San Diego Chargers
Owner: Alex Spanos
Founded: 1960
Stadium: Qualcomm Stadium
2010 record: 9-7
Last playoff appearance: 2009, 13-3, AFC West Champs L17-14 NYJ
General Manager: AJ Smith (2003 – current)
Head Coach: Norv Turner (2007 – current, 99-105-1 all-time as a head coach, 41-23 with Chargers)
Offensive Coordinator: Clarence Shelmon
Defensive Coordinator: Greg Manusky
Defensive alignment: 3-4
2010 NFL Rankings:
OFF: 27.6 PTS (2nd) 395.6 YDS (1st) 282.4 PASS (2nd) 113.1 RUSH (15th)
DEF: 20.1 PTS (10th) 271.6 YDS (1st) 177.8 PASS (1st) 93.8 RUSH (4th)
Pro Bowlers: Philip Rivers QB, Antonio Gates TE, Kris Dielman OG, Shaun Phillips OLB
2011 schedule:
1 Sep 11 vs. Vikings 4:15 PM Tickets
2 Sep 18 at Patriots 4:15 PM Tickets
3 Sep 25 vs. Chiefs 4:05 PM Tickets
4 Oct 02 vs. Dolphins 4:15 PM Tickets
5 Oct 09 at Broncos 4:15 PM Tickets
6 Bye
7 Oct 23 at Jets 1:00 PM Tickets
8 Oct 31 at Chiefs 8:30 PM Tickets
9 Nov 06 vs. Packers 4:15 PM Tickets
10 Nov 10 vs. Raiders 8:20 PM Tickets
11 Nov 20 at Bears 4:15 PM Tickets
12 Nov 27 vs. Broncos 4:15 PM Tickets
13 Dec 05 at Jaguars 8:30 PM Tickets
14 Dec 11 vs. Bills 4:15 PM Tickets
15 Dec 18 vs. Ravens 8:20 PM Tickets
16 Dec 24 at Lions 4:05 PM Tickets
17 Jan 01 at Raiders 4:15 PM Tickets
TEAM NEEDS: OT, MLB, ST
Potential Free Agents:
Billy Volek QB – re-signed –
Vincent Jackson WR - franchise tag
Kelley Washington WR - re-signed –
Malcolm Floyd WR – re-signed – 2 yrs
Randy McMichael TE – re-signed – 1 yr
Jeromey Clary OT – re-signed
Scott Mruczkowski C – re-signed
Jacques Cesaire DE – re-signed
Travis Johnson DE
Antwan Barnes DE/OLB – re-signed –
Brandon Moore MLB
Stephen Cooper MLB
Dante Hughes CB
Eric Weddle FS – re-signed – 5 yrs, 40 million (19 million guaranteed)
Tyrone Carter FS
Paul Oliver SS
Pat Watkins SS
Ryan Neill LS
James Dearth LS
Free agent acquisitions:
Laurent Robinson WR (Rams)
Takeo Spikes LB (49ers)
Travis Laboy LB (49ers)
Bob Sanders S (Colts) – 1 yr
Free agent losses:
Darren Sproles RB - signed with Saints
Legedu Naanee WR – signed with Panthers
Buster Davis WR - signed with Bills
Brandon Siler MLB – signed with Chiefs
Kevin Burnett MLB – Singed by Dolphins
Picks in 2011 NFL Draft
(overall draft grade: C+): Good value picks in the sixth round saved this draft grade from being absolutely abysmal. Liuget was a decent pick in the first round, but after him, it wasn’t anything to be happy with if you’re a Chargers fan. Marcus Gilchrist was a good prospect, but not top 50 worthy. Jonas Mouton had a lot of teams interested in him, but not enough to take him in the second round. Vincent Brown wasn’t a top 100 player this year, but the Chargers were willing to reach for him at 82. Jordan Todman will be a good replacement for Darren Sproles if he leaves for free agency. He was great value for where the Chargers picked him.
(! Indicates draft pick who was interviewed, had a private workout, etc. prior to the draft according to my compiled list):
Rd 1, Pick 18 (18) Corey Liuget DE, Illinois – not bad value for the Chargers. He’ll be a young gun gunning for Jacques Cesaire’s spot.
Grade: B Rated: 22
Rd 2, Pick 18 (50) Marcus Gilchrist DB, Clemson – AJ Smith didn’t quite get this one right. They did need a safety though, and this seems like a need pick when there were higher rated players on the board. I know there were plenty of others on mine.
Grade: C- Rated: 108
Rd 2, Pick 29 (61) Jonas Mouton LB, Michigan! – in my team interests post, there were quite a few teams that started to make his name known. However, I think the GM AJ Smith way overdrafted him. They aren’t just drafting for need, but players who are behind better prospects.
Grade: F Rated: 202
Rd 3, Pick 18 (82) Vincent Brown WR, San Diego State! – AJ Smith always seems to find very good receivers and Brown is a candidate to be a sleeper. He’ll be a decent number two receiver.
Grade: C+ Rated: 153
Rd 3, Pick 25 (89) Shareece Wright DB, USC – Good senior season after not playing in 08 and 09. Physical and can compete for jump balls.
