While most predict the San Diego Chargers will again be contenders this year, the fact remains that the Patriots are a hurdle the Bolts seem unable to get passed. The Chargers have figured out how to beat the Indianapolis Colts but in their quest to become the class of the AFC they have yet to solve the New England puzzle.

Solving this puzzle is a consuming affair for Chargers GM AJ Smith; some teams are content to keep their nose to the ground, Smith is a guy who is more than willing to learn from his opponents:

"George used to say that in building a championship team you first look at your division, because that's the direct competition. That's who you've got to match up with. But then, if you're lucky enough to go to the playoffs, concentrate on the teams that win every year and what they do. Spend all your time focusing on them, because the rest of the teams will beat themselves. That's what he preached."

"For Christmas, I got 'The Blueprint: How the New England Patriots Beat the System to Create the Last Great NFL Super Power' by Christopher Price. I've read all the books put out on the New England Patriots organization. There aren't trade secrets, but just general thoughts on why they've been successful."

"I study organization and I study trends. If it's clearly in front of your face, you need to look at it and learn from it. Doesn't that only make sense? Why would you study losers? What are you going to get out of that? If you study winners, you find out how they win and the roads they took to get there. You try to figure out what they're doing right."

Props go out to Don Banks of SportsIllustrated for giving us a chance to see a little bit behind the scenes into the workings of AJ Smith's mind. Definitely sit down and read the whole article as Smith sheds some light on his approach to the draft, how he compares his roster to his opponent's, and how he sees San Diego's chances this year to get to a Super Bowl.

Read: Patriotic obsession: Chargers enter '08 season with one goal in mind

Subscribe to this Chargers blog

• NFL Playoff Brackets
• NFL Playoff Predictions
• NFL office pool picks
• How to use a handicapper

There was a poll running for the past week here asking fans to grade the Chargers 2008 draft. The majority of voters gave the Bolts a 'B' which is a pretty good score overall. However, the second largest group of voters graded the team with a 'C'. Respected draft analyst Scott Wright of NFLDraftcountdown recently wrote an in-depth review of the Chargers draft and graded the team with a 'C-' citing the trade to acquire Jacob Hester of LSU as "a questionable selection" due to his lack of "speed and quickness to play running back in the pros" as well as a lack of "bulk or blocking ability to be a traditional fullback." Adding to the criticism of the selection is the fact that AJ Smith used up "essentially using two premium draft choices on a guy like that."

Some have bashed the Chargers for their effort in this draft but, really, who are we to doubt this organization when it comes to player evaluation? Nobody has done a better job of drafting in recent years than A.J. Smith and the Chargers and the number of home grown starters on their roster is truly mind-boggling. In fact, only 3 of their 25 projected starters (including special teams) were not originally signed by San Diego!!! This certainly wasn't a flashy draft class for the Chargers and it isn't going to provide a lot of instant impact but guys like Cason and Hester are high-character guys who will add depth and compliment the talent they already have on hand. San Diego didn't have to hit a home run with this draft because they are already one of the best teams in the league, they just needed to hit a nice solid single and that's exactly what they did. With that said there were things I would have done differently and their lack of depth along the offensive and defensive lines could come back to haunt them which is why I have to give them a modest grade for this class.

GRADE: C-

So what do you think? Is this a fair grade, or is the team being judged too harshly? For argument's sake, lets allow for a premature grade for a second; we all know that a draft is graded best three years down the road, but lets give the team a quick grade...most of you graded the team with a 'B'. Why not an 'A'? Did the team fail to address their needs, or were there better players available at the time of each selection? Share your thoughts in the comments section below...

Read: San Diego Chargers '08 Draft Review

Subscribe to this Chargers blog

The guys at Mighty1090 got a chance to chat with Chargers GM AJ Smith and asked him a variety of questions. I typed up some of Smith's more interesting responses:

On Paul Oliver as a Cornerback or Safety:

Well we drafted him as a corner/safety. Good football player, let it unfold. The coaches will take that under consideration and they’re thinking about it right now. Where does he actually get penciled in? Probably penciled in as a safety if we’re talking about a paper exercise on a depth chart. Could be a nickel guy. Maybe we have injuries and he fills in at corner. He’s a versatile player but I’ll let the coaches handle what they think about that.

On approaching the draft with such a limited number of picks:

We are going to prepare, gameplan, and execute as if we had a full compliment of draft picks. But we don’t. But the reason we do that is because it makes football sense.

