BOLT ANALYSIS: FREE AGENCY 2010-PART 1

Happy Spring to all of you!

Well, there has been much activity on the Charger front and there promises to be more soon. Some of the activity has been perplexing…some good…and some sad. The obvious thing is that AJ Smith and the ownership are pretty much sticking to the formula of trying to retain core players, cutting high priced older players, not doing much in free agency, and waiting for the Draft. With all the changes due to the Collective Bargaining Agreement expiration….the Chargers have basically just deferred some big decisions on key players until next year (which promises to be a year of big changes). For now, it seems to be a wait and see approach on many players, which is consistent with the rest of the League. Below is an update of what has occurred to date as the Chargers are molded for 2010.  

Ladainian Tomlinson – Released. This was the topic of my last post. He was to be the recipient of about $6 million this year. No word on where he may end up but I have heard something about the Vikings.

Jamal Williams – Released. The rock of our defense and, along with LT, the glue of the team for the last decade. Kind of sad that he may go out this way too. He was due about $5 million this year and for a guy who was hurt all last year and pretty much ineffective in 2008, it does make sense. The original word was that the Chargers were going to try and sign him back at a lower rate. Now, this seems unlikely and I have heard rumors about the Broncos picking him up. When he was healthy and in his prime, there was no better Nose Tackle in the League, a thankless position where you are being pummeled by two or three guys on every play. He was why we were so good against the run for so long and he set up our big playmakers on the outside. Without him, we have struggled in both categories.

Antonio Cromartie – Traded to the Jets for a 2011 Draft Pick (3^rd round pick that could become a 2^nd round pick). They could not wait to unload this guy. In fact, news leaked out that they had been shopping him around for months. Not a hot commodity because 1) he will be looking for a big contract next year, 2) is known to not give 100% effort and lacks toughness, 3) questionable commitment, 4) legal troubles, 5) tons of children scattered throughout the nation-all attached to paternity suits. Rumor out there that the Jets are fronting him $500,000 to pay some of these suits. Nice work Antonio. Dude, there are these things called condoms. Try one.

Brandon Manumaleuna – Signed by the Bears. A good blocker and good team guy. Too bad. Plus a cool last name.

Kassim Osgood – Signed by the Jaguars. A great, Pro Bowl special teams player and great team guy. Really too bad.

Michael Bennett – Released. Backup Running Back and a solid player. 

Vincent Jackson, Malcom Floyd, Marcus McNeil, Shawne Merriman, and Darren Sproles – All given a 1^st and 3^rd round “tender”. Basically, these 5 guys are the key players to the Chargers offseason. They are all victims of the collective bargaining agreement which keeps these players “restricted” free agents instead of “unrestricted”. If this was a normal year, the Chargers would either need to sign these guys to a long term contract or release them. As it stands, they can protect them and it will take a 1^st and 3^rd round pick offer from another team to get one of these guys. The team can negotiate a lesser deal if they want to but that is unlikely. The exception to this may be Sproles. He is due a massive payday of over $7 million. The rest of the guys are due in the $3 million range. They may trade Sproles for the right draft pick and try to grab someone else who can play 3^rd down back. The other guys are Chargers for at least one more year. Then…who knows?

Travis Johnson, Charlie Whitehurst, and Tim Dobbins – These three have been given lesser “tenders”. Johnson could be traded for a 2^nd round pick, Whitehurst for a 3^rd, and Dobbins for a 5^th. They are all good solid role players…I would be surprised if Whitehurst and Dobbins don’t get nabbed from us. I have heard that Arizona wants Whitehurst.  Too bad, as that means we are looking for a backup QB and a backup LB. We shall see.

Antonio Garay, Kris Wilson, Alfonso Boone – All have re-signed with the team. Who are these guys you ask? Garay and Boone are D linemen who add depth (especially needed with Williams leaving) and Kris Wilson is an underrated player who will now become the number 2 tight end behind Gates…glad they kept him.

Marcus Mason – Signed to team. This is the only player added to the roster so far from another team (the Redskins). He is a backup running back who will challenge for the spot Michael Bennett had.

So, what does this all mean? Do the Chargers have a master plan? I hope so. The one thing that does trouble me is it seems now that there will not be any aggressive push to get some defensive leadership. With Jamal gone..this will only be more magnified. We have the athletes but it sure seems like we need a guy out there to hold these players together. Merriman, Cooper, Jammer…these guys have tried, but not sure they have succeeded. Offensively, if we keep Jackson/Floyd/Sproles I think we are OK.

 It is hard to imagine the Chargers without LT and Jamal. They have just been the cornerstones for so long. But, I think all would have to agree that it is time to move on. I think these two positions will be among the top two or three draft picks the Chargers make. They simply need bodies at these positions. Good riddance to Cromartie. There is a good chance he does flourish with the Jets…it is a different system which may suit his athleticism better. But, give him time, he will screw it up.

As for the rest of the “tendered” guys and any other free agent acquisitions…we will just need to wait and see. All will pretty much be settled by the time of the Draft at the end of April. Then we will start to see how our team is going to look for 2010.

Stay tuned….