Grade: B Rated: 104
Rd 6, Pick 18 (183) Jordan Todman RB, Connecticut – a little smallish, but he showed he can carry a load of carries over the course of a season. Another questionable player falling. Maybe something in interviews came up and caused him to be taken off boards. I see this as a great steal for the Chargers, who do have Darren Sproles potentially leaving for free agency.
Grade: A Rated: 79th
Rd 6, Pick 36 (201) Steve Schilling OL, Michigan – one of the solid performers of the 2011 draft class on the offensive line during their time in school.
Grade: A Rated: 121
Rd 7, Pick 31 (234) Andrew Gachkar OLB, Missouri – very good pro day vaulted him into being a draftable prospect.
Grade: C Rated: NR
2010 Chargers Draft review:
Kudos to the Chargers for putting so much draft video on their site. After watching all of the draft video content on the Chargers, it’s clear that they are a purely needs drafting team. General Manager AJ Smith described the schedule of the Chargers in the week leading up to the draft: about a week before the draft, all scouts come to Chargers’ headquarters to go over all the top players. They wrap it up on the Monday before the draft, after the “readings” are over and they have an evaluation on players, then they’ll come up with their draft plan. Readings are when the coaches, scouts, and directors all read their reports on each player. Everyone gets a cross section feel of what each player is like. Tuesday through Thursday includes looking at who can become a starter, backup, or contribute on special teams. Then they make a list of four to six players at different positions for each round. The draft board is put together on Tuesday morning, taking about 4-5 hours with magnets on boards with all of the players’ names on them. They’re done with entire draft before it begins and this is how they do it: they list the five players they want in the first, second, third, etc.
They had targeted Ryan Mathews in the first round, obviously, since they traded up for him. The Chargers were concerned that he wasn’t going to make it to 28. Smith called Mathews “a championship-level back.” Director of Player Personnel Jimmy Raye stated that when Buffalo selected Clemson’s CJ Spiller, it had no effect on them trading up so quickly with Miami. As soon as they saw Mathews after he had declared, they immediately thought he would be a great back for them. Norv Turner revealed that Spiller and Mathews were way above the other backs that they had rated. Rumors were that Houston was likely to take a running back in the first. Turner didn’t say if Houston being ahead of them was a factor, but it had to be one since they traded up ahead of them. Raye on third rounder Donald Butler: the pick was the same scenario that happened with Mathews in the first. They had to trade up to get their guy. Raye on Cam Thomas: They felt fortunate that he was still there and they had him rated a lot higher than where they took him. Director of College Scouting John Spanos: It’s common for big men to get labeled with the “takes plays off” tag, but that’s one of the things coaches can work with player on.
Turner draft wrap: He agreed with reporter who asked if they went after guys who were ready to play now since they’re already a championship level team rather than projects who’d take a few years before they were ready to contribute. When talking about if he paid any attention to what teams in the division do, Tim Tebow came up. He said Tebow’s an outstanding football player. He hears people talking about his work ethic and he’s always the first guy in and the last guy out. Turner said well, we already have that player in Rivers. Nothing personally made me tick more than when I heard people say that his work ethic is so strong. Yes, it is, but so are so many other NFL players’ too.
Rd 1, Pick 12 (12) Ryan Mathews RB, Fresno State – 12 games, 9 starts, 158 ATT, 678 YDS, 4.3 YPA, 7 TD, 22 REC, 145 YDS, 6.6 YPC, 3 FMBL LOST
Rd 3, Pick 15 (79) Donald Butler MLB, Washington – IR
Rd 4, Pick 12 (110) Darrell Stuckey FS, Kansas – 1 game
Rd 5, Pick 15 (146) Cam Thomas DT, North Carolina – 6 games, 7 TCK, 2 SCK
Rd 5, Pick 37 (168) Jonathan Crompton QB, Tennessee – assigned to practice squad, then picked up by Patriots
Rd 7, Pick 28 (235) Dedrick Epps TE, Miami (FL) – signed to Dolphins’ practice squad
Looking back at my grades for the 2010 Chargers draft class: The Chargers received a B+ grade from me after the draft last April. I gave Ryan Mathews a B- because I felt that 12 was a bit too high for him to go. Then again, finding a trading partner at exactly the right spot a player should go is really difficult. The Chargers went after players they had targeted. Butler and Stuckey were also players who I thought were taken a little bit before their values warranted. Cam Thomas was a real steal I thought and he got a rare A+, but I have a feeling I was off in where I had him rated (45). I don’t see anywhere that I should change any grades except for Thomas, who shouldn’t be downgraded to anything less than a B+. Clearly, the Chargers’ special teams struggled, and I think that’s a result from needs drafting and losing Kassim Osgood.
Last Five First Round Picks: Ryan Mathews RB, Larry English LB, Antoine Cason CB, Craig “Buster” Davis WR, Antonio Cromartie CB
2010 Stat Leaders
Philip Rivers 357-541 66.0% 4710 YDS 8.7 YPA 30 TD 13 INT 101.8 RTG
Mike Tolbert 182 ATT 735 YDS 4.0 YPC 36 LNG 11 TD
Antonio Gates 50 REC 782 YDS 15.6 YPC 48 LNG 10 TD
Nate Kaeding 23-28 82.1% 50 LNG
Eric Weddle 96 TCK
Shaun Phillips 11 SCK
Antoine Cason 4 INT
Out of Season Storylines (Because there is no offseason)
Greg Manusky Hired As New Defensive Coordinator