Dec 16, 2012; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Chargers cornerback Antoine Cason (20) runs out of the smoke during pregame introduction before a game against the Carolina Panthers at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

The Chargers’ offseason  has just begun and we’ve already over-talked the team’s need to revamp it’s offensive line.  I won’t bore you by regurgitating the obvious.  Not in this article.

Many believe that if the offensive line is fixed, thus the Bolts are fixed as well.  Unfortuantely, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Despite a defense that features young, up and coming studs such as Donald Butler, Corey Liuget, Kendall Reyes, Cam Thomas, and Melvin Ingram, there are still some holes to be filled on what became an exciting defense toward the end of the 2012 season.

I didn’t even mention the emergence of both Shareece Wright and Marcus Gilchrist.  It appears that Gilchrist has cemented himself as the team’s starting nickel cornerback, while Wright has made a case to start at one of the soon to be vacant cornerback spots. 

That being said, the team still has issues in it’s front seven at inside linebacker- opposite Butler- and depth at outside linebacker.  Depending on what happens with Aubrayo Franklin and Antonio Garay, there could be a serious need to add depth along the defensive line also. 

It’s looking as though Takeo Spikes has played his last down in lightning bolts after another failed attempt at making the playoffs.  Part of me feels for Spikes.  The other part of me realizes that he is still earning royalties from his inventing of the wheel. 

Due to the obvious fact that Spikes has been a liability because of a lack of gas in the tank, Butler has been forced to over-extend himself in an effort to compensate for Spikes’ shortcomings.  TKO is just plain too old.  His heart, leadership, and intagibles have certainly helped earn his place on this team.  But other leaders are emerging and father time has finally caught up with, well, father time. 

The thought of losing Shaun Phillips in free agency bothers me quite a bit.  Despite the fact that he is no longer an elite pass rusher, if he ever was elite, he still manages to find his way to the quarterback and disrupt plays. 

Let’s assume we do lose SP95. We’ve all been witness to the failure that is the Larry English experiment.  Antwan Barnes has completed the final year of his contract.  That leaves us with only Jarret Johnson, Ingram, and recently acquired Gary Guyton at the outside linebacker position. 

That’s certainly not going to cut it.

And then there’s the secondary.  Despite the high tackle numbers by Atari “Greensleeves” Bigby, he has proven to be just another guy at the strong safety position.  He dropped in excess of 5 “gimme” INTs, one of which I saw firsthand in Cleveland.  Although he is not expected to have good hands while playing on defense, his drops were just one of the many issues created by the former Green Bay Packer.  He refuses to wrap up and bites on play action like a fat kid at a buffet. 

As we’ve all known for the past decade, the Chargers haven’t had an impact player at the position since Rodney Harrison.  I still believe that we have more pressing needs on the roster, but strong safety needs to be addressed in either free agency or the draft. 

It saddens me to say that this is most likely Quentin Jammer’s last year as cornerback for the Bolts.  He has been one of my favorite players of recent years.  However, if the new regime sees what the majority of the fanbase does, perhaps Jammer can be re-signed to man the strong safety spot.

It’s been talked about for the past few years.  After seeing his interview with Hank Bauer on Chargers.com, I am of the belief that Quentin would do almost anything to remain a Charger.  That includes a position transition to strong safety. 

That brings us to the cornerback spots.  During my interview with Kevin Acee, I asked him if either Wright or Gilchrist were poised to make the jump to being starters in the secondary.  He said that he expects Wright to start at corner in the base defense.  He added that Gilchrist looks to be the option at nickel cornerback, as I mentioned earlier. 

With the shuffling of both the head coach and general manager, there were no inseason re-signings.  Antoine Cason is set to become a free agent in 2013.  I know that a good number of you will be devastated if he receives a new contract with the team.  I, on the other hand, truly find it to be necessary. 

Considering all the holes on this team, I think it would be a mistake to lose Cason, who isn’t nearly as bad as some of you might think.  He obviously has some flaws to his game, but I believe that he is set for a breakout campaign in 2013.

All of that being considered, if Cason and his agent are asking top dollar to re-sign, then you absolutely let the door hit him where the good lord split him. 

That does it for the defensive holes on the Chargers.  Stay tuned for my article of what the team needs to do to address the offensive side of the ball.  The offensive line is not the only thing that needs fixing.

Thanks a lot for reading.

BoltUp!!!

BoogaP 

November 25, 2012; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Chargers receiver Malcom Floyd (80) celebrates with receiver Denario Alexander (84) after scoring on a 21-yard reception during the second quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

The Chargers are happy. They finished 11-5 and secured a wild card spot in the playoffs. Fans are rejoicing after packing up their jerseys and other football gear early for last 2 seasons. Oh wait, that is in the world of Bizarro that that happened. for those that aren’t a geek like me, Bizarro is the antagonist of Superman. This might help explain

The season is over and like many fans I am looking ahead to a new GM and Head Coach, scouting college players, and as a born and raised San Diego fan; waiting for a good looking Padres team to start spring training. However, today I am looking back. Looking back on a season of what-ifs. What-if the Chargers hadn’t blown that 24-0 lead to Denver? What-if Robert Meachem hadn’t dropped that sure thing TD pass in Cleveland? but will not include the: What-if I hadn’t eaten that bacon-wrapped hotdog from the old mexican lady with the hibachi grill while while waiting to cross the Tijuana border. Trust me, that is a night I do not want to relive!

So, the following are the top 5 what-if moments that drastically altered that the outcome of the game, and our season. There are many more plays that I could count, but this is a list of plays that had they turned out differently, we most likely win that game.