On the depth of certain positions in this draft:

I always hate to participate in these things and tell you what I think of the depth (at the various positions), but I’ve always said every draft is a good draft whether you have eleven picks or five picks. I will jump in and say where it’s deep; in particular, (offensive) tackles. If you need one, or a backup, very deep through the first three or four rounds. An awful lot of quality players that I’ve seen out there. No question about that.

On upcoming player contracts:

All we have is the players on this team right now, with the season coming up. What happens after that…you know…Chargers whether they have six year contracts, one year, three years; you’re a Charger one year at a time. And our team is being built for this season. Whatever happens during the course of that season or after that season we’ll huddle up as and organization and find out how want to proceed in ’09. So everyone else who has the opinion, and is slotting in who’s going to be here and not here, and who we’re going to draft and who’s probably going to be left go in September… I let everyone do that, and when we make changes, we announce it.

Something else I found interesting was that Smith is pretty high on Darren Sproles, which shouldn't come as too much of a surprise considering he drafted him. Smith said he was “pleased with him” and that Sproles had a “terrific year.” He qualified those statements by saying Sproles’ role on offense and special teams is ultimately a coaching decision.

Subscribe in a reader

Michigan’s pro day featured a number of good NFL prospects and so it comes as only a mild surprise to hear that AJ Smith was personally present for the workouts. Jake Long is the stud everyone wants to see but there are a few other guys who could be future Chargers like Safety Jamar Adams (a guy I really like as a potential Strong Safety for the Bolts), OLB Shawn Crable, and possibly RB Mike Hart. The Chargers would absolutely love to have an opportunity to draft Jake Long and plug him in at Right Tackle, but they won’t trade away the farm to get him. However, if a deal made sense for the Chargers and a team at the very top of the draft, I could see the Chargers moving up to get a guy like Long. But in this year’s draft class, Jake Long is probably the only prospect worth moving up for if you are the San Diego Chargers.

Subscribe in a reader

Get FREE Sports Picks at www.docsports.com

Some more insightful quotes from AJ Smith's recent press conference:

On the draft;

At this time we have four selections in the draft and we anticipate one compensatory pick from the league maybe mid-March.

It’s a little light this year because of the moves we made last year. That could change, however, with some wheeling and dealing on draft day or before. We won’t know that until we move through the process.

How do you view you needs going into the draft?

Well, we’re not going to draft a kicker, we’re not going to draft a punter, and we’re not going to draft a tight end. Every other position is wide open. And its much to early for me to look at that. We rank the players first…line them up. And then after that we get in and we start looking at who we like and who we don’t like. We pretty much know who our team is. For the second year (in a row) I can say that; meaning starters, probably replacements. Looking for depth. We’ll decide later where we want to fill in depending on the value of the players that we have (available) to draft. As you see the draft, we’re a little bit light right now. That could change. It’s just too early to answer the particulars but we’re loaded with players that we like for right now.

Does that mean you might draft a receiver?

Yeah. The only thing I eliminated was a punter, a kicker, and a tight end; very comfortable with the depth there. Other than that, I like our receivers; I like everything on our team. But until we grade the college players, and until we have our meetings, and the coaches input, and the scouts input, and my own input, and we see those individuals (on our board), and then we match those individuals and think about his future in the NFL or for the Chargers versus what we have (on our team); I have to look at that. Who is he better than? Will his future be better than so and so. That’s down the road. That all comes together very easily for us as we get down to the draft day. But everything is open. Wide open.

Subscribe in a reader

san diego chargers

A BoltHype post

Chargers General Manager AJ Smith gave his state of the union, so to speak, on Thursday and he outlined his offseason plans. Smith is never one to go into great detail concerning his football operations, but he shed a little light on this upcoming draft:

What position do you feel is the deepest in this draft?

I don't want to get in to my opinion on that, except...lemme just give you this, I'll give you something; Tackles are deep. I've heard everybody talk about the tackles, around the league. So I'll join in with the GMs and the scouts. Very deep. Other than that, I don't want to get in to my opinion. I'm gonna go along with their opinions - Offensive tackles...deep, tremendous talent - AJ Smith

With went on record multiple times saying he is looking at all positions in the draft except kicker, punter, and tight end. Other than those positions, Smith said he will entertain drafting any player in this draft. He and his staff will go into the draft with their positional player rankings and will likely stay true to their big board.

The team released Shane Olivea and will now be forced to address the offensive tackle positions in the coming months, whether through the draft or free agency. With Smith acknowledging the draft is deep in tackles, there may be an opportunity to land a talented lineman in rounds 2, 3, and 4. It's not really Smith's style to spend a first round pick on an offensive lineman, but anything is possible...

