Offseason Recap: Thus Far April 12, 2010

I haven’t posted in a while, mostly because so much of the offseason is speculation and rumors.  I generally like to present my opinions regarding the Chargers, but general manager AJ Smith rarely makes big splashy moves in the offseason.  As such, I shut down on football until the draft, where I actually have a chance  for the excitement of possible trades and the great unknown of who we might draft.  AJ Smith does not follow Mel Kiper’s draft board, that much is certain.

This year, however, saw some very eventful times at Chargers Park.  A future hall of fame player was unceremoniously cut; a monster was released; a once incredibly promising talent was dealt to the very team that defeated the Chargers in the playoffs the past season; our third string quarterback was traded for incredible value…I’d say we’ve been spoiled here in San Diego.

A Chargers legend

Ladainian Tomlinson:  What other than his name needs writing?  No Chargers fan could ever forget that this man was literally the face of the Chargers for almost a decade; an icon to satisfy our thirst for football greatness in the wake of the disaster that was Ryan Leaf.  I could stay awake all night writing about all of the missed opportunities regarding the time the Chargers employed one of the most prolific running backs of all time, but then I wouldn’t be able to wake up for the job I don’t have.  I do need to get this off my chest though: Tomlinson will be missed.  Despite everything that has happened the past couple of years, despite my constant rationalization of why he needed to go - he was once the heart and soul that Chargers fans could connect to.  When everything around him was bad, he was great; when everything around him was good, he elevated his game to the outer reaches of the atmosphere, breathing the rare air that only the greats have.  We will miss you Ladainian.  Please forgive San Diego and come back when you retire, we will always love you.

Jamal Williams: This man was the glue that held our defense together for years, anchoring our once vaunted run defense.  In recent years, Williams’ susceptibility to injury kept him out of the game enough to make a huge difference.  The entire defense suffered as a result, from the pass rush all the way to the secondary.  The domino effect his absence had on the defense received multiple band-aids in the form of free agent signings and a revolving team at the defensive tackle position, but it wasn’t really the same as having a pro-bowl caliber performer on the field.  While I felt he was the most important part of our defense, I can understand why he was released.  We need players who are healthy and on the field.  The thing that truly sucks is that he was signed by hated division rival Denver.

Antonio Cromartie: Babies.  How many does he have, seven?  I’m on my third or fourth glass of Pinot Noir, so I really can’t remember.  My own humble opinion is that Cromartie is one of the biggest wastes of talent ever conceived.  When the sister chromatids were crossing over in meiosis, somehow the gene for intelligence fell off and didn’t show up in either of the gametes that created him.  This guy had one spectacular season for the Chargers, intercepting the ball more often than he impregnated women, and looked to be another excellent addition to the fine talent the Chargers had been assembling.  As quickly as his greatness was becoming apparent, it vanished.  Maybe it was the lack of a pass rush to create bad throws from opposing quarterbacks; maybe it was the thrill of being in the spotlight that made him buy into the hype and stop trying as hard; maybe he partied too hard.  Maybe we’ll never really know, but one thing is certain: I am glad he’s gone.  The dude wouldn’t tackle people.  He’s a freakin defensive player in football!  Tackling is one of, if not the most, important duties of a defensive player in football!  It keeps the other team from scoring on EVERY SINGLE PLAY!  Yet he decided he didn’t want to do it.  Good riddance.

Charlie Whitehurst: There isn’t much to be written about a quarterback who I do believe has not thrown one NFL regular season pass.  He did, however, fetch a trade that moved us up twenty spots in the second round of this year’s draft, in addition to a third round selection next year.  Not bad at all!  The victim of this obvious robbery is none other than USC’s former head coach and Seattle Seahawks’ current head coach, Pete Carrol.  I wish Charlie the best of luck, and I offer Pete my fondest HAHA.

The Chargers made some other moves, but nothing spectacular.  We signed former Bears standout cornerback Nathan Vasher to create some depth in the secondary, and retained the most important restricted free agents on the team.  I look forward to the draft, in hopes that we will adequately address the gaping holes left by the departures of Tomlinson and Williams.