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 

October 15, 2012; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Chargers safety Atari Bigby (26) during player introductions prior to the game against the Denver Broncos at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Another season and another “stop gap” solution at the strong safety for the Chargers.  Although some people had high expectations for Atari Bigby, the guy is not the long term answer at strong safety. 

Bigby is certainly a big hitter.  But his refusal to wrap up has allowed for some big plays.  Let us not pretend as though he covers enough green on passing plays.  He has proven to bite on play action time and time again.

As we all know, Brandon Taylor has a torn ACL but was hardly active until the last two weeks.  One of my favorite Chargers, Darrell Stuckey, has yet to prove that he can make the desired difference on the defensive side of the ball.  He is known as a standout on special teams but, like Taylor and countless others, will finish the 2012 season on injured reserve.

The last time the Chargers had a true force at strong safety was back when Rodney Harrison was still here. 

Yup, it’s been a decade people.  Although it is clear that we must first address the offensive line, it’s about time that we find a solid player to fill the void at strong safety. 

I would like to see the Chargers address the need at the position either through free agency or perhaps moving Quentin Jammer to the spot.  It is unclear whether or not he would even consider the switch.  The soon to be former Charger head coach, Norv Turner, has said multiple times that he doesn’t see Jammer making the move.

Well, it’s not going to matter what Norval has to say about it in about a week or so. 

I am of the opinion, as I stated on San Diego Sports Junkies, that if Jammer is unwilling to make the move to strong safety that he will not be Charger in 2013.

That was difficult for me to say on the show and it’s just as hard to put it into print for this article.  Quentin Jammer is one of my favorite players on the Charger roster.  But I do believe that he is no longer able to play cornerback at the level that is required of him.

I truly hope that he transitions to strong safety and eventually retires wearing lightning bolts.

This is just one of the many areas that will need to be addressed by the incoming regime.  It is just one more question that we as fans hope to have an answer for when the time is right.

Thanks a lot for reading.

BoltUp!!!

BoogaP

P.S.  If you notice in the picture above there is a ton of smoke coming out of that tunnel….. nevermind.

Jan 1, 2012; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders receiver Denarius Moore (17) is pursued by San Diego Chargers cornerback Quentin Jammer (23) on a 78-yard reception at the O.co Coliseum. The Chargers defeated the Raiders 38-26. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

Does Quentin Jammer have anything left? It is a question that a lot of Chargers fans have going into the season.

Some of his struggles from last season were due to the lack of pass rush. Some struggles were due to the baggage he had to carry off the field while going through a divorce. Some of those struggles may have been due to age. Jammer just turned 33 years old last month and concerns are rising on if he is still able to be a cover corner in the league.

There is a lot of noise from Chargers fans to convert him into a strong safety. He is a big hitter and seems to posses the attributes of a good safety. He wouldn’t have to run stride for stride with the speedy receivers and you could keep his experience on the field. The fans may want it, but Coach Norv Turner feels otherwise. He has repeated over and over that Jammer is a corner in this league.

Last season, Jammer finished with one of his worst seasons of his career. He struggled particularly against speedy receivers like Oakland WR Denarius Moore. They beat him on deep passes and they made him look old and slow on the field. It was a struggle to watch teams complete long passes on him.

We need a bounce back year this season. The added muscle up front of Melvin Ingram and Jarret Johnson should be helpful. If coach Pagano runs a new defensive scheme that likes to put pressure on the quarterback, that will also help. The defensive unit should be much stronger this season, but it will not hide Jammer if he has lost a step. Teams will be sure to test out Jammer and he will have to step up to the challenge.

We need Jammer to dip into the fountain of youth in order to give us some confidence. This is a big year for the defense and he will be one of the guys to pay close attention to. If he stumbles out of the blocks, then the youngsters, Marcus Gilchrist and Shareece Wright, will be nipping at his heels for playing time.