Unflattering article by Kevin Acee, respected Chargers beat writer:
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2015/mar/15/chargers-confusing-free-agency-acee/
So far, Chargers losing the offseason
The Indianapolis Colts evidently don’t think getting to the AFC Championship game is good enough.
Maybe the Chargers can grab some of Indianapolis' current players in a few years – to help build around their quarterback, Marcus Mariota.
The Colts have been to the postseason three straight years and have made March moves clearly aimed at trying to make sure they continue their momentum.
Indianapolis' signings – Frank Gore, Andre Johnson and Trent Cole – are not guaranteed to get them a step further. But general manager Ryan Grigson is being unquestionably bold as he tries to better what was already a really good team.
Meanwhile, Chargers G.M. Tom Telesco, two years removed from being Grigson’s chief lieutenant, continues to follow the example of another one of his former bosses, Bill Polian, who views free agency the way Dean Spanos views Mission Valley. As in, well, maybe, and only if he has to.
Polian will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in August. His 2006 Colts team won a Super Bowl, and he built rosters that made five others. That’s a good guy to emulate.
But Telesco didn't need to simply make a few tweaks to a winner, and the timing seemed right for us to rightly expect more than what has happened.
We weren’t talking A.J. Preller-type seismic activity, just something much more than a typical A.J. Smith offseason.
The Chargers entered the free agency period with enough room under the salary cap to do whatever they wanted. And they’ve wanted to do more than they have been able to, even if they are putting on happy faces about the current state of affairs.
They can say they like their team, but they know it must be much better than it is now to make the postseason and compete with the likes of the Colts.
The Chargers are coming off a second straight 9-7 season. They are not currently better than they were when they walked off the field in Kansas City on Dec. 28, so close yet so far from making the postseason. They are, by many measures, worse.
They will get a weapon back in Danny Woodhead. Their offensive line appears to be improved. Other than that, the Chargers are in regression. They need a starting running back and another impact receiver. They've done nothing to strengthen their defensive front. They are desperate for depth all over the defense.
The draft, in theory, could leave us speechless. Theoretically, a blockbuster trade could be engineered.
Someone on the second floor at Chargers Park pointed out Saturday that the offseason is not over. But, but …
What are we doing?
That sums up – and in some cases precisely quotes – the tweets and e-mails from fans and the texts from players this past week.
The Chargers have done well to keep their own, locking up left tackle King Dunlap and cornerback Brandon Flowers. They also presumably got better at left guard with the signing of former Denver Bronco Orlando Franklin and necessarily enhanced the return game with Jacoby Jones, the former Baltimore Ravens wideout. Jimmy Wilson, a guy Telesco has long liked, will be given every opportunity to be the starting strong safety.
Look, it’s not that Telesco has been vacationing.
The Chargers made at least some advances toward Ndamukong Suh, the top available free agent. They talked about Randall Cobb. They offered Johnson more money than he got from the Colts.
It hasn’t worked out.
And there aren’t a whole lot of game-changing players left on the market.
Super Bowls aren’t won in March. But Super Bowl-contending teams are re-tooled at this time. It’s been disheartening to see what other teams are doing.
The Seattle Seahawks, seconds from winning their second straight Super Bowl in February, last week traded for tight end Jimmy Graham. The Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins are attempting to loosen New England’s viselike grip on the AFC East with a slew of moves. The St. Louis Rams aren’t sitting back in a tough division and shrugging their shoulders. The Philadelphia Eagles let a lot of production get away but made the signings to replace it.
Arguably, the biggest news the Chargers have made was in the revelation they’re going to conduct a private pre-draft workout with Mariota, the Oregon quarterback expected to be taken early in the first round.
Weird.
Consider that the franchise quarterback is entering the final year of his contract and is eyeing everything you do this offseason as he decides whether he wants to continue his Super Bowl quest in San Diego (or Los Angeles).
Even understanding the need for due diligence – the Chargers have worked out quarterbacks before during Rivers’ tenure -- going to that length with a first-round QB is a head-scratcher.
But, then, this Chargers offseason is confusing.