Subscribe in a reader

san diego chargers

While his decisions aren't always popular with fans (or the media for that matter), you have to respect what the man has done to change the both the perception and the direction of the San Diego Chargers franchise. Since taking over as General Manager in 2003, AJ Smith has established a philosophy of building a winning team through the draft, resigning key performing players, and taking measured risks in free agency.

Smith is deified by some, and demonized by others but as far as I am concerned, AJ Smith is one of the best evaluators of talent in the NFL and should be considered one of the best GMs in all of sports. Indeed, I was worried that at some point the Chargers might lose Smith from either his continued success or from a dramatic failure. But on the first day of the year 2008, the San Diego Chargers' President Dean Spanos has announced that AJ has accepted a contract extension that will keep him here through the 2014 season.

I think this is a great decision and is going to help ensure that the Chargers will remain competitive for many years. There are bound to be some touchy situations down the road under the direction of AJ Smith, and even as a fan of his work I am sure there are going to be decisions that I will question, but the fact of the matter is that since 2004 only the Patriots and Colts have complied better regular season records than the Chargers' 46-18 and a big reason for that has been AJ Smith.

Subscribe in a reader

san diego chargers

Luis Castillo is out for about six weeks with a torn ankle tendon. Jacques Cesaire will start in Castillo's place with Ryon Bingham also seeing reps in rotation.

Buster Davis and Shaun Phillips have been a bit dinged up, but it looks like those two are going to be ready to go against the Colts this Sunday. Its especially crucial that the team gets back Phillips, as the key to beating the Colts is to get as much pressure on Peyton Manning as possible.

Adrian Peterson had a monster game against the Chargers last week; 296 yards is a new single game record and likely seals the deal for Peterson's Rookie Of The Year bid. The Detroit Lions had the opportunity to draft Peterson with the number two overall pick, but were scared away by Peterson's college injury of a broken collarbone. The Lions had already been burned in the past with that injury: Carlos Rogers was their top pick in the 2003 draft and during his rookie season, Rogers broke his collarbone while practicing. Never getting his career back on the right track after the injury, Rogers went on to become known as a major bust.

When AJ Smith was asked recently about his course of action to replenish a banged up roster with free agents, Smith admitted that the search was certainly underway but that the pickings would be very slim eight weeks into the regular season. The Chargers are going to have to rely on their current depth to help them get through the final eight weeks of the season.

If the season were to end today, the Chargers would hold the #20 pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. While it is still unclear as to which direction the team would go with their top pick, certainly a player like Texas' DT Frank Okam would make a lot of sense. Its almost guaranteed that the Chargers will draft a Defensive Lineman in the upcoming draft. Defensive Tackle is Chargers number two need behind Running Back in my mind so it wouldn't surprise me one bit to see the Chargers take a 300 lbs monster in the first round.

Subscribe in a reader

san diego chargers

The San Diego Chargers today acquired Wide Receiver Chris Chambers from the Miami Dolphins, in an exchange for a 2008 second round draft pick. If the Chargers make the playoffs as expected, that draft pick would be in the 55-60 range.

In Chambers, the Chargers are getting a proven veteran wide out who has great size and experience. Eric Parker's current injury may have been a factor in AJ Smith's decision to make a trade. It looks like Parker might miss even more time, and with no real veteran leadership at the wide receiver position, the Bolts feel Chambers can help them.

Personally, I have always liked Chris Chambers. I like how he attacks the ball and is physical after contact. His skill set is going to fit into our offensive philosophy under Norv Turner, who coached Chambers in Miami.

"Chris is an explosive, talented player and I’m thrilled to have an opportunity to work with him again," Turner said. "He’s a very consistent player and he has big-play ability. We think he can add to what we’re doing on offense. The bonus for us is that he’s familiar with the system. It should be a quick and easy adjustment for him. We expect him to come in and be productive right away."

While Dolphin fans might feel Chambers is overrated or prone to dropped passes, the reality is that Chambers has had Quarterback instability almost his entire career. In San Diego, he'll provide the team with another big-play weapon and will allow guys like Vincent Jackson and Buster Davis time to grow as pros.

AJ Smith has obviously made it a priority to address the team's needs at wide receiver through the draft and via trades. Chambers will be the most expensive trade Smith has made (in terms of draft picks), but he'll figure to contribute right away, much like Keenan McCardell and Marlon McCree did when they arrived in San Diego.

"We are very excited to add Chris to our team," General Manager A.J. Smith said. "He brings a wealth of experience and outstanding production. He is an extremely talented football player and we have held him in high regard throughout his career."

