A.J. Smith’s To-Do List

Slowly but surely in A.J. Smith fashion, the Bolts general manager has been filling roster spots by retaining players who performed well with the team last season as well as those who are intriguing fits in the Chargers style. It’s been fun to speculate just how Smith will attempt to alleviate some of the concerns on the Bolts roster, but the real entertainment begins now as the GM actually starts to work his magic this offseason. Of course there isn’t a blueprint to replacing some of the vacated spots in the lineup so the real judgment cannot be made until the assembled talent takes the field together, but plenty of opinions will certainly be expressed throughout the process of just how well Smith is doing his job.

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Tags: A.J. Smith, Alfonso Boone, Antonio Garay, Antwaan Randle El, Baltimore Ravens, Brandon Manumaleuna, Cam Thomas, Clinton Portis, Dan Williams, Darren Sproles, Jamal Williams, Kris Wilson, LaDainian Tomlinson, Marcus Mason, Philip Rivers, Ryan Matthews, Terrence Cody, Washington Redskins, Youngstown State

Personnel Hell

Nearly everyone was surprised when the Chargers went back on their word and decided to tender running back Darren Sproles even after insisting that they were going to allow the speedster to test the open market. Count me out of that category as General Manager A.J. Smith is always thinking of ways to extract the top value out of players and with Sproles he has to have a plan on tap. It’s actually quite feasible that Sproles and either Malcom Floyd or Vincent Jackson could be wearing a different uniform next season after each of them received the top tender available to restricted free agents. Although their price tags are miniscule compared to their on field production over the past few seasons, each of these players has a market value that will perhaps never be higher. Ever the investor, Smith will definitely be shopping around throughout this offseason even up until draft day looking to make some noise by selling high and buying low in this tumultuous market.

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Tags: A.J. Smith, Antonio Cromartie, Brandon Marshall, Buffalo Bills, Buster Davis, C.J. Spiller, Carolina Panthers, Chad Henne, Darren Sproles, DeAngelo Williams, Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Larry English, Legedu Naanee, Malcom Floyd, Marshawn Lynch, Michael Crabtree, Philadelphia Eagles, Philip Rivers, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Shawne Merriman, St. Louis Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Ted Ginn Jr., Thomas Jones, Vincent Jackson, Washington Redskins

An Active Offseason For Sure

Next season in San Diego could have a really strange feel to it as the Chargers will be without some familiar faces in plenty of positions on the field after the handful of personnel decisions made on Thursday. From the release of twelve year veteran nose tackle Jamal Williams to the inevitable departure of cornerback Antonio Cromartie, the Bolts shook the NFL landscape with some brash moves prior to the start of free agency. All of this changing of the guard begs the question as to just what direction the Chargers as a whole are heading in and what will be the make-up of this squad when the 2010 season begins.

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Tags: A.J. Smith, Antoine Cason, Antonio Cromartie, Dan Williams, Darren Sproles, Indianapolis Colts, Jamal Williams, Luis Castillo, Malcom Floyd, Marcus McNeill, New Orleans Saints, New York Jets, Nick Hardwick, Quentin Jammer, Ron Rivera, Ryon Bingham, Shaun Phillips, Shawne Merriman, Stephen Cooper

The Answer to the Bolts Backfield Woes

After taking in the majority of the NFL Combine over the past five days (nerd alert), it seems that this year’s class more than ever is much less stratified than years past and that there will be a number of talented players still available even in the 4th and 5th rounds. The depth at several positions from defensive line and offensive tackle to running back is just outstanding which makes the probability of finding a player who can instantly contribute much higher. This really bodes well for San Diego picking near the bottom of every round as the Chargers won’t really have to maneuver much unless there is an irresistible value left on the board at any certain point in the draft. The Bolts have the luxury of simply staying put and taking the best available player to fill their respective needs.

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Tags: A.J. Smith, C.J. Spiller, Jahvid Best, Joe McKnight, Jonathan Dwyer, Montario Hardesty, New York Jets, NFL Draft, NFL Scouting Combine, Ryan Matthews, Thomas Jones

The Luggage is Packed

It’s no secret that the Chargers have had about all that they can stomach from the inconsistencies on the field to the absolutely unacceptable off-field incidents by cornerback Antonio Cromartie. San Diego has been shopping his rights around the league in hopes of finding a trading partner to execute a deal after March 5th when the trading period is allowed to begin this offseason. New possibilities have recently emerged as to what teams might potentially be interested in acquiring the much maligned corner from the Bolts and ridding General Manager A.J. Smith of his constant headache.

