterback Philip Rivers also began what became a disturbing trend this season when he committed to donating a significant amount of money to his Rivers Of Hope Foundation for every completion thrown in 2011. Since no one specified that those completions could not include members of the opposing team, Rivers’ focus this season was on throwing the ball to anyone who had a pulse, including wide open defensive backs and the rare cheerleader who actually watched the game. In all, Rivers threw six interceptions in the month of September, earning him the Wikipedia Inaccurate Performance Of The Month award.

October

After finishing 2-1 in September, the Chargers attempted to continue using a proven game plan of poor play and too many mistakes to trick opponents into beating themselves. Surprisingly, that strategy led to short-term success, as the Bolts reeled off two more wins before the bye week. The team’s 4-1 start, achieved through a combination of hard-work, superior coaching, and scheduling bad teams with embarrassing quarterbacks early in the season, had the team cruising into the bye week on Cloud 9.

With the division all but wrapped up, Chargers players took extended vacations beyond the bye week, resulting in crushing losses to the Jets and Chiefs.

Philip Rivers continued his push for charitable excellence with five more interceptions, excuse me, completions to opposing players in October, while also giving away a game-losing fumble in Kansas City. On the sideline, Rivers could be seen saying, “Worst day ever,” although the Pro Bowl QB later admitted to actually saying, “Worst gas ever,” a reference to the poorly timed flatulence by members of the offensive line that distracted him from properly securing that fateful snap in Arrowhead Stadium.

Rivers eventually went on to win the October award for the Pillsbury Apple Turnoverer Of The Month.

The Chargers also announced their first blackout of the season in October due to the fact that Miami residents have no reason to escape a poor climate and move to San Diego, unlike fans of most every other team in the NFL.

In other AFC West news, the Oakland Raiders, desperate for a talented player who can throw the ball well, traded picks in the 2012-2027 drafts for the rights to pitcher Barry Zito. Said Raiders annual rookie head coach Hue Jackson, “The Oakland GM told me he was undervalued, and no one knows talent like Brad Pitt.”

November

The Chargers continued their cold streak, losing four more games in November to extend a losing streak only exceeded locally by the San Diego jobs market. After an embarrassing overtime home loss to the Denver Broncos, it was reported that coach Turner’s career in San Diego was as good as over, and the job of GM AJ Smith was on the line as well.

On the other hand, Rivers raised more than $18 million in November for local charities, after throwing 89 completions to his teammates as well as another 48 “completions” to opposing defenders. For his single-season slide from top-rated QB to inaccurate gunslinger, Rivers won the British Petroleum Unprecedented Fall From Greatness To Hateness Of The Month award.

December

With the Chargers trailing the Messiah in the race for the division crown, Turner & company were able to shake off the performance anxiety created by previously-high expectations and started lighting up the scoreboard again against inferior opponents, and the Baltimore Ravens.

As the rest of the division crumbled around them, the Chargers entered the Christmas holiday with a real chance at pulling out their fifth division title in six years. And with that realization, the Bolts promptly lost in their worst blowout of the season against the Detroit Lions on Christmas Eve.

With their coach’s job on the line, the Chargers won their final game of the season against the Oakland Raiders. That win was of little consequence, as any coach finishing a season with less than a 14-2 record and a playoff birth is guaranteed to be fired.

Just kidding! The team’s rebound from “unmitigated disaster” in November to “reliably disappointing” in December proved to be enough to convince Dean Spanos to retain his favorite GM and coach for their second-consecutive one-more season. In explaining his decision, Spanos declared, “Hey, they beat the Raiders. What’s more important than that?”

Truly, what is more important than that?

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Sports Media Saturday

The NFL Pro Bowl is this Sunday, the third consecutive season in which the league’s all-star game will be played a week before the Super Bowl. A lot of fans complain about the boring play in the Pro Bowl, as an exhibition game for a contact sport that carries with it a high risk of injury is typically not conducive to a high-level of performance. Still, last year’s game was the highest rated of any Pro Bowl game in 11-years, with an 8.6 rating.

Blame it on the popularity of the NFL, or blame it on a lack of serious alternatives for sports fans on competing channels, but the Pro Bowl is a ratings winner. Compare last year’s 8.6 rating to that of other sporting events and you might be surprised at how popular it really is.