So does this mean Keyshawn Johnson was right to call out the Chargers and AJ Smith?

Subscribe in a reader

san diego chargers

AJ Smith is god-like among some fan circles... and an egotistical maniac in others. He is regarded as a brilliant scout of talent and a master roster-builder, but lacks the people skills to be an endearing figure. While that image is perfectly fine with Smith, some people feel that Smith's ego has gotten in the way of the Chargers being successful.

An example used in this instance is the firing of a winning head coach in Marty Schottenheimer. Since it is well known that Smith and Schottenheimer refused to be friends, the assumption is that AJ Smith fired Schottenheimer simply because the two weren't twp peas in a pod.

Not so, according to former San Diego journalist Jim Trotter (now with Sports Illustrated):

Spanos cited the "dysfunctional relationship" between Schottenheimer and Smith as the reason for the move, but that was hogwash. Schottenheimer and Smith had barely spoken in a year and Spanos was fine with it. Plus, just a month earlier Spanos had announced Schottenheimer would return for a sixth season.

The dismissal was strictly because Schottenheimer stood up to the team owner. When he informed Schottenheimer of the change, Spanos told him he had never seen Schottenheimer act like that. He told Schottenheimer that he had changed. Spanos was right, of course. Schottenheimer was tired of feeling like an outsider in his own organization, so he drew a bright line and crossed. Then he collected his $4 million salary and returned to his offseason home in North Carolina, where he could spend time with his daughter and grandkids.

As popular as it is to lay the blame of Schottenheimer's ouster on Smith, Spanos is the one whose fingerprints were on the pink slip. There was no way he was going to allow an employee to openly defy one of his organizational tenets. So go ahead and rip Smith for hiring Turner, who came to town with a 58-82-1 record after failing in Washington and Oakland. But any venom about the firing of Schottenheimer will have to be spewed in another direction.

Subscribe in a reader

san diego chargers

The Chargers getting off to a shaky start has been a huge disappointment for Chargers fans and the San Diego community. Expectations were extremely high after three winning seasons without a playoff victory to show for it. This year, not only are the Chargers playing for a third playoff birth in four years, but they are in many ways playing to gain the favor of the greater San Diego community, in hopes that the community would support the Chargers' search for a new stadium.

The rocky start to the season may have led to Oceanside withdrawing it's bid to host a stadium.

Dean Spanos can't be pleased with the city of Oceanside's decision. Losing them as a bargaining chip is a huge blow to their abilities to negotiate with other cities such as Chula Vista. Blame can't be place soley on the team's current 1-3 record, but who's to say that a dominating 4-0 start wouldn't have impacted Oceanside's decision?

Joel 'DiG' DiGiacomo of FootballForBreakfast.com has some thoughts about AJ Smith's ego, and believes karma is bad in San Diego right now because of him.

Smith has carefully and successfully fostered an image in the media of being a brilliant judge of talent. So much so that he has been able to leave the impression that he is more responsible for the Chargers success last year than the coaching staff. Smith honestly believes that Marty had nothing to do with the Chargers winning last year.

In fact, it seems he believes that a coach who kowtows to the all-mighty GM would have more success than someone with 200 career victories. How dare Marty disagree on such personnel decisions as getting rid of Drew Brees, Donnie Edwards or hiring Ted Cottrell as defensive coordinator.

Just think if Norv Turner, with a career 58-82-1 record, won a championship. What would simultaneously validate A.J. Smith and invalidate Marty Schottenheimer more than that?

So I eagerly watched the Chargers this season to see if A.J. Smith might get some well-deserved comeuppance, at least temporarily. I mean the Chargers are loaded with talent. Norv Turner couldn't possibly keep that Ferrari in neutral for the whole season, could he?

Check out Football For Breakfast for more

Subscribe in a reader

san diego chargers

The careers of Anthony Gonzalez, Sidney Rice, Dwayne Jarrett, and Steve Smith will forever be linked to Craig Davis' in the eyes of San Diego Chargers fans. AJ Smith and his group of scouts made the determination that Craig Davis was going to be a better fit for the team than Gonzalez, Rice, Jarrett, or Smith would. While it is certainly too early to tell, it will be interesting to see who among the group emerges as elite players.

The this exclusive BoltHype feature, we'll track the progress each player makes throughout the season. Today we'll begin our look at former USC Trojan and current Carolina Panthers wide receiver, Dwayne Jarrett.


