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Eric Parker, too. And last year, Gates, Jamal, LT, and Scifres.
Nope. I know there was plenty of space at the beginning of the offseason, but I don't know how the extentions were structured (e.g., "likely to be earned" incentive clauses that would count against this year's cap), so I don't know the current status.
I'm drunk off the AJ Smith kool aid. Love the hard stances he takes. Love the build from within philosophy.
I don't know. According to KFFL, "San Diego Chargers OT Shane Olivea signed a six-year contract worth $0 million." Seems like a good deal to me.
I'm not. I think they come out of the gate with two wins, Oak and Tenn, and then they get a bye week. What could be more perfect for breaking in McNeill, who imo is better than Oben. I think there's way to much Oben love in this thread. The OL is upgraded after brief growing pains. It's not like they've lost a franchise LT. It's more like they've added a young one. I'm not worried about Rivers either. Brees was a terrific leader, but he isn't the talent Rivers is. A healthy Jackson improves the receiving corps. The front 7 on D is excellent and close to dominant. If Merriman blows up like I think they will, this D will win games with little help from the O. The secondary while still suspect has been improved and I expect the Chargers to be better than they were last year.
Cromartie could be the playmaker the defensive backfield has lacked for years. If he and Florence continue their spirited battle thru the season, the nickel package will be vastly improved.And without McNeil's hand injury, I'd have no worries whatsoever about the OL. I think McNeil is an upgrade from Oben by week 6, assuming his hand heals with no setbacks.
Last year they had 10.7 pythagorean wins, 10.9 DVOA-estimated wins, and were the third best team in the NFL according to both this basic power rating system and this one.They should be better this year, but even if they stay the same they should make the playoffs with the easier schedule.
He and Florence looked great back there last week, I mean great. Yeah Cromartie did make a couple of rookie mistakes, but he really did show flashes back there. I can't think of a CB to compare him to really, he's got the athleticism and speed of a Deion (almost) but the physicality of a Rod Woodson (or bettter) and he's one of the biggest CBs to come down the pike since I don't know when. He could be scary good. Not sure I like all the gold teeth though.I'm somewhat saddened that the competition is between Florence and Cromartie - I think they'll both end up being better than Jammer.But it's a better situation to have than years past.The defense really frustrated the Seahawks 1st string offense, even with the starters in there - you could see Hasselbeck getting ticked off after a few plays. I think the Chargers will have a monster defense this year if they can all stay healthy.I'm not as high on Rivers as I was a few weeks ago. He does look like he's got a bit of on the job learning to do. A few of his passes last week were pretty off target with no pressure on him.Still it's preseason.I've got to believe we'll pick up an OL here in the next week or so from somewhere.
Source on the Bollinger/Ramsey talk?Not doubting you I just have always been a Ramsey fan and would be very excited if he ended up in SD. I don't think he ever got a fair shake in WAS and sources say he didn't look good for the NYJ.... ummm, would any QB look good for the NYJ right about now? Definitely a tier below Griese as far as backups go but I'd just as soon have Ramsey as Volek.
Agreed. It's not that Jammer sucks, it's just he's some weird hybrid of a fast/physical DB that hits pretty well that doesn't quite cover well enough to be a CB but doesn't seem to have the ball-hawking skills you'd want in a safety. If they were creative it would seem like he could really contribute as a nickle back but isn't he being payed too much to contribute as a nickel back and simply give you depth at CB and S? Still curious what his extention $'s look like.
Pat Kirwan on Sirius.
You're off base on the first and WAY, WAY off base on the second. Not having Gates in week #1 last season cost SD absolutely NOTHING as things turned out. They were more than a game away from making the playoffs. They ended up with the top TE in the game locked up long term for prime years of his career and I'm pretty sure at least Gonzo and V.Davis are making more $ than he is. They got him for a bargain because Gates had no bargaining position and opted for more years(bigger signing bonus) rather than a shorter contract. Both sides won.... but AJ and the Chargers couldn't have hoped for a happier ending. After the Gates signing AJ was at his zenith as a GM imo, HR in just about every at bat. Since then there have been some questionable calls but they haven't all been bad.
