The Chargers' rookies report to training camp this Sunday, Head Coach Norv Turner says wide receivers like Floyd and Naanee have a big opportunity this year, and Philip Rivers looks ahead to the 2010 NFL regular season.
Sunday rookies will report to Chargers training camp, and their first practice will commence the following day. This will give them about a four or five day head-start on the veterans, who report on the 30th. What will be interesting to see is whether or not first round draft pick Ryan Mathews reports and practices.
Mathews recently told Kevin Acee of the Union-Tribune that he hopes to be in camp on time, but admits that the business side of things could complicate that.
“It’s also a business,” Mathews said. “That’s what I have to realize. I want to be on time. Hopefully that happens. If not, there’s nothing I can do.”
If no deal is in place and Mathews does not practice on Monday, the hold-out official begins. Just how long this hold-out will be, no one knows. But for a team who is relying so much on their top pick to power their running game, it would behoove both sides to quickly come to an agreement.
BOLTS' RECEIVERS PRESENTED WITH RARE OPPORTUNITY IF VINCENT JACKSON DOESN'T PLAY
There's no question the Chargers are a better team with Vincent Jackson on the field, but as most expect him to hold out until week 10 of the regular season, the rest of the receivers in the group will get more chances to make plays.
"If Vincent Jackson isn't with us, Legedu Naanee is getting the opportunity of a lifetime," Head Coach Norv Turner said. "Buster Davis is getting the opportunity of a lifetime. Legedu believes he can be a dynamic, explosive receiver in this league. He has the same feeling about himself that Vincent Jackson had about himself when I got here, and Vincent's done that."
Malcom Floyd and Legedu Naanee will be keys to the Chargers down-field passing attack, but they still have some questions marks on them. Will Floyd stay healthy for the entire year? Has Naanee improved in his consistency with securing catchable passes? As for Buster Davis, he needs to show the fans the flashes he showed during his college years. He needs to justify his first-round draft grade and prove that the Chargers didn't make a mistake selecting him over Sidney Rice.
A former Chargers great passes away, Ryan Mathews makes it clear he wants to be in camp on time, and the NFL holds it's annual rookie symposium here in San Diego.
DON CORYELL PASSES AWAY AT THE AGE OF 85
Former Chargers coach Don Coryell has passes away at the age of 85 after a hard-fought battle with illness. Widely considered father of the modern passing game, his impact on the game is felt league-wide and it remains a mystery why he has not yet been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
“We are talking about a most unbelievable individual loved by thousands of players and fans because of his style, his graciousness and his warmth, and for his love of football and the way the game should be played.” - Dan Fouts on Don Coryell
San Diego State University will hold "The Celebration of Don Coryell's Life" on July 12th, 2010 at Viejas Area. Ceremony starts at 2pm and is open to the public.
RYAN MATHEWS NOT LIKELY TO HOLD OUT
“My main thing is to get into camp as soon as possible,” Mathews said. “I’ve talked to my agent; I need to be there. Too many guys hold out for all the wrong reasons and I’m not going to be one of them. I’m looking ahead, to winning that last game of the year, the Super Bowl.”
San Diego Union Tribune multimedia producer 'Annie' chats with Chargers rookies at the annual Rookie Symposium held at the La Costa Resort and Spa here in North San Diego:
Antonio Gates misses the start of Chargers minicamp to see a foot specialist on the East coast, Kevin Ellison gets excused from camp so as to not be a distraction, and questions surrounding the Bolts as the prepare for the 2010 NFL season.
KEVIN ELLISON TOLD NOT TO ATTEND CHARGERS MINICAMP
Following his recent arrest due to possession of 100 pills of Vicodin, Kevin Ellison finds himself in hot water not only with the law, but with his employer as well. The San Diego Chargers have excused Ellison from attending camp so as to focus on his legal proceedings and not be a distraction at camp. Ellison is awaiting possible charges and as such the Chargers will hold off on any disciplinary action. Says GM AJ Smith "It's disappointing to hear about the issue involving Kevin Ellison. We'll continue to monitor the situation and let the legal process run its course."
Ellison, already expected to have to compete for a starting job with rookie Darrell Stuckey now may face a potential suspension or, at the most severe, an outright release.
GATES MISSES START CAMP TO SEE FOOT SPECIALIST IN NORTH CAROLINA
Antonio Gates is still battling an issue with his foot; remember a couple of years ago when Gates badly sprained his toe in the playoff game against the Tennessee Titans? Apparently something is still wrong there. The Chargers have announced that Gates will miss the start of camp to see a foot specialist in North Carolina. At this time it's unclear if the injury has lingered, or if a new issue has arisen as a result of the toe. The Chargers say it's not serious, but this is a very interesting situation to monitor.
CHARGERS CAMP QUESTIONS
ESPN's Mike Golic and Tim Hasselbeck look at questions facing the Chargers heading into camp:
The Chargers sign a veteran kicker in preparation for the offseason training program, rookies arrive in San Diego this week, and an interesting look at the Bolts' top draft pick Ryan Mathews...
CHARGERS SIGN VETERAN KICKER
In a move that should please the anti-Nate Kaeding contingent, the San Diego Chargers have signed veteran NFL placekicker Mike Novak to a one-year deal. While some may look at this move as a signal that Nate Kaeding is in danger of losing his job, the signing of Novak is likely serves simply to ease the pressure off of Kaeding during training camp, as he is still recovering from a groin injury. Nevertheless, it will still be interesting to see if Novak sticks, as AJ Smith has tried in the past to experiment with carrying two placekickers on the roster in addition to a punter.