For some insight into Dwayne Jarrett's progress thus far, I've enlisted the help of Carolina Panthers beat writer, Pat Yasinskas of the Charlotte Observer. Here is what he had to say:

It's tough to give you much because they're only a couple days into camp and
he's not had much of a chance to do anything. But here's my best: The
Panthers are bringing Jarrett along slowly, letting Keary Colbert and Drew
Carter work with the first team until the rookie learns the offense. But
Carter and Colbert aren't legitimate starters and the team expects Jarrett
to claim the starting job by the end of the preseason.

Note: This post will be updated throughout the season so be sure to check back!


san diego chargers

Subscribe in a reader

By now, most people who have followed the situation closely feel that it's unlikely Drayton Florence will be a San Diego Charger beyond the 2007 season. Florence is in a contract year, and 2006 first round draft pick Antonio Cromartie is waiting in the wings.

I ran into Drayton after practice Saturday, and asked him about his contract status and his goals for the season. In terms of stats, I asked if five or six interceptions was attainable. Florence wouldn't talk specific numbers, and instead stressed his goal was to win games. I then brought up the fact that he is going to be a free agent next season, and I wanted to know if he had a desire to resign with the team. Drayton expressed that he would like to be a Charger, but that AJ Smith was the man to ask about any potential deals. Florence pointed to the Asante Samuel situation in New England (even after having one of the best seasons among league defensive backs, Samuel and the the Patriots are struggling to come to terms on a new deal).

I like throw big numbers out there and gage the player's response so I asked Drayton if it would take $40 million to resign with the Chargers. He told me nobody is getting forty (ha!).

I came away from that brief conversation not very optimistic that a new contract was in the books for Drayton Florence. While he never said it, you could tell from his tone and expression that negotiating with AJ Smith is a hard, if not frustrating, thing to do. Drayton probably knew that if he really wanted to stay in San Diego, he would have to take much less money than what would be offered him on the open market.

So it got me thinking...what are some realistic contract numbers for a guy like Drayton Florence? Here is a guy who can obviously play cornerback at a high level. His 16 passes defended ties him for 8th among defensive backs. Florence and Jammer and give the Chargers a tandem of defensive backs with 15 or more passes defended. There were only three such tandems in the league last year:


Green Bay Packers
Charles Woodson 8 INT / 20 Pdef / 59 Tackles
Al Harris 3 INT / 17 Pdef / 41 Tackles

Oakland Raiders
Nnamdi Asomugha 8 INT / 19 Pdef / 50 Tackles
Fabian Washington 4 INT / 15 Pdef / 40 Tackles

San Diego Chargers
Quentin Jammer 4 INT / 18 Pdef / 78 Tackles
Drayton Florence 3 INT / 16 Pdef / 66 Tackles

Florence and Jammer are a nice pair of corners and great fits for the Chargers physical brand of defensive. And while they might be an elite tandem, Florence and Jammer nonetheless make a very good pair of starting cornerbacks,

Last year, Quinten Jammer was extended five years to the tune of $30 million with about $13.5 guaranteed. Jammer is a better player than Florence, so D Flo can't expect Jammer-type money if he wants to be extended. But then again, Florence is much more likely to get Jammer money with the Chargers then, say, Charles Tillman money. Tillman signed a six year extension with the Chicago Bears for $38 million dollars. Tillman's teammate, Nathan Vasher, got a 5 years, $28 million dollar extension as well. In 2005, Anthony Henry signed with the Cowboys as a free agent for 5 years, $25 million.

Drayton Florence's deal with the Chargers, should they offer him one, will likely be in the 5 year, $20 million dollar range. And because they have begun to groom a replacement for D Flo, they may or may not make it a priority to resign him.

We know Drayton can play; he has steadily improved every year. And of the four defensive backs the Chargers drafted in 2003, (Sammy Davis, Drayton Florence, Terrance Kiel, Hanik Milligan) he is clearly the best of the bunch and the only one actually still with the team. So in essence, if Drayton Florence were to leave the Chargers via free agency, one might call the Chargers' entire 2003 class of defensive backs either a waste or a failure.


san diego chargers

Subscribe in a reader

This is how championship teams are built; You maximize every possible draft pick available to you, taking players that (depending on who you ask) could have gone much higher than where you took them.

AJ Smith and his front office team are extremely good at maximizing the value of their draft picks. In 2006 and 2007, they selected seven players who at some point in their college career or post-college career carried a first-round grade.