Keep in mind that most RTs have deals that were done under the former CBA with a much lower cap. In the new era, as soon as RTs start getting new deals under the new cap, Olivea's contract won't end up looking as expensive.
I doubt Marty would worry about money and start Jammer if he had better options. Jammer played the best football of his life down the stretch last season. He gave up very little, made nice plays, and only a couple picks were missing from a very impressive stretch. Until Cromartie comes of age, Jammer is the best CB in SD. All the negative talk is based on a very disappointing start to his career, but he played at a high level late last season. Seriously. I can remember thinking, 'who is that guy' several times. He's fine.
I'm not dissapointed so much about Jammer not making the big play (or even getting burned occasionaly); even the very best CBs go through that. What bothers me about Jammer is his tendency to draw pass interference calls so frequently on third downs. He was still doing that late into last season.
Slow down buddy. comparisons Deion and Woodson huh?A-Cro is very very raw and green.
I should have qualified. I wasn't comparing Cromartie to Sanders and Woodson the established all-time great pros that they were, I was comparing him to them as they were when they first entered the league as a way of examining his potential. I'm trying to find one player to draw comparisons to, but I'm coming up empty, he seems to be a very uncommon blend of attributes.He does have a way to go, but I love the way he flies around the field. It looks like he and Merriman will wreak some havoc for years to come if they can stay healthy.bicycle_seat_sniffer said:
I agree with that!
Big corners dont come around often. Im hoping for the best. Bobby Taylor but quicker?
That's what I'm talking about - I can't think of one guy to compare him to that captures all his (seeming) charactaristics. But that's not a bad comparison either.I mean, the guy's 6'3" 210, he makes coverage mistakes but is able to make up for many of them by reclosing the gap with his speed while the ball's in the air. He's running down receivers that have 5 yards on him like it's nothing - and he's that size.I had real doubts about him when he was drafted, but the preseason has been a revalation. I'm excited about having this guy on the team. I also like Marty's approach with bringing him along.
Don't forget about his leaping ability. The guy looks like Spiderman sometimes.
I'm pulling this off another board, but the whole core of the team looks like it will be around together for a long time:Jammer, Quentin signed through - 2012Tomlinson, LaDainian RB signed through - 2011Antonio Cromartie – signed through 2011Gates, Antonio TE signed through - 2011Marlon McCree S signed through - 2011Rivers, Philip QB signed through - 2011Hardwick, Nick C signed through - 2011Olivea, Shane G-T signed through - 2011Cesaire, Jacques DT signed through - 2011Scifres, Mike P signed through - 2011Merriman, Shawne signed through - 2010Castillo, Luis signed through - 2010Williams, Jamal DT signed through - 2010Olshansky, Igor DT signed through - 2010Cooper, Stephen LB signed through - 2010Jackson, Vincent signed through - 2010Parker, Eric WR signed through - 2010Osgood, Kassim WR signed through - 2010Tim Dobbins LB signed through - 2010Charlie Whitehurst QB signed through - 2010Sproles, Darren signed through - 2009Foley, Steve signed through - 2009Goff, Mike G signed through - 2009Hart, Clinton FS signed through - 2009Binn, David signed through - 2009If they can extend Shaun Phillips, Kris Dielman, and Matt Wilhelm (and possibly Drayton Florence), they'll have a lot of young talent locked up for a long time. They need to go out and get a right guard next offseason to eventually succeed Mike Goff. The OL is worrisome for its lack of depth, but (from left to right) McNeill, Dielman, Hardwick, [fill in future RG here], and Olivea should be a solid starting unit for years to come.
They also need to continue to upgarde the secondary. A.J. has addressed this need in the past three off-seasons, but it is still a long ways from being a quality unit.
Agreed. I loved reading the UT this morning and seeing that Marty named Drayton the starter opposite Jammer. That means Cromartie will be able to get his feet wet in the nickel and spelling the starters.At some point (like with Merriman last year) I think it will become obvious that Cromartie has to be on the field at all times. His talent appears to be head and shoulders above everyone else in the Charger secondary.
He seems to have a knack for drawng penalties at the absolute worst possible times - still.
