Hate to Say I Told You So…

… but I did. Check it out:
So what if it’s six months late?

Although it comes as a result of an unfortunate circumstance, the Bolts signed veteran tackle Jon Runyan to a deal on Tuesday to take the spot of Jeromey Clary who was placed on injured reserve with an ankle injury. Clary had been nursing an injury coming into the game against Denver last week and was rolled up in an ugly looking incident late in that game on Sunday. Even though Clary has been up and down this year, at seemed as if the offensive line as a whole was finally starting to gain some continuity and this will certainly set that back a bit.

As for Jon Runyan, he fits the very definition of the player that the Chargers locker room needs having been there, done that in nearly every situation. During his twelve year career the tackle has never missed a start regular season or postseason with 212 consecutive starts from 1997 – 2008. The tackle will turn 36 years old on Friday and still feels he has a lot of tread left on his tires. When asked about his football condition Runyan said: “I’m probably in the best shape I’ve been in in 10 years. I’ve been training that much. It’s my personality; when I do it outside of the football facility, I tend to overdo it. It’s a little more relaxed when you’re in the building all the time. I’ve been going four or five days a week for the past nine months so I’m there (physically).”

After the start of the 2009 campaign came and went, the stalwart tackle found himself at home watching games and waiting for his opportunity to arrive. Runyan didn’t want to just sign with a team to be on a roster for the 2009 season he wanted to contribute to a contender. Of the opportunity that arrived on Tuesday he said: “It’s unfortunate that a lot of times it takes an injury to get in a position like this, but once the beginning of the season passed, this is the kind of situation I was looking for. I was fortunate enough that it worked out here. It’s the right time and right situation and I felt comfortable doing it.”

Chargers General Manager A.J. Smith offered some very confident commentary about Runyan and what he can bring to the table for the Chargers saying: “We are very fortunate that a player of Jon’s experience and ability was available at this time. He is an outstanding competitor, and I have always admired the physical, nasty approach he brings to the field every game. He will be added to the mix and we will move forward.” Smith isn’t overdoing it when he says that Runyan brings a certain level of nastiness to the field as he has been considered one of the dirtiest players on the offensive line. Often times this is a nice stigma to carry around as earlier this year former Charger and future Hall of Fame safety Rodney Harrison was voted one of the NFL’s dirtiest players along with Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward who is one of the toughest players in the league.

After signing his deal on Tuesday Runyan went to work studying the Chargers playbook and familiarizing himself with their terminology on offense. Of the playbook he said: “It’s a foreign language. But the basis of football is all the same. It’s just a matter of making that transition in your mind. I’m ready to get to work on it.” The basic fundamentals for a guy like Runyan is like riding a bicycle and by Friday afternoon he should be fully ready to play a big role in Sunday’s contest against the Chiefs.

The biggest addition that Runyan can bring to the right side of the line is his powerful run blocking that he has always possessed since coming into the league in 1997 with the Houston Oilers. He has always been a bit of a mauler style tackle that swallows up defenders and drives them backward to the linebacker level. Despite undergoing microfracture surgery on his right knee in February Runyan will still bring that tenacious attitude to the Chargers line and improve the run blocking immensely. Brandyn Dombrowski did an admirable job in a limited role filling in for Clary when he went down on Sunday, but the Chargers obviously weren’t comfortable with him going forward in a playoff push for the long haul.

The loss of Clary is definitely significant from the perspective of the offensive line having a level of familiarity with one another, but guys have been shuffled in and out since week 1 when Pro Bowl center Nick Hardwick went down with an ankle injury. With the Chiefs this week and the Browns the following week, the Chargers will look to slowly acclimate Runyan into the fold and hopefully develop a bit of rapport between the members of the line before the stretch run gets into full swing. I hesitate to call this an upgrade being that Runyan hasn’t been in uniform yet in 2009 to show what he still has left in the tank, but obviously A.J. Smith saw enough in his workout to feel comfortable signing him and bringing him into the fold of a hot football team. The veteran leadership that will be added to the locker room is going to really have a calming effect on many of the young guys and hopefully prove beneficial to the team in December and January.

Tags: A.J. Smith, Brandyn Dombrowski, Hines Ward, Houston Oilers, Jeromey Clary, Jon Runyan, Kansas City Chiefs, Nick Hardwick, Rodney Harrison