2010 World Series Game 5- 8.8 rating
2011 World Series Game 1- 8.7 rating
2011 World Series Game 7- 14.7 rating
2011 MLB All-Star Game- 6.9 rating
2011 NBA Finals Game 6- 13.3 rating
2011 NBA All-Star Game- 5.2 rating

The NFL Pro Bowl consistently beats ratings for the all-star games of other major sports, and compares to ratings for all but the most dramatic of championship series games for other sports. That being said, I wouldn’t blame anyone for skipping the Pro Bowl broadcast, especially my fellow San Diego residents who will be able to enjoy 70-degree weather outside.

For those of you who can’t spend a Sunday without watching some football (and I’m not judging you), Pro Bowl coverage starts at 4 PM PT on NBC, with Dan Hicks, Mike Mayock, and Doug Flutie (seriously?) calling the action from Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii.

In other NFL news, the NFL Network recently announced plans to provide over 100-hours of live coverage from Super Bowl XVLI (that stands for 46) this week in Indianapolis. Highlights from the coming week include over four-hours of exclusive coverage of Media Day on Tuesday (starting at 6 AM PT), the Walter Payton NFL Man Of The Year press conference featuring nominee Philip Rivers on Friday (6 AM PT), the Hall Of Fame announcement show on Saturday (2:30 PM PT), plus extended coverage of all of the NFL Network’s normal programming, as well as extensive pre-game and post-game coverage before and after the Super Bowl next Sunday.

Time Warner Cable subscribers can stick to ESPN, which will also have wall-to-wall coverage leading up to the Super Bowl.

Pass The Remote

-Hoping to go into a sports-induced coma on Sunday? Before the Pro Bowl, you can watch coverage of the final round of the Farmers Insurance Open from Torrey Pines, starting at 12 PM PT on CBS.

-If golf isn’t your think, the NBA returns to the ABC network this Sunday with the Chicago Bulls facing the Miami Heat in Chicago. Tip-off is at 12:30 PM PT.

-The local sports tweet of the week comes from Dallas Latos, wife of former-Padre pitcher Matt Latos. Last Sunday, Dallas tweeted, “Take this how you want but driving past Petco park feels a lot like accidentally running into an ex boyfriend.” I think that probably explains the feeling after being traded pretty well.

Did you catch an interesting sports media moment? Email it to me at jswilliams75@aol.com, and follow me on Twitter: @JSWilliams75

GM A.J. Smith Eyeing Courtney Upshaw At Senior Bowl

It’s never too early to begin discussion on the NFL Draft and especially not with the calendar on the precipice of changing to February. Chargers General Manager A.J. Smith was in Mobile, Alabama for the annual Senior Bowl to take a look at some top players from the collegiate level.

As always, the Bolts GM didn’t shy away from commenting on his intentions and what he was looking at during his time in Mobile. When asked about where his focus was for this year’s draft, according to U-T San Diego, Smith said: “I’m focused on pass rush every year. Are we looking for that now? Yeah.”

Obviously Smith loves nothing more than to play mind games with his general manager brethren when it comes to the draft and this year may be no exception. Still one has to wonder just how insincere he could actually be considering the team’s real struggles to apply pressure on opposing quarterbacks this past season. Defense is the consensus in these early stages as the Bolts’ big need area, but as fluid as the draft can be, Smith may change his mind a few times between now and April.

That being said, the front office has been talking about adding more ‘impact players’ on defense for quite a while which generally means players who can get to the quarterback. Shaun Phillips has been a solid starter for the Chargers since being drafted in the fourth round in 2004, but hasn’t been as effective without a star rusher on his opposite side. The draft choice of Larry English just hasn’t worked out and the team desperately needs to get back to the days when they had two strong rushers coming off of the edge in the 3-4 look.

The player that GM Smith was reportedly eyeing at the Senior Bowl was Alabama Crimson Tide stand-up outside linebacker Courtney Upshaw. There are undeniable similarities between Upshaw and one time Bolts’ star Shawne Merriman as far as physique and raw power are concerned and the fact that many of Phillips’ best years came with Merriman lining up at his opposite could weigh heavily into the desire to land Upshaw.

Coaches and scouts alike marvel at Upshaw’s technique and many have used words like ‘thick’ to describe his appearance. At 6’2” 273lbs., Upshaw has the prototypical build of a 3-4 rush end and his chiseled look is more than merely aesthetic. NFL coaches have marveled at his raw power during the practices in Mobile and even though many scouts doubt his status as an elite athlete, his ability to be effective on the field is indisputable.

