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The San Diego Chargers have Super Bowl talent. Unfortunately, they also have the stubbornness of Archie Bunker and Rosie O’Donnell, combined.
Well, the team doesn’t, but the front office sure as hell does.
General manager A.J. Smith continues to reinforce his hard-line stance with two players holding out for better contracts. And this isn’t just any old pair of players — this is your starting left tackle and your top wide receiver.
On a team that will go as far (or short) as the offence – particularly the passing game — brings it, not caving or at least compromising with two crucial players like Marcus McNeill and Vincent Jackson is essentially football suicide.
There’s no obvious answer for why Smith is refusing to give raises to two players who clearly deserve a pay bump. It could have to do with the looming labour strife that could lead to a lockout after this season. The Chargers could be trying to take a stance against the players in a mild bargaining ploy — even though such a ploy may very well jeopardize their 2010 season.
Or it could be that Smith and/or team owner Alex Spanos feel as though no player deserves a new deal with time left on his contract. Technically, neither player is eligible for free agency until 2011. The only problem with that theory, of course, is that the team handed quarterback Philip Rivers a massive extension last summer and gave tight end Antonio Gates a big one this summer.
Or it could be that Smith simply doesn’t feel McNeill or Jackson are as valuable as most assume. The Chargers surrendered only 26 sacks with McNeill manning Rivers’ blind side in 2009, but with insurance policy Tra Thomas recently retiring, Brandyn Dombrowski is currently slated to start in McNeill’s place on the left side — somewhere he’s never played in his career. The depth behind Jackson at wideout isn’t much better, with Legedu Naanee becoming a starter.
After all the respect the team showed Rivers with that new contract last offseason, they’re throwing their franchise player under a bus in 2010, all to either prove a broad point or to pursue what is clearly a cockeyed risk.
2009 in a nutshell: After winning 13 games and dominating the AFC West (again) they dissolve in the playoffs and get upset in the divisional round (again).
Why 2010 could be different, in a nutshell: No McNeill or Jackson; no LaDainian Tomlinson; the emergence of Larry English; a big rookie season from Ryan Mathews.
Three random thoughts/observations/projections
1. With Tomlinson gone, it’s a new era in the San Diego backfield. Expectations are high for rookie Ryan Mathews, but it’s important to remember that the dude still hasn’t played a game in the NFL. Before grabbing him in the top 10 of your fantasy draft, consider that the Chargers averaged an NFL-worst 3.3 yards per carry in 2009. Of course, the devil’s advocate could argue that part of that could be blamed on the worn-out Tomlinson. Plus, second-year guard Louis Vasquez is a star in the making. Oh, and don’t discount Darren Sproles. Never, ever discount Darren Sproles.
2. Tomlinson isn’t the only Chargers star that left for “greener” pastures. Antonio Cromartie also moved on to the Jets in the offseason, but the team obviously dealt the former star corner with the belief that Antoine Cason can fill his shoes. If the 24-year-old Cason fails, they’ve got quality veteran backups in Nathan Vasher and Donald Strickland.
3. McNeill and Jackson aside, the pass rush is San Diego’s biggest concern. Shawne Merriman isn’t the player he used to be and there just isn’t a lot of talent in the front seven, especially with Jamal Williams gone. The pressure’s on second-year outside linebacker Larry English to start living up to the hype that surrounded him when he was drafted. English has had a good August and might push Merriman and Shaun Phillips for playing time.
2010 prediction: Despite all the turmoil, they’re still the best team in the AFC West. But this isn’t shaping up to be the Chargers’ year. I expect them to once again bow out of the playoffs in their first game.