ROOKIES SCHEDULED TO ARRIVE IN SAN DIEGO THIS WEEK
The Chargers are bringing in their rookies this week to get them up to speed on how camp will work as they progress through the summer. The trainers and coaches will get them acclimated to the facility and structure of the offseason program, and will also spend a considerable amount of time in the classroom going over the scheme and positional responsibilities.
This time will be critical for the mid to late round draft picks as they are not guaranteed roster spots and will face fierce competition from the veterans already on the team. This will be especially true for guys like Cam Thomas and Darrell Stuckey who are coming to a team where they will not be automatically inserted into the lineup, unlike Ryan Matthews and perhaps Donald Butler (special teams). Even Dedrick Epps is more or less safe as the Chargers only have 2 tight ends and need a third. Thomas in particular will need to work on his consistency, a knock on him coming out in the draft.
UNION-TRIBUNE PROFILES RYAN MATHEWS
In what is becoming an increasingly high-quality production, the San Diego Union-Tribune has debuted another Chargers video, this time profiling Ryan Mathews' path toward the pro level:
Former Charger great Junior Seau was recently attending a Professional Bull Fighters event in Ontario, California where he performed as a guest bull fighter. Unfortunately for the retired linebacker, Seau ended up with hoof marks on his back.
(CBS) Before he became a symbol of animal cruelty, Michael Vick was one of the most electrifying players in American football. As quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons, he was the highest paid player in the league, and he pulled in tens of millions of dollars in endorsements.
But it all came to an abrupt end two years ago when police raided a farm Vick owned in Virginia and uncovered an illegal dog fighting operation. He eventually pled guilty to bankrolling the enterprise and participating in every aspect of it, including killing dogs that refused to fight. He was sentenced to two years in prison, and eventually declared bankruptcy.
Last month he was released and conditionally reinstated into the NFL.
Friday, at a press conference in Philadelphia, it was announced he'd be playing for the Philadelphia Eagles, after signing a two-year contract, with the possibility of earning nearly $7 million.
In his first interview since going to prison, Michael Vick explains what he did, why he did it, and how he says he has changed.
I came across an excellent highlights mixtape of Ladainian Tomlinson doing his thing on the football field. LT is right up there with Junior Seau as my two favorite Chargers of all-time. Very early on, you could tell that Tomlinson was something special. He was deadly in the open field. His jump-cuts were downright nasty. And he has always had an uncanny nose for the endzone. If after watching this video you aren't pumped for the upcoming Chargers season, you need to turn in your Bolt fan card.
If you own a Tomlinson jersey, please stand up! (post a comment)
NFL Network's Total Access show put together their list of the Top 10 San Diego Chargers of all-time. But is a list that doesn't include Ladainian Tomlinson in the top 3 inherently flawed? What's your take on their list?
10. Fred Dean - DE, Hall of Fame 09. Walt Sweeney - OG, 9-time Pro Bowl selection 08. John Hadl - QB, 6-time Pro Bowl selection 07. Charlie Joiner - WR, Hall of Fame 06. Kellen Winslow - TE, Hall of Fame 05. Ron Mix - OT, Hall of Fame 04. Ladainian Tomlinson - RB, 5-time Pro Bowl selection 03. Lance Alworth - WR, Hall of Fame 02. Dan Fouts - QB, Hall of Fame 01. Junior Seau - LB, 12-time Pro Bowl selection
If you've got a better list, feel free to post it in the comments section!
Ladainian Tomlinson stopped by the ESPN studios this week for a sit down video interview. In the talk, LT spoke of growing older, enduring injuries and the struggle to stay healthy, why he feels he can bounce back from a down year, and his chase for "the record" - Emmitt Smith's 18,355 career rushing yards: "I realized how close you can come to not playing the game anymore," says Tomlinson. "When you're young, you figure 'I'm going to play as long as I want to. Everything is so easy right now, the sky's the limit.' But after going through what I did last year [nagging injuries that led to sub par production], I realized that I don't want to walk away from the game and look back and say, 'You know what, I should have went after the record. I should have kept playing, and see if I can really get it.' Ultimately, that's what it's all about - it's about leaving a mark on the game. If I'm gone, then it's over. When I'm gone, it's over. There wont be any coming back and forth, so I want to make sure that I do it right the first time."
How realistic is LT's goal of becoming the NFL all-time rushing leader? He needs around 7000 yards to accomplish that lofty feat. If he can average at least 1000 yards per season for the next 7 seasons, he could do it. But will he play for 7 more years? And if so, do you think he'll still be a San Diego Charger?
Chargers middle linebacker Stephen Cooper tells NFL Network analyst and former offensive lineman Brian Baldinger that this team is the best he's ever been on:
"This is the best team I've been on; the guys are coming back off of injuries, everybody is healthy. That's the biggest thing about this team. Shawne [Merriman] is coming back and he's looking better than ever."
Baldinger takes us behind the scenes at Chargers Park as he tours the facility and visits with some of the San Diego's superstar players:
The San Diego Chargers scouting department will go to extreme ends to make sure they know everything there is to know about a prospect, and that includes personally experiencing a player's explosion into the pads. Tom Gibbons nearly puts his life on the line trying to absorb a blow dished out by defensive lineman Vaughn Martin:
About BOLTHYPE:
Established in the summer of 2006, BOLTHYPE has steadily become the premier San Diego Chargers blog on the internet. By choosing to remain independent, BOLTHYPE has built up a strong following without the support of blog networks, and continues to attract new readers everyday. BOLTHYPE is dedicated to providing our readers with fresh and informative takes on their favorite NFL team, the San Diego Chargers.
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