One man who knows Upshaw’s abilities first-hand believes that he will thrive at the next level in a 3-4 system. Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban lauded the defensive MVP of the BCS national championship game against LSU and his NFL experience is trusted by many scouts around the league. Of Upshaw, Saban said: “He’s a guy that’s really hard to block. He’s a good pass rusher. He’s got great size and strength to play outside linebacker and be a designated pass rusher on third down. People are always looking for those kind of guys, and I think he’s going to fit well with a team, especially a 3-4 team.”

There is no doubt that the Bolts will keep their options open this early in the pre-draft process, but Upshaw would make a lot of sense with the 18th overall selection should he still be available at that point in the draft. Other buzzworthy possibilities include South Carolina’s Melvin Ingram as well as Boise State’s Shea McCellin, but both of these guys are considered to be a tier below Upshaw as far as potential is concerned.

As the scouting process heats up, look for GM Smith to really zero in on which prospects he desires the most and not be all that secretive about his plans to land one of those sought-after commodities. When asked whether he believes this draft could produce a top-level pass rusher, Smith responded saying: “I think there is. I think there are a couple interesting people.”

Those comments alone should be enough to suggest that the Bolts will land at least one top-tier sack artist in this year’s selection.

Now it’s your turn. How do you feel about GM Smith’s less than secretive practices when it comes to scouting players prior to the draft? Do you believe that drafting a rush end should be the number one priority in April or should another position take higher standing? Is Courtney Upshaw the ideal fit in the Bolts’ 3-4 system or do you see another player as a better match? Please fill up the comments section below with your thoughts!

Attractive Free Agents The Bolts Could Pursue... On Offense

After examining the defensive side of the ball last week for possible free agent acquisitions that the Bolts should consider making, it only seems fitting to switch sides and inspect the offense. Although this portion of the team is often called the strength of the club, an unbiased evaluation shows that the offense deserves just as much scrutiny as their defensive counterparts in many regards.

General Manager A.J. Smith may not be inclined to look at free agents carrying sizeable price tags very often, but in the make-or-break year that 2012 appears to be, the sense of urgency could force him to be a bit less frugal this offseason.

Protecting quarterback Philip Rivers has to be the number one concern for the Bolts moving forward as he was forced off of his spot far too many times during the 2011 campaign. With the possibility of guard Kris Dielman, center Nick Hardwick, and left tackle Marcus McNeill all at least seriously considering retirement, the offensive line will likely require a bit of an overhaul in the near-term. Thankfully there are several possibilities to fill these potential vacancies and GM Smith should take a hard look at all of them.

NATE LIVINGS of the Cincinnati Bengals will be available when free agency begins and although he isn’t at the tips of many tongues when it comes to the best interior linemen in the league, his solid play is commendable and could be a huge asset for the Bolts if added. He is very durable starting all 16 games for the second straight year with the Bengals and would help solidify what could become a somewhat shaky interior front line in San Diego.

DAN KOPPEN or TODD McCLURE would make a lot of sense for the Chargers should Hardwick decide to retire as each has a number of years in the league and could bring some sought-after leadership to the Bolts’ locker room. Koppen made the Pro Bowl once with the New England Patriots in 2007 and won two Super Bowls during his time there while McClure has been a solid player with a knack for staying healthy, missing just three games this past season for the first time since 2001 that he missed a start. Hardwick will be a free agent should he decide to return and if he wants to remain in the league the Bolts should be ready to give him a nice salary in order to keep him around for the remainder of his career.

JARED GAITHER will be a free agent when the offseason officially begins and he must be a priority for the team to retain. His performance after being claimed on waivers was outstanding and he proved that he has the tools necessary to be a consistent starter in the league.

MARIO MANNINGHAM is not a big name receiver, but he could provide that agile slot threat the team desperately needs to add a short to intermediate receiving game to the big-play offense. The Bolts banked on Buster Davis being that player once upon a time, but his failure left them without a consistent game-changer in the slot that could provide Rivers with yet another weapon to spread the ball around via the air.

BO SCAIFE or JACOB TAMME would provide interesting threats behind Antonio Gates at tight end, but the team’s priority has to be on keeping Randy McMichael if at all possible. Age has been catching up with Gates given his injury issues over the past few years and a developmental project would be ideal to groom behind him. In the meantime, an insurance policy is necessary should he again be shelved for a significant amount of time and any of these players would provide a solid spell in a pinch.

