From 2005 week 3 preseason Dark Phoenix article:
Cleo Lemon, QB3 San Diego Chargers
6’2” 226 lbs. – Arkansas State – Undrafted Free Agent (2001)
Passing Stats Att Comp Yards TDS INT Att Yards TDS
Versus Minnesota 14 19 136 1 0 0 0 0
Cleo Lemon is a phenomenal athlete that was a devastating weapon at Arkansas State. He set all ASU passing and offensive yardage records while in college. He is a coaches son and is a very intelligent QB. He tossed a school record 49 TD’s while passing for 7,706 yards at Arkansas State.
Lemon’s greatest asset is his ability to scramble and make plays with his feet. He has a rocket arm and can make all the deep throws necessary to be productive at the pro level. His delivery is spot on, and his mechanics are very sound. He can move around well in the pocket, but is not a running QB. He feels the rush well, and anticipates pressure. His accuracy has been poor, but he is improving.
Cleo was signed to the Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2001. He was released shortly thereafter when he failed his physical because of a lingering knee injury. He bounced around for a while in the NFL, from the Ravens in 2002, to the Chargers in 2003. He did spend some time in NFLE with the Berlin Thunder where he backed up Tim Hasselbeck and Todd Husak. He spent the 2003 season on the Chargers practice squad, and was held as the 4th QB in 2004. It’s interesting to note that he was not put on the PS in 2004. The Chargers felt that Lemon would be signed by another team and they didn’t want to lose him. Doug Flutie was released in the off season and Lemon was promoted to 3rd string. The QB situation in San Diego bears watching. Obviously, the team loves what Lemon can do and are grooming him slowly. With Brees signing his one year franchise tender, Cleo could be promoted to 2nd string as early as next year. Many feel that if Brees has another solid year, the Chargers will trade Rivers thus making Lemon #2. Cleo Lemon is the perfect example of the long shot who’s working hard to make an impact.
