Brandon Manumaleuna did a terrific job with our blocking schemes, and even caught some passes, but he is long since gone to Chicago. This left a bigger hole than a lot of people realize, as we entered the draft with only Gates and the recently retained Kris Wilson listed on our roster for that particular position. Wilson, don’t get me wrong, is quality veteran depth, but he only has four total receptions as a charger. All four came from last season. He is a great blocker, but wasn’t much of a pass catcher in his previous seasons with the Chiefs either.

We do have some promising rookie tight end prospects, but you just can’t put a rookie opposite Antonio Gates in a two tight end set. Even my one year old niece would know who would be more likely to get the ball.

You have to, HAVE TO, pick up a seasoned veteran to take some of the heat off of our superstar tight end. Though the Chargers have never really used free agency for much of anything before, Randy McMichael was just too good to pass up.

McMichael not only has good size, but is also a well groomed route runner. I’m sure that with a passer like Philip Rivers around, I doubt production will ever be a problem for him. It’s not like it ever was anyways.

As a rookie in Miami, McMichael started producing almost immediately. Out of every game played in his previous eight years with the Rams and Dolphins, he only missed one start. The only season in which he had less than 34 receptions was 2008. A broken leg limited him to four games, eleven catches, and 139 receiving yards. What I love the most about him is his ability to get that first down. He has a 10.9 yards per reception average, which is fantastic considering he has spend the past three seasons with a very feeble offense in St. Louis. Though, in Miami, he proved that he can help elevate a productive offense even further by catching at least 60 passes in three consecutive seasons. Also with the Dolphins, McMichael worked under then offensive-coordinator, Norv Turner, for his first two years in the league. Both of which were good seasons.

One more thing he has is timing. I’m not talking about football timing, but timing in conjunction with the flow of the universe. I’m talking about the fact that Gates has a nagging right-foot injury that will keep him from running for another two or three weeks. If that’s not a sign that we need a proven veteran back up at the very least, then I don’t know what is. It may only be a one-year contract, but if he fits well, then I’m sure he would love to stay and that we would love to have him. He will be a quality backup and a monstrous duo when paired with a healthy Gates. Throw in our plethora of proven wide receivers and we’ve got ourselves a party. It could even end up being a Super Bowl party. In which case I am fully prepared to see it happen.

This seems to be the logical next step since the NFL decided that schedules should be set in a way that teams face their divisional opponents towards the end of the regular season in order to keep the playoff picture more competitive and to avoid the annual ratings drought that a lot of  the perennial post-season teams experience when coaches decide to rest their starters in games that don’t affect their playoff position in any way whatsoever. I would say that having a schedule such as ours, with two AFC West opponents in the first nine weeks and four in the final seven after the BYE week, that would make other teams plan for the long haul instead of taking the controversial New Orleans-Indianapolis approach from last season. It would seem that the win your first 14 to lock up the top spots in each conference and rest for three weeks before the playoffs approach is on its way out the door.

I suppose that will keep my 72-inch high definition television, as well as every other high-def TV and computer in my home and office, powered up and streaming full time. However, we still have a long way to go until the pre-season starts up for us on August 14 against the Bears. Who, by the way, now have our old blocking tight end Brandon Manumaleuna and sack machine Julius Peppers on their roster. Marcus McNeill is going to have his gigantic hands full while the starters are on the field. Preseason toughness only expands from there as we face the Dallas Cowboys and the New Orleans Saints on August 21 and 27 respectively.

Ouch… Those two make the schedule look a lot more like the NFC Playoff picture from last year than preseason opponents. We will be battle hardened by the time the regular season rolls around. Hell, it might even be a good idea to rest our starters for the second and third regular season games against the Jaguars and Seahawks with so much more emphasis on the end of the season. That most likely wont happen, but with this recent scheduling ruling you can expect teams to find interesting ways to adapt, improvise, and overcome in order to chase a championship.

Now as I eat this leftover pizza that I’m sure the Raiders fans that made it probably spit in, I leave you with this link. (I will post the full URL for those of you that aren’t very computer savvy or not equipped with Google Chrome.) The idea of a Super Bowl quality stadium in San Diego gains more and more steam every year and I strongly suggest that everybody get involved in every way they can. It would create jobs and bring a ton of money into the city. It would also be a good idea to built an alternative to the Qualcomm relic before the city of Los Angeles builds something equally tempting in an effort to snag another NFL team, which may or may not happen but we can’t afford to be left without an NFL team. That would be devastating. Even though the Chargers remain committed to San Diego, they have the option to explore any and every possible location and make their own decision.

http://www.sdstadium.org/

Chicago has won the Julius Peppers sweepstakes which will mean loads to the hearts of Bears fans after the early death of Gaines Adams. My heart goes out to NFL fans everywhere who loved him.

What surprises me the most is how big of a spending spree the unlikely Bears have embarked on. Manumaleuna will enjoy $6 million in guaranteed salary to be a blocking tight end while Chester Taylor grabs $7 million in guarantees but most likely wont be the starting tail back. Julius Peppers is looking like he will get a whopping $40 million guaranteed, and $72 million total, for six years of his sack-services. I can’t wait to see him and a healthy Brian Urlacher disrupt some offenses.

Best of luck to you, Brandon, Chester, and Julius. Enjoy your new home.