MIKE TOLBERT’s name should go without saying on this list of offensive priorities, but unfortunately the front office has yet to get him signed. With Ryan Mathews’ durability questions, Tolbert is a must-have in order to maintain balance on offense. His short-yardage ability is one of the best in the league and breaking the plain on the goal line is his specialty. GM Smith needs to put a lot of energy into re-signing Tolbert as soon as possible and preferably prior to free agency getting underway. We don’t want to see another Darren Sproles situation where a minimal amount of money loses the team a true impact player.

This is put up or shut up for many members of the Bolts both players and front office so the offseason could be very interesting. If you see any omissions or possible players on the open market that you feel the team should pursue on offense when the time comes, please fill up the comments sections below with your suggestions!

Sports Media Saturday

It was announced earlier this week that the San Diego Chargers have agreed to extend their broadcast relationship with ClearChannel. ClearChannel will continue to broadcast all Chargers games for the next three years, simulcast on KIOZ Rock 105.3 FM and ClearChannel’s local sports station, KLSD-XTRA Sports 1360 AM.

ClearChannel, the area’s largest broadcast entity, has built quite a franchise around the Chargers locally. Game days feature broadcasts that start five hours before kickoff, including a fantasy football show that often serves as a pre-pre-game show, and then the Countdown To Kickoff pre-game show. Following Chargers games the broadcast continues with a post game show and two more hours of Chargers talk. Aside from game days, XTRA Sports 1360 carries a weekday Chargers-centric show year-round, and many ClearChannel stations regularly feature Chargers players throughout the week.

According to Countdown To Kickoff co-host Eddie Pappani, there are currently no plans to make changes to the broadcast next season.

News of the new contract between the Chargers and ClearChannel stands in stark contrast to the uncertainties surrounding the Padres and the future of their broadcasts. More specifically, the Padres TV broadcasts.

As the Padres’ television rights agreement with Cox Cable expired following the 2011 season, it was widely assumed that a new contract with a larger entity, frequently assumed to be Fox Sports, was imminent. Fox wants the Padres and has the money to greatly increase what the team was receiving from Cox Cable for the past 15-years.

The deal is surely complex, and must pass through increased scrutiny from Major League Baseball for approval, so we wait to find out where Padres games will be shown on TV in 2012, and also who will be announcing those games (although it has been previously reported by the Union-Tribune that Padres CEO Jeff Moorad expects the same announcing team to return for this season). New uncertainties surrounding the approval of the sale of the Padres to a group led by Moorad only serves to make a new TV right agreement more difficult to finalize.

For radio broadcasts of Padre games, the team returns to XX 1090 AM Sports Radio for a ninth consecutive season. Announcers Jerry Coleman, Ted Leitner, and Andy Masur return as well, and will be joined by former Major League pitcher and Cox Channel 4 commentator Bob Scanlan.

Pass The Remote

-The divisional round playoff game featuring the New England Patriots versus the Denver Broncos may go down in history as one of the least competitive playoff games of all time. Regardless, based on the hype leading up to last Saturday night’s matchup featuring the popular Tim Tebow, TV ratings for the game set a record for a Saturday night divisional round playoff game. Considering that the game was a blowout well before the first half ended, ratings for the game were still high on an evening normally short on audience members, but the build up surrounding the game was not enough to save it from coming in 4th overall when compared to the rest of the divisional round games from last weekend.

-The Green Bay Packers-New York Giants divisional round game on Sunday afternoon actually set the record for most-watched divisional round game in NFL history, with an audience estimated at more than 45 million viewers.

-Make note that Sunday’s championship round playoff games have a slightly different TV schedule than fans are used to. The first game of the day features the Patriots at home versus the Baltimore Ravens with kickoff at 12 PM local time on CBS. Jim Nantz and Phil Simms have the call. The second game has the Giants traveling to San Francisco to face off against the 49ers, kickoff at 3:30 PM with Joe Buck and Troy Aikman calling the game on Fox.

-Local radio host turned syndicated powerhouse Jim Rome is leaving his ESPN TV gig behind to join the CBS Sports Network. Reportedly, Rome will host his own show while also contributing to coverage of many different sports across multiple platforms. Jim Rome Is Burning, seen on ESPN2, will air its final episode January 27. His new show, Rome, is scheduled to debut on April 3 on the CBS Sports Network.