2006 NFL Draft

Round 1, Pick 19: Antonio Cromartie, CB
Round 2, Pick 50: Marcus McNeil, OT
Round 3, Pick 81: Charlie Whitehurst, QB

2007 NFL Draft

Round 1, Pick 30: Craig Davis, WR
Round 2, Pick 37: Eric Weddle, SS
Round 3, Pick 96: Anthony Waters, LB

2007 Supplemental Draft

Round 4: Paul Oliver, CB


Obviously Antonio Cromartie and Craig Davis carried first round draft grades if the Chargers saw fit to take them with their first picks. Had Cromartie stayed in school for another season and played at a high level, he would likely have been a top 10 pick in the 2007 draft.

Marcus McNeill was one of the best offensive linemen in all college football for four years. Teams were worried about a back condition which is why he fell to the second round. McNeil has since gone on to make the Pro Bowl as a rookie in the NFL.

Charlie Whitehurst was one of the top Quarterbacks in ACC history. He had an up and down senior season, but there was some instability on the team and in the coaching ranks at Clemson so he is not fully to blame. Whitehurst at one point in his college career was projected to be a first round pick.

Paul Oliver was the top rated defensive back in the nation after completing his senior year in high school. A top cornerback in college, Oliver was academically ineligible to return to Georgia. Had be played another season at the level he is capable of, he would likely have been a first round pick in 2008.

There wasn't a true consensus as to whether or not Eric Weddle was projected as a bona fide first rounder, and that is solely due to his slightly less-than-elite athleticism. However, scouts league-wide were unanimous that the team who lands Weddle in the second round would be getting a steal. The Chargers did just that, and took him at pick 37. That is only 5 picks away from the first round, and there were a number of draft scouts that felt Weddle had a first round grade. His love for the game and ability to make plays across a variety of positions helped elevate his stock and if the Chargers had two picks in the first round of the 07 draft, they would have just as easily taken Weddle in the first.

Like Antonio Cromartie, Anthony Waters declared for the NFL draft following a college season in which he did not play due to injury. Waters was one of the best linebackers in the college ranks when healthy. Ask anybody who watched him play and they will tell you he is certainly a first-round talent, especially if you are a team that needs a starting inside linebacker. Fortunately for the Chargers, they just needed depth and landing Waters in the third round to play a backup role is the epitome of a steal.

The Chargers and AJ Smith are becoming what Ozzie Newsome built the Baltimore Ravens into; A Super Bowl team filled with extremely talented players acquired almost exclusively through the draft.

san diego chargers

Subscribe in a reader

AJ Smith has certainly done his part to shed the image that the San Diego Chargers always have problems signing their rookies. Since the 2005 draft, the Chargers have been doing a better and better job of getting their draft picks in time for camp. This year, the Chargers have been particularly impressive getting their new players to agree to terms.

Anthony Waters, Paul Oliver, Scott Chandler, Legedu Naanee, and Brandon Siler have all agreed to four year deals. First round pick Craig Davis also signed today a five year deal.

The one player who remains unsigned at this point is second round pick Eric Weddle. Weddle's deal could be announced any time now, and will likely be wrapped up in time for the team's first full-squad training camp practice this Saturday.

So for those who berate the Chargers for being particularly inept at dealing with rookie contracts... what say you now?

Read: Chargers Agree To Terms With Five Draft Picks

UPDATE: Eric Weddle signed his deal, so now everybody is locked up!



san diego chargers

Wow, can't say I saw this one coming. Just yesterday I talked about how the Chargers would probably sit out the Supplemental Draft. There was word that the Chargers had interest in Defensive Back Paul Oliver, but then again many teams had interest in this young talent.

BoltHype columnist Ivan Abrahim had previously expressed that he felt Oliver would be a good fit for the Chargers.

If AJ doesnt plan to bring back Florence next year (BIG mistake!), i think Oliver would make a great choice and could sit and learn for a year then become the nickel next year behind Jam/Cro.

While I certainly will acknowledge that Paul Oliver is extremely talented (I saw how he shut down Sidney Rice and Calvin Johnson), it is that same acknowledgment that led me to believe that to land Oliver in the draft would take a day one pick.

I did not feel that Oliver was worth a first or second round pick, especially considering the fact that Florence and Cromartie will be here this year, and that next year's NFL Draft will feature a great crop of defensive backs. For this reason, I figured that AJ Smith would sit out the Supplemental Draft.

To my amazement, AJ Smith threw out a fourth (the Supplemental Draft is a closed process. Teams place a bid and sit and wait to see if their's was the highest bid) and it actually worked. I had expected a few teams to bid at least a third on Oliver. He is that talented. But for only a fourth round pick, AJ Smith and the Chargers landed a major steal.

