Jan 7, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Robert Meachem (17) looks back as he scores on a 56 yard touchdown pass against the Detroit Lions in the fourth quarter in the 2011 NFC Wild Card Playoff game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Saints defeated the Lions 45-28. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-US PRESSWIRE

Vincent Jackson is gone; He’s taken his talents to Tampa Bay to play on a sub-par offense with an average QB.  We know Malcolm Floyd and his big play ability is our starting WR, and surely Vincent Brown’s rookie campaign was no joke and he’s ready to break out.  How do you replace a 6’5” monster receiver who is feared by all Db’s in the NFL you ask?  Have no fear Bolt Nation; the Chargers front office was prepared!   AJ Smith crashed into the Free Agency market only hours after the Vincent Jacks on story broke and signed big play wideout Robert Meachem.  Meachem, a first round pick out of Tennessee spent the last four seasons trying to make a name for himself in the Saints extremely crowded WR corps.   As you can see from the graphic below, after his rookie year Meachem has been pretty consistent.  Considering the Saints penchant for using a variety of different weapons to attack and Drew Brees’ talent for spreading the ball around, Meachem has proven himself as a big play threat that can stretch the field with his speed (sub 4.4 second 40 yard dash) and help open up the guys underneath.  His 16 yard per catch average for his career shows exactly how his speed translated to success on the field and the fact the Norv Turner sees him as a #1 WR will give him the opportunity to take his game to the next level.  Expect Meachem to increase his reception total to between 60 and 70 catches and quite possibly be over 1000 yards receiving on the season.  This was a widely praised move within NFL circles, and Meachem, whose contract is worth $25.9 million with $14 million in guaranteed money over four years, could turn out to be a steal.  Thumbs up to AJ for swooping into Buffalo and snatching up Meachem for half the price of VJAX and the potential to have the same kind of numbers and impact on the offense.

Robert Meachem WR

Now, we all know that Meachem alone probably won’t replace VJAX and that’s why AJ plunged back into the FA pool and signed WR and punt returner Eddie Royal.  Ya, the same Eddie Royal who absolutely torched the Chargers for a punt return TD and a kickoff return TD during a 34-23 Loss to Denver on ” Monday Night Football” in 2009. The same Eddie Royal who scored the winning touchdown pass from “Cry Baby” Jay Cutler in the infamous” Ed Hochuli Bowl”.  Having this guy returning punts is an immediate upgrade from Patrick Crayton and gives us a smaller, more versatile player we have been missing since Darren Sproles jumped ship to New Orleans.  Now, Royal’s stats can be a bit deceiving and he dealt with some injuries last year including a concussion that ended his season.  Keep in mind though, Royal hasn’t had a QB worth a damn since Jay Cutler was traded and he was considered mis-used by Josh McDaniels in many coaching circles.  Having Royal fully healthy, Philip Rivers throwing him the ball, and Norv dialing up screens and dump off’s will get him back to being a game changing player.  Royal will see roughly 40-45 receptions and immediately step in as the starting punt returner, give AJ and Philip some serious credit for grabbing Royal out of the clutches of Mike Shanahan and the Washington Redskins who were wooing Royal out east.  Apparently it took a conversation with Rivers over lunch to actually seal the deal.

Eddie Royal WR

Jan 8 2012; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos wide receiver Eddie Royal (19) runs after a catch during the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2011 AFC wild card playoff game at Sports Authority Field. The Broncos defeated the Steelers 23-29 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIRE

The bottom line is; AJ has been looking at the Free Agent market since last season because he knew that it was possible we would lose VJAX to a team with unlimited cap space.  Instead of blowing our entire budget trying to bring Jackson back, Smith filled his spot with two players who will together be more productive and more versatile than Jackson could have ever been.  I know its a two for one kind of deal and Jackson is an absolute beast but this group has the potential to be even better than last years group and I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if Meachem has a Pro Bowl caliber season to make us forget all about the loss of our #1 WR.

Who would have saw this coming? The Chargers are 3-1, the best start under Norv Turner’s regime. Well happy times have come to San Diego for once, but that can all change in an instant as the Donkeys (Broncos) come into town. It’s another Divisional match up for us.  I for one would like to go into the bye week at 4-1.

As in all divisional match-ups, even if the team is horrible they are always a tough team to play. This week is no different from the next week. We need to ride the lightning into Mile High stadium.

Here are this weeks Quick Hits along the way: (more…)

Patrick Crayton is coming to town to join the guys in practice out at USD. There are already a bunch of guys out there getting their work in with Philip Rivers and company. (more…)