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Tags: A.J. Smith, Antonio Cromartie, Detroit Lions, LaDainian Tomlinson, Maurice Morris, Peyton Manning

With the 28th selection in the Fanball.com NFL Mock Draft…

The Fanball NFL Mock Draft has been ongoing now since Valentine’s Day and the Chargers selection at 28 seemed to crawl its way to me. Now two weeks later those much anticipated words have been murmured and the Bolts are on the clock. To first explain the Fanball mocktastic draft, each Fanball correspondent is responsible for choosing a player on behalf of his or her respective team and writing a piece on just why they believe that would be the choice when their franchise is on the clock in April. There were no trades allowed in this 1.0 version, but there may be a v2.0 coming up in the near term so keep your eyes peeled. With the NFL Scouting Combine getting into full gear currently, what better time to start exploring the options for the Bolts in the draft.

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Tags: A.J. Smith, Brian Price, Dallas Cowboys, Darren Sproles, Igor Olshansky, Jahvid Best, Joe McKnight, Jonathan Dwyer, Michael Turner, Ryan Matthews, Toby Gerhart

Spring Cleaning

The dominoes continue to fall for the San Diego Chargers and not in a good way this offseason. The latest potential speed bump for the team will likely arise out of a guilty plea by star wide receiver Vincent Jackson to his second DUI charge in four years for which prosecutors were seeking up to 180 days in jail. Thanks to a plea bargain, Jackson will serve no jail time and will instead be doing some community service in addition to being placed on probation for the next five years. There is a larger question that hangs over this for the Chargers organization however, and that is the idea of perhaps ridding the locker room of these potential problem guys like Jackson this offseason.

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Tags: A.J. Smith, Antonio Cromartie, Buster Davis, Chris Rock, Demetrius Byrd, LaDainian Tomlinson, Legedu Naanee, Malcom Floyd, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, Quentin Jammer, Randy Moss, Shawne Merriman, Vince Wilfork, Vincent Jackson

LAT — Life After Tomlinson

The majority of fans are aware that the likelihood of blockbuster trades taking place in the NFL is quite low on the probability chart, but that doesn’t stop any of us from wondering about the ‘what if’ scenarios that are out there. Probably the best ‘what if’ of the offseason has been rumored for the Chargers over the last week and that is the possibility of landing Carolina Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams for the 28th pick in the draft. Williams will be heading in to the final year of his rookie deal when the 2010 season begins and will likely be due a significant pay raise next year for the Panthers to try and keep him on their roster. But why would the Panthers want to simply trade him away?

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Tags: A.J. Smith, Amari Spievey, Antonio Cromartie, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Casey Hampton, DeAngelo Williams, Devin McCourty, Donovan Warren, Houston Texans, Jamal Williams, Jonathan Stewart, Minnesota Vikings, NFL Draft, Pittsburgh Steelers, Terrence Cody

Inevitable Turns Into Reality

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Tags: Atlanta Falcons, Dean Spanos, LaDainian Tomlinson, Norv Turner

The Implications of Cromartie’s Departure

It’s officially fair to assume that Antonio Cromartie will most likely be moved prior to this year’s draft from San Diego in order to either acquire some additional draft picks or add a running back to the depth chart. In turn, his departure will leave a hole at corner where the Bolts have veteran Quentin Jammer on one side and still unproven Antoine Cason at his opposite. That obviously points to the Chargers needing to add at least one more corner either via the draft or in free agency where solid veteran corners may be hard to come by. Fortunately for the Bolts, this draft is talent laden with corners and guys that could potentially contribute might be found as late as the 5th round.

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Tags: A.J. Smith, Alabama Crimson Tide, Anthony Henry, Antoine Cason, Antonio Cromartie, Boise State Broncos, Brandon Ghee, Carolina Panthers, Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions, Donovan Warren, Kareem Jackson, Ken Lucas, Kyle Wilson, Michigan Wolverines, Patrick Robinson, Quentin Jammer, Ron Rivera, Seattle Seahawks, Trevard Lindley