Poll Position: Wide Receivers
By Peter Thompson
Nov 18, 2012; Austin, TX, USA; Formula One driver Sergio Perez (15) and Pastor Maldonado (18) and Jenson Button (3) drive through turn one during the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Ah, yes. It’s time for the second installment of “Poll Position”. That time when the readers get the opportunity to cast a vote in the direction of random topics. I try to pick good topics. Get to the nitty gritty. Uncover fact, from fiction. Sometimes it even serves as a “Fan Compass”, which can influence other fans, and cool thier anxieties for a brief moment. I would really hope that this was the case… but, let’s be honest…. WE ALL JUST LOVE TO POLL!!!!!!!!
This time, it’s gonna be a REALLY fun topic, and I expect it to get lively in the comments section, because their is almost no wrong choice.
Which wider receiver do you think will make the biggest impact in 2013?
Danario Alexander: Tom Telesco took quite the gamble this offseason! He low-tendered DX! The move didn’t sit well with some fans, and ended up paying off. Some are still not happy with the move, even after it has gone in the Chargers favor. No matter what you think about the way it was handled.. most of us have him penciled in at the #1 receiver spot. He was a late addition to the roster in 2012, and made a bigger impact than any other player, despite his injury concerns. He has made quite a few plays that have made me do the “YEAH” move that scares the heck out of my wife, and my cat on gameday!
Malcolm Floyd: Malcolm Floyd was presumably in a competition with Robert Meachem for the #1 position last year. He won it. Mainly because he is better than Meachem. But, he never stepped up enough to be the number one, which was the reason Alexander was brought in. You can say what you want about Floyd, who has never put up the “elite” numbers. But, he has been there when the Chargers needed him, and has moved the chains on some very important drives. He is still number two, until somebody shows otherwise.
Vincent Brown: Here is a guy that showed some flashes of brilliance in 2011. Then he showed some more in preseason 2012. Then some dummy fell on his ankle, and our hopes were dashed, immediately. Returning from a broken ankle, or not, I would rate him in the third slot. He has chemistry with Rivers, goes up for the ball, and plays much larger than his size. He should be considered a favorite for #3, because he isn’t a rookie, and hasn’t proven himself to be ineffective, to this point.
Robert Meachem: Speaking of ineffective, we have Robert Meachem. Judging by the contract numbers, Meachem should be the #1. The fact that he is #4 is amazing. In fact, if Keenan Allen wasn’t a rookie recovering from a knee injury, I would have him at #5. However, I would REALLY hope that an NFL receiver, with years of experience playing in good offensive systems, can beat out a rookie coming off of knee rehab! If not, then we have some decisions to make. The kind of decision that would have already been made, if it didn’t mean a huge cap hit this year. I keep hearing all this chip on the shoulder stuff. I don’t care. Just keep quiet, and become a #1 wide receiver.. or at least a #2. Otherwise, we have a few guys we will bump ahead of you.
Eddie Royal: Where to start with Royal? We can actually cut him, and save money. He came into the season with high hopes, and hamstring concerns. He lived up to it all season. He was out for (what seemed like) the entire beginning of the season. Never made a difference in the return game. Never made a difference in the slot. Now you have slot competition with Brown, and Allen (who also returned kicks). Goodman was resigned. Heck, Spurlock was the biggest contributor on returns last year, anyway! The only thing that is keeping him here is the chemistry that was developing toward the end of the season, his return game, and the fact that he worked with the new head coach in Denver.. which seems to be some kind of insurance? But I’m not convinced.
Keenan Allen: What a pick up! I wasn’t about a wide receiver in the draft. Now that they have picked one, and he was supposed to go in the 1st, I am very happy. Not because I think they should have picked him at that spot, but because I think he is a great player. I know knee issues scared people off, but I think that other teams made a big mistake not picking him before we did. This guy will be moving up this ladder in no time. In fact, after Floyd and DX have run their course.. him and Brown could be primed for one of the top two spots. Some have Allen projected as a #2 type of receiver. He could either replace Floyd, or show that he is much better than #2, and be our eventual #1 receiver. He will have to fight Brown off, because as I mentioned before, Brown plays much larger than his size.
Richard Goodman: I figured I would list him, just so that somebody doesn’t say “You forgot Goodman, dude”. But, let’s be honest… he isn’t going to crack this poll, unless somebody is trying to be hip, or funny. It would take a graphic laundry list of injuries to occur, for this young man to make an impact at wide receiver. However, I hope he finally cathches that “rabbit feeling” and starts making those big time returns, that he looks quite capable of breaking. Cheers to that, and our new Special Teams coach!!!
Mike Willie: Mike Willie seems to be somewhat of a fan favorite! He has had some flashy performances in pre-season, but it has yet to be seen if he can become a receiver on this squad. He may be able to break through, if some of the above mentioned don’t recover from last year. He has a lot of work to do, if he is going to break into this talented line-up!
Dan DePalma: Dan Depalma was picked up in Free Agency, and has been given some props for being a “Welker & Edleman” stand in. Kind of an odd thing to be famous for, but it sounds like he was pretty well liked in the past. He has even been given props by some pretty legit names, for being the hardest WR to cover. His highlight reel was pretty entertaining, and he has some return experience. He will definitely raise the bar at practice, if all of this is true.
Deion Butler: A former Penn State product, drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in 2009, in the third round, when the Seahawks traded up to get him. Butler was a deep threat, and a record-setting receiver for Coach Paterno’s Nittany Lions. He suffered a broken leg in 2010 catching a touchdown pass against the 49er’s in week 14, after being named starter when Deion Branch left for New England. Butler started the 2011 season on the PUP List, but finished the last four games. After playing in all of Seattle’s pre-season games, Butler was cut. However, he was signed by them again in December 2012. Sounds like he has had a rough time, especially with a broken leg. He will bring competition to a heavily stacked receiving squad, and try to shine brightly.
Luke Tasker: Luke Tasker is 9′ 11″ UDFA, and weighs in at 191 lbs. His Dad is a 7 time Pro-Bowl special teamer, and CBS “color analyst” Steve Tasker. Tasker played college football at Cornell University. He was an Honorable mention all-Ivy pick during his Junior season.On September 15, 2012, In the season opening loss against Fordham, he recorded 10 receptions, along with 177 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown. In the next game against Yale, he had a team leading 10 receptions and a team leading 138 receiving yards along with two receiving touchdowns. On October 16, 2012, he was named the Ivy League co-offensive player of the week along with Cornell Quarterback Chris Amrhein for his outstanding performance against Monmouth, in which he had 11 receptions, a school record 280 receiving yards along with one receiving touchdown.During his senior season, on October 27, 2012 in a regular season game against Princeton, he had 10 receptions for 201 receiving yards, and two receiving touchdowns. On November 20, 2012, he was selected to the Ivy league team during his Senior season.He finished college with 171 receptions, 2,482 receiving yards and 15 receiving touchdowns. And, that’s all we know, so far.
So there we have it. All of the wide receivers that are trying to get a spot on the 53. I hope that was enough information for you to make a decision on casting your vote. So, without any hesitation…. CAST THAT VOTE!!!!
Who will make the biggest impact on the wide receiving squad in 2013?!!!
CHARGING FORWARD, IN EXCELLENCE!