In a galaxy far far away in another time and dimension, these plays went the other direction and led to the Chargers being 11-5 and a wild card team. Counting down in reverse order…..

5.  4th and 29. I thought about making this higher. However, it was late in the season and happening to an already defeated Chargers team that had been dreadful in the 2nd half. This was the cherry-on-top moment that summed up the entire Chargers season. Had we made the stop we win the game.  This play was allowed to happen in part because we had so many injuries to defensive players, several of them took poor angles. We were also the recipient of an incredible no-call for block in the back when Eric Weddle got destroyed by Anquon Boldin. In a league that is all about player safety, I don’t know how that doesn’t get called.

4. Dropped Passes. This one could be 3A and 3B as my fellow Bolt Beat writer BoogaP could attest as we went to the game in Cleveland together. In the 3rd quarter with the Chargers own 7-3 at midfield, Robert Meachem gets behind the defense and is open by about 10 yards and Rivers hits him straight in the hands. But Meachem dropped the ball in what would have been a sure touchdown and would have put the Chargers up 10-7. This game was windy, rainy and both teams had trouble offensively, had Meachem made that catch, we win that game.

The other dropped pass happened right in front of where BoogaP and I were sitting. With the Chargers trailing by 1, 7-6, the Browns were backed up inside their own 10 yard line. Brandon Weedon took short 3 step drop and fired a short pass to the right. Atari Bigby had it read perfectly and jumped the route, only to have it bounce off his hands. Had he caught it, he walks into endzone and we go up 13-7 late in the 4th.  Had either of these passes been caught, we win the game and more importantly stop a bad mojo we had going after 2 heartwrenching losses to NO and Denver. Speaking of which…

3. Commish-Saints-Refs-Conspiracy. Late in the 3rd quarter with the Chargers leading the Saints 24-14, Chargers LB Demarrio Williams intercepts Drew Brees for a TAINT (touchdown after INT). Chargers go up 31-14 and put the game out of reach. Only the play gets negated due to a somewhat questionable roughing the passer call on Melvin Ingram. Instead of going up 31-14, NO gets ball back and promptly scores a TD cutting the lead to 24-21.

Then late in the 4th quarter, the Chargers are driving for chance to tie game, and back to back plays Rivers completes deep passes to Floyd and Gates, only to have EACH ONE called back for penalties that even the commentators had trouble justifying. On a day when Drew Brees broke the consecutive TD record and Sean Payton was allowed to watch the game by the Commish, there was no way the league was going ot let the Saint lose. Had we not had those penalty flags go against us every time, we win that game and would improve to 4-1 to start the season.

2. 24-0 at Halftime. I think most of us just threw up in our mouth a little bit, right? Never in my life have I witnessed such a meltdown and a team look so lost after playing nearly flawless the first half. Our defense that had held the Broncos scoreless in the 1st half all of a sudden couldn’t stop Peyton Manning who went 13-14 and 3 TD’s in 2nd half. Our offense disappeared as Rivers was under constant pressure which led to a career high 5 turnovers in the 2nd half. It was an epic meltdown that one has to believe might have been avoided had we had a head coach who could rally the players. If we had a better offensive line that could have kept Rivers upright, and given him time to throw or created holes for Mathews to run through. If we had even an average cornerback who could have covered a WR. We might have been able to avoid this catastrophe and win the game.

Those are my top 4 Bizarro moments from 2012 in which the Chargers could have turned around their season and went 11-5. But all of those moments don’t even come close to my number 1 2012 Chargers moment that affected our season:

1. Norv Turner and AJ Smith will return for 2012.  A quotefrom Dean Spanos “Bottom line, I believe these two men give us the best chance to return to the playoffs.” Hang on….I just threw up again. This is the biggest reason our season turned out the way it did. We had a chance to at the very least fire Norv and go after (in my opinion) Jeff Fisher. The players could not rally around Norv this year and he didn’t seem to try to. Rivers, who off the field never threw him under the bus and supported Norv, never seemed to get along with him on the sidelines. I’m so happy that I don’t have to look anymore at least at that constipated look he always has

Dec 30, 2012; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Chargers coach Norv Turner reacts against the Oakland Raiders at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports

In our world this was a wasted season, but perhaps in an alternate universe somewhere out there, we are 11-5 and in the playoffs. Please feel free to add your own moments in the comments section.

Dan Locke

Dec 23, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets quarterback Greg McElroy (14) runs away from San Diego Chargers linebacker Melvin Ingram (54) during the first half at Metlife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

There is no doubt that Melvin Ingram is extremely athletic.  I still stand by the elation that I felt when he was selected. 

Although an argument can be made that David DeCastro should have been selected at that spot during the 2012 draft, I still like what Ingram has to offer to this team. 

Ingram seems to be the leader in “almost plays.”  That being recognized, perhaps moving him inside would enable him to make plays while facing interior offensive lineman as opposed to the bigger tackles of the NFL.

Knowing that this is only Ingram’s rookie year, it may be a bit premature to even begin to question a position switch.  But I must admit that this is something that the new regime could possibly take a look at doing.

Ingram played all over the defense in college at South Carolina.  He played primarily on the defensive line but moved all over the field pre-snap.

There is even a small group of fans that would like Ingram to consider cutting about 10 pounds to give him that extra burst which could allow him to finish plays while rushing the quarterback.

Again, this is only one storyline among many for the long offseason ahead of us.  Long being the operative word in that statement. 

Thanks a lot for reading.

BoltUp!!!

BoogaP