Adding Paul Oliver to the mix now increases the competition level and talent level of the secondary to all-time levels. While it is somewhat disappointing that the Chargers seem to not view Cletis Gordon as a potential starter, that disappointment is replaced with the hope that the Chargers will field the most talented secondary that I have ever seen in Bolts. Whether or not the talent that players like Eric Weddle, Antonio Cromartie, and Paul Oliver is ever materialized into production and consistency in the NFL remains to be seen; but on paper the Chargers' roster contains the best mix of talent in the secondary that I can remember seeing. Hats off to AJ Smith and crew for finally addressing what has been a pressing need in San Diego for a long time.


san diego chargers

Technorati Profile

Tomorrow is a big day if you are a fan of the NFL's Supplemental Draft. Its the day where prospects who were academically unable to play college football (and therefore were not allowed to declare for the 2007 NFL Draft) get a chance to be drafted by NFL teams.

Jamal Williams, one of the best defensive players in the NFL, was himself a player taken in the 1998 Supplemental Draft. In fact, he is considered to be one of the best players ever taken in this draft format.

According to Hashmarks, the 2007 Supplemental Draft will feature a slightly different way of drafting than in years past:

In a Hashmarks exclusive, we have determined that the NFL's supplemental draft begins at 1 p.m. ET tomorrow. Radio City Music Hall was already booked by several French tour groups, so the draft will be held on league-approved laptops. Teams have been asked to notify Commissioner Goodell's office if they don't plan to select one of the 11 participants in order to expedite the process.

So who is exactly is available in the 2007 version? Will the Chargers be logging-on to their laptops to place a bid, or will they take a pass on the whole thing entirely?

A quick look at the list of players has me saying "Pass, pass, pass...":

Robert Armstrong, DT, Morgan State
Brian Soi, DT, Utah State
Clifton Dickson, DT, Florida State
Jared Gaither, OT, Maryland
Chris Patrick, OT, Nebraska
Aaron Turner, OT, East Central Oklahoma
RoShawn Marshall, DB, Central Missouri
Donta' Moore, DB, Connecticut
Paul Oliver, DB, Georgia
Eric McCain, WR, Glendale CC, AZ.
Mark Washington, LB, Texas State-San Marcos

None of these prospects are better than the players already on the Chargers extremely deep and talented roster, and I don't see AJ Smith giving up a draft pick(s) to get someone tomorrow.

Even in areas where upgrades would be nice, such as in the secondary, and along the offensive and defensive lines, the available players would simply not make the team.

One might argue that Cornerback Paul Oliver and Tackle Jared Gaither would have a legit shot of making the Chargers. The team will need to replace Drayton Florence when he departs via free agency, and depth along the line is always important to have. But Oliver would have been a third or fourth rounder (had he come out in the 07 draft), depending on what position he will play. He is more of a Cover 2 cornerback; and as a Safety prospect, Eric Weddle is lightyears better than him.

As for Offensive Tackle Jared Gaither , there is no denying he has impressive physical tools (6'8" 320lbs). But I watched a ton of ACC games the past two years and there really wasn't an Offensive Lineman at Maryland who I coveted. Gaither would have to play Right Tackle if he was on the Chargers; there is no way he is anything but a third stringer at Left Tackle with Marcus McNeil and Roman Oben holding it down as the one and two. And at Right Tackle, he would have to back-up Shane Olivea and Cory Lekkerkerker. In fact, Cory Lekkerkerker (6'7" 320lbs) has similar size and is far more polished than the extremely raw Gaither.

Here is the scouting report on Oliver and Gaither, courtesy NFL Draftcountdown:



So don't expect the Chargers to take anyone in this supplemental process. 2008 is shaping up to be a great draft for defensive backs (assuming a bunch of underclassmen declare), and the Chargers like their starters on the offensive line. You might read that the Chargers are showing interest in certain prospects, but that interest is either a smokescreen, or its mild interest at best.


san diego chargers

In an effort to cause mass flame wars across the internet, Don Dumas of 411Mania.com gives us paragraph after paragraph as to why the Chargers are, get this, the WORST franchise in the NFL.

In this hilarious read, Dumas argues that AJ Smith's draft day success has been all accidental, and that he should receive as little credit as possible for getting Philip Rivers, Shawne Merriman, and Nate Kaeding. Why? Because Kaeding is a playoff choker, Merriman is a proven cheater, and had Eli Manning decided to play for the Chargers none of the team's success would have been possible.