Did you catch an interesting sports media moment? Email it to me at jswilliams75@aol.com, and follow me on Twitter: @JSWilliams75

Chargers Rookie Class In Review

One season removed from an NFL Draft is considered too early to effectively evaluate an NFL draft class. There is still plenty of time for draft picks from 2011 to grow into successful NFL players, or to completely fall on their faces, rarely contributing on the playing field. That doesn’t change the fact that the Chargers need impact players now. Did they select any impact players in the 2011 draft? Let’s take a look at the Chargers first three-rounds and find out.

1st Round (18 overall): Corey Liuget DE
No one had Liuget pegged to go to the Chargers in the first round, mostly because no one had Liuget dropping past the middle of the first round, and also because he was deemed a better fit at defensive tackle in a 4-3 defense. Leave it to the unconventional AJ Smith to select an inside DT and ask him to play defensive end in a 3-4.

Liuget performed well enough in his first season to be considered the definite starter heading into 2012, but he has a lot of room to improve his game. He had a sack, occasionally got into the backfield to disrupt things, but mostly spent his time clogging a gap, allowing linebackers to make a play. You can’t call him an impact player based on his 2011 performance, but he was another guy to add to the defensive line rotation. Still, I have to ask if he is a significant improvement over anyone else on the defensive line. And you have to wonder, could he be more effective in a 4-3 defense? Someday we may find out.

2nd Round (50): Marcus Gilchrist CB
Gilchrist did not receive a lot of attention in the draft, with “experts” pegging him to go anywhere from the 2nd to 4th rounds. In training camp he showed he was a quick learner and a smart player, and when given an opportunity to play he played surprisingly well in one game, dominating the Dolphins early in the season, but later was consistently toasted in starts against the Chiefs and Packers. An inconsistent year from a rookie cornerback is hardly cause for alarm, especially when the secondary as a whole seemed to take a step backwards. Gilchrist could be starting again sooner rather than later.

2nd Round (61): Jonas Mouton LB
The linebacker from Michigan was considered by many to be the biggest reach by Smith in the entire draft. Draft analysts gave him low scores for beating blockers and being an effective run stopper, but the game tape suggested he was a solid college level performer on a bad defense. Mouton was seen by Chargers staff to have tremendous upside, but an early injury shelved him for the year.

At this point it’s hard to tell if Mouton was worthy of a 2nd round selection, but consider some players who were selected after him:
Marcus Gilbert: 13 game starter at right tackle, and is projected to move to left tackle as soon as next season.
Randal Cobb: Solid contributor to the Packers offense in his rookie season, especially on special teams (2 TD kick/punt return).
Justin Houston: 56 tackles and 5.5 sacks last season, coming on very strong at the end of the season
Martez Wilson: 10 tackles and a sack, not a major contributor to the Saints defense.

3rd Round (82): Vincent Brown WR
The SDSU alum was a favorite of San Diego sports fans, and after battling through injuries in training camp he showed he can hold his own in the pro’s. If he can shed that injury bug, he will receive a lot of playing time next season as either the slot receiver or the starter when Malcolm Floyd inevitably gets hurt.

3rd Round (89): Shareece Wright CB
Wright overcame a lot in college to earn his 3rd round selection. He proved to be a hard worker in camp but failed to make a significant contribution on defense. Wright’s biggest headlines came from comments he made on Twitter that seemed to encourage the team to move to Los Angeles (his hometown). While his contributions were fairly insignificant, were there other players more worthy of a late 3rd round pick? Linebacker Sam Acho, had a solid rookie season for the Cardinals; linebacker Casey Matthews did little for the Eagles. I’m not sure that either of them would have fared much better on this Chargers defense.

2011 may turn out to be a solid, yet unspectacular draft for the Chargers. Luiget should start for years but may never reach impact-player status. Gilchrist will likely be a future starter at cornerback or safety depending on the team’s needs. Could he be another Quentin Jammer, who needed a few years to grow into his position? Mouton has a lot of potential, and you have to hope that he can improve under the tutelage of Takeo Spikes. He has the potential to play inside or outside, although the team seems to have him pegged for an inside role. Brown has great hands and may have been the highlight of the Chargers’ draft in the 3rd round. And I’m not expecting a lot from Wright, but the Chargers have had worse players in their secondary.

One year removed from the 2011 draft, what is your opinion of the Chargers most recent rookie class?

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