It’s a time filled with tremendous aggravation and frustration for San Diego Chargers fans. The Lightning Bolts have missed the postseason the last two years, and team president Dean Spanos decided to retain both general manager A.J. Smith and head coach Norv Turner, in spite of unremitting backlash from the fan base. To compound the issues Eli Manning, the quarterback who refused to play for San Diego after he was picked #1 overall by the Chargers in the 2004 NFL draft, is set to make his second Super Bowl appearance—one in which he will probably be victorious.
It doesn’t seem as though matters could be any worse for Chargers fans at this moment in time. But the offseason is here, meaning hope has been restored with the belief San Diego has as good a chance as any other team to hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy in February 2013.
Now, more than ever, several changes must be made along the Lightning Bolts’ roster. The trenches, in particular, must be shored up, as the Chargers have been bullied by the more physical teams—the hated Oakland Raiders, most notably. It’s time for A.J. Smith to bite the bullet and spend a lot of dough in free agency—something he has neglected to do since taking over as general manager in 2003. And, just as importantly, it’s imperative that the fat be trimmed off the current roster; key veterans who haven’t earned their paychecks over the last couple seasons need to be sent packing.
There’s a lot of work to be completed before the 2012 season kicks off, and fans would like to have their confidence boosted over the next seven months. The first step to accomplishing that goal would be to let go of the players who have held this team back in recent seasons. Those fitting into that category include:
1. Jeromey Clary
Clary isn’t an underachiever or a wash-up. To put it bluntly, he’s just not a good player and wouldn’t be starting for the majority of the other teams in the NFL. The fact he’s lasted this long as the Chargers’ starting right tackle is sickening to most of the team’s fans, as it represents the most glaring example of how poorly the front office and coaching staff have approached restocking the offensive line over the last five seasons. Clary is a swinging gate at his position, causing franchise quarterback Philip Rivers to be under constant duress whenever dropping back to pass.
With Jared Gaither proving he’s still capable of playing left tackle at an elite level, Marcus McNeill could be an option to take over for Clary. If McNeill’s career is over due to a neck injury, Smith will most likely have to find a right tackle in the draft or through free agency. Well, that’s the hope, at least. There’s just no question Clary needs to go.
2. Luis Castillo
Castillo has been an above-average defensive end in the Chargers’ 3-4 scheme since he was selected at the end of the first round in the 2005 draft. The problem with him is he’s never duplicated his efforts during the 2006 season, when he recorded seven sacks and played at an elite level. Ever since that point he has been a descending player, and now he’s coming off an injury that forced him to miss 15 games in 2011.
The Chargers need more production out of Castillo’s position than they’ve been receiving from him over the last five seasons. He’s been an overpaid player, and that needs to stop. Smith would be wise to release Castillo and move on.
3. Kris Dielman
After coming to San Diego as an undrafted free agent in 2003, Dielman has been a fixture at left guard for the Lightning Bolts. He’s a nasty, gritty player with a mean streak very few could match. The concussion he suffered in the Meadowlands against the New York Jets last October 23 was real scary, however, and the after-effects (there were rumors he had a seizure on the plane ride home from that game) are even more frightening. Understandably, after suffering the concussion Dielman missed the rest of the season and is considering retirement.
So, this isn’t a plea for Smith to release a player on the decline. Rather, Dielman should be encouraged to retire, since his health is obviously more important than playing a vicious and unforgiving game.
4. Vincent Jackson
When healthy, Jackson has proven he’s capable of performing as a top-10 receiver in the NFL. Unfortunately, staying healthy hasn’t exactly been his forte recently. Jackson played all 16 games this past season, but he was a shell of himself in more than a few of them, thanks to a lingering hamstring strain holding him back.
With Malcom Floyd missing at least four games per season, and Antonio Gates hobbling around with his plantar fascia ailment, the Chargers need a #1 receiver capable of leading the unit for all of 2012 and beyond. Jackson just turned 29 on January 14, and it’s likely he doesn’t have many more seasons in which he’ll be able to compete at a high level. With that in mind, in addition to a number of teams likely showing immense interest if Jackson were to become available, the best move for Smith would be to slap the franchise tag on the wide receiver and trade him for a late first-round pick.
One team that could be an ideal trading partner is the Cleveland Browns, who possess two first-round picks, the latter being the 23rd overall. If Smith were able to acquire that selection, he could then use it on Notre Dame’s Michael Floyd or South Carolina’s Alshon Jeffery to fill the void resulting from Jackson’s departure.
5. Quentin Jammer
Jammer has been a reliable starter in the defensive backfield for several seasons, but he was flagged for far too many heartbreaking pass interference penalties and didn’t record an interception in 2011. Additionally, he’s about to turn 33 in June, so it’s obvious his best days at cornerback are behind him.
It’s time for the Chargers to move on and hand Jammer’s starting job over to Marcus Gilchrist, Shareece Wright, or a new player acquired in free agency or the draft. With the rules favoring the passing game these days—and a 2012 schedule that includes the Atlanta Falcons (Matt Ryan, Roddy White, Julio Jones, Tony Gonzalez), New Orleans Saints (Drew Brees, Jimmy Graham), Baltimore Ravens (Joe Flacco, Anquan Boldin, Torrey Smith, Ed Dickson, Dennis Pitta), Cincinnati Bengals (Andy Dalton, A.J. Green, Jerome Simpson, Jermaine Gresham), and Pittsburgh Steelers (Ben Roethlisberger, Mike Wallace, Heath Miller)—San Diego needs to get younger and more athletic at cornerback. It’s unlikely that Jammer will accept a demotion and pay cut, so it’s best for him to find another team to play for.
6. Nate Kaeding
Let’s keep this one short and sweet. Can anyone recall Kaeding making a clutch field goal in the postseason? Nuff said.
Classic Videos
For this edition of the blog I’d like to take the readers back to the last time the Chargers won a playoff game.
Hopefully it won’t be too long until the next time the Lightning Bolts experience postseason success.
Part I
Part I
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