Dumas continues his criticism of Smith's draft moves and points to Sammy Davis, Antonio Cromartie, and most recently Craig Davis, as all being first-round reaches.

If you are a die-hard Chargers fan, I suggest you brace yourself before you click through. Some of this stuff won't be easy to read (even though the guy almost makes a couple of points).

Read: Why the San Diego Chargers are the Worst Franchise in the NFL

san diego chargers

It would be tough to find two teams who have more in common with each other than the San Diego Chargers and the Dallas Cowboys. Both have great young Quarterbacks (Philip Rivers - Tony Romo), great RB duos (Tomlinson/Turner - Jones/Barber), great young pass rushers (Phillips/Merriman - Spencer/Ware), underrated corners (Jammer/Florence - Newman/Henry), Both teams made head coaching changes following playoff seasons and here is the kicker, the Chargers hired a former Cowboys coordinator and the cowboys hired a former Charger coordinator.

But could there be something else in common between the two teams? This year, the Dallas Cowboys brought in Jason Garrett to be the apprentice to Wade Phillips and learn how to run a team before taking over in a couple years. Jerry Jones really liked what he saw in Garrett but figured he wasn't ready to be a head coach, and probably thought that while Garrett knew enough about the offense, he should learn about how to run a defense, and what better way to do that than with the league's best 3-4 defensive mind.

This got me to thinking; could the chargers be planning something like this themselves? For the past two offseasons, Ron Rivera has spent the first month of the offseason interviewing for head coaching positions and had missed out on over 10 head coaching jobs. Rivera felt he missed out on many of those jobs because of his lack of 3-4 experience, and so he ultimately took the Chargers Linebacker coach position to get a chance to learn about the nuances of the 34 defense.

Now why would he come to San Diego to be the Linebacker coach when he could of easily went to Dallas and became the LB coach or even defensive coordinator and learn from the best?

Here is my thought; When Rivera came to interview for the head coaching job here in San Diego, he supposedly had a great interview with AJ Smith and was said be the only candidate who interviewed that came to AJ with a "plan". Could this all be part of "the plan"?

Everything he has done the past 4 years has suggested that AJ Smith believes the old saying "Defense wins championship" and many believe that he wanted Wade Phillips to be Marty Schottenheimer's replacement. So why would he hire an Offensive coach like Norv Turner? Could it be that AJ didn't believe Rivera was ready and wanted him to learn the 3-4 defense first from a Wade Phillips understudy (Ted Cottrell)? Also could it be, that much like Jason Garrett, AJ Smith didn't think he was ready to handle the other side of the ball and wanted him to learn from one of the best in the business?

Now, there are no facts to prove this theory, but hey, its the offseason, what else is there to talk about??

Pat Kirwan is a respected NFL analyst. A former GM who has been involved in the NFL for many years, Pat Kirwan is a guy who knows a little bit about football.

Over at NFL.com, Kirwan has a piece up about the importance of roster depth. With the preseason, regular season, and playoffs, there are many weeks of punishment that players endure to their bodies and injuries are a real issue. So it's important to have the right guys on the roster who can step in and help if, or when, they are called upon. These important non-starters are the guys who help make up a great team, and the Chargers are no exception.

The following are the questions that Kirwan poses the teams of the NFL, and give the answers from a Chargers prospective:

OFFENSIVE QUESTIONS
1. An experienced backup quarterback who can win more than half the games he may have to start. (Billy Volek)
2. A running back who can come off the bench and deliver 1,000 yards. (Michael Turner)
3. A third wide receiver who can step up to a starter's spot and deliver five to six receptions a game. (Eric Parker/Craig Davis)
4. A swing tackle who can stop a pass rush on either the left or right side. (Roman Oben )
5. An inside lineman who can play center or guard ... or at least give the line coach the flexibility to change the combination inside. (Cory Withtrow)
6. A second tight end who does not reduce the offensive package. (Scott Chandler)

DEFENSIVE QUESTIONS
1. A third defensive end who can rush the passer. (Jacques Cesaire)
2. A third defensive tackle who can create a rotation inside to keep the D-line fresh. (Ryon Bingham)
3. At least two backup linebackers with big contributions on special teams. (Tim Dobbins, Anthony Waters )
4. A third corner to build a nickel defense and start when needed. (Antonio Cromartie)
5. A third safety to build a dime defense and be versatile enough to play strong or free safety in a pinch. (Clinton Hart)

Obviously the Chargers, under their proactive and prepared GM AJ Smith, have the manpower and talent level to weather just about any storm they will face in the upcoming season in terms of roster depth and injuries.