What Went Right: Defensive Line
The Chargers didn’t
have a lot go right this season. The defense couldn’t hold a lead, especially
because of their porous pass defense. That being said, they had the sixth best
run defense in the NFL. While Donald Butler came into his own in that regard
and Eric Weddle could come up in run support, the main reason for this great
run defense was the excellent play of the defensive line. Kendall Reyes and
Corey Liuget both had excellent seasons and both could become big time players
down the line. They also found a good mix in their defensive line depth with
Cam Thomas and Vaughn Martin mixing in at defensive end while Aubrayo Franklin
and Antonio Garay split time at the nose tackle spot. This group combines for
14.5 sacks, with all but two being credited to Liuget (7) and Reyes (5.5).
Garay and Franklin are getting up there in years so the Chargers will need to
consider finding a young replacement.
What Went Wrong: AJ Smith
It’s easy to
blame Norv Turner for the problems that the chargers faced during the season.
However, the fact is he’s getting scapegoated for the arrogance of AJ Smith.
Smith was the one who took each and every Pro Bowl and All-Pro player the
Chargers had a mis-handled them when it came to free agency and negotiating
contract extensions. He let LaDainian Tomlinson walk without a clear successor,
instead of drafting a running back earlier and transitioning from one to the
other more seamlessly He allowed Michael Turner to leave in free agency instead
of trading him for value and let Darren Sproles walk without even considering
keeping him for the longer term. He traded away Antonio Cromartie not long
after an All-Pro season then completely botched the contract negotiations with
both Marcus McNeil and Vincent Jackson. While
McNeil bean to suffer injuries not long after he did get a new contract, it’s
my belief that the extended holdout was the reason he began suffering those
injuries. With Jackson, Smith just completely botched every aspect of that
negotiation and led to Philip Rivers losing his favorite weapon. On top of all
of this, he failed to replace each playmaker he lost. If you’re going to build
your team up and fire a coach who led your time to a 14-2 record on the idea
that you’ll be able to keep an influx of talented players at a low cost, then
you had better do a good job drafting. Smith rightfully lost his job while
Turner was scapegoated to a degree.
Player of the Year: Eric Weddle
I mentioned how
bad the Chargers were in pass defense but that had little to do with the play
of Eric Weddle. Weddle was all over the field this season making plays and
doing his best to help his team win. Weddle nabbed three interceptions (tied
for the team lead), forced two fumbles, recovered another two, recorded a sack,
led his team in tackles and returned one of his interceptions for a touchdown.
Recently, he was named a second-team All-Pro, and deservedly so. Weddle is
another piece that the Chargers have to build around; the real-question is
whether or not they’ll do a good job building around him.
Keeper: Quentin Jammer
The Chargers
almost don’t have a choice here. As bad as the secondary played this past year,
Jammer was still a solid veteran leader and was the most consistent of the
corners there. He becomes a free agent this year and they need to do the best
they can to re-sign him. Additionally, the Chargers have four of their
cornerbacks becoming free agents this year. While they had issues at the
cornerback position this past year, they can’t lose four players at the
position and hope to improve. Jammer is the best of them and is the one who
should be re-signed. Also, they have both starting guards becoming free agents
so consideration should be paid to them as well.
Goner: Jared Gaither
While Jared
Gaither worked his way into a contract towards the end of 2011, the injury bug
that bit him while he was with the Ravens came back to hit him again during his
tenure with San Diego. I think he should be given another chance, but not at
the contract he has currently and definitely not uncontested. He’s set to count
6.5 million against the cap next year. That number should be cut in half at the
very least and he should be competing with a rookie for the left tackle spot in
my opinion.
Should Draft: Left Tackle
As I said, the
Chargers need to address the left tackle position. Since Marcus McNeill began
to get hurt, you could see how much the pressure off the edge as effected Philip
Rivers. Rivers has been pressing more and more because of the pressure that
opponents have been able to get on him. He needs solid protection to play like
he’s capable of playing. In a draft where there are few outstanding prospects at
the skill positions, attending to the offensive line would be a good idea.
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