MVN: Most Valuable Network

While not worthy of much attention, the Raiders recently made a move that raised a few eyebrows here in San Diego.  Last week, the Raiders and their "Commitment To Geriatrics" signed FB Lorenzo Neal.  At first glance, it's easy to write this one off as a bad team signing another over-the-hill player.  In my opinion, I think this signing could actually be more ammunition for the AJ Smith is out-of-touch crowd. 

Now don't get me wrong.  Are the Raiders going to shock the world and win the AFC West?  Heck no.  They'll be competing with the Denver Broncos for last place in a weak division.  But on a team with three strong running backs, Neal could be just what the Raiders need to start turning things around on offense.  And facing him twice a year, watching him consistently hitting his blocks...  Well, let's just hope that the big guy really has lost a step or three. 

In letting Neal walk after the 2007 season, it was assumed that any decent fullback could fill his aging Pro Bowl shoes.  Jacob Hester, a RB/FB, was drafted soon after.  And after an impressive camp, undrafted free agent Mike Tolbert was tagged as the starting fullback after injuries took Andrew Pinnock out of the running. 

Tolbert's hands were good enough to get him into games, but his blocking was another story.  After too many missed blocks and too many lost opportunities for a struggling running game, it was obvious that the Bolts were missing Neal's penchant for making the block that needed to be made.  Due to injury, Hester replaced Tolbert and seemed to get better over time.  But were either of those rookies as good as Neal?  No, not even an over-the-hill version of him.

On a team that lost seven games by a TD or less and had a problem controlling the clock, it's easy to see how a few extra sustained drives could have equaled a couple of extra wins.  Would it have mattered in the playoffs?  Who knows?  But that Chargers team may have had a better chance with a better fullback making better blocks.

This is by no means a knock on Hester.  I think the guy gets a bad rap because the Chargers spent too much to get him.  There is a chance he could grow into an effective fullback, albeit not a Lorenzo Neal style of player.  I don't think that he'll ever be a prototypical blocking fullback.

Last off-season, much was made about coach Norv's preference to minimize the roll of the fullback in his offense.  Now, after the dust has settled on a disappointing season, the lack of an effective fullback was one of the glaring weaknesses in an otherwise talented Chargers offense.  For a position that isn't that important it sure stands out as one position that could have made the difference offensively.  As for the Raiders and their new fullback, I'm not predicting a Pro Bowl for Lo-Neal this season, but I'm not predicting one for Hester and Tolbert either.  If you need a blocking fullback, who do you want in your backfield?

On a team who's best defensive player is an outside linebacker, the Chargers spent their first round pick on...an outside linebacker?  Seems pretty stupid at first glance, doesn't it?  While I was hoping we would take a DE like Robert Ayers or an OT like Michael Oher, apparently AJ Smith had something else in mind.  I am happy he went with a defensive player in the first round, and the sound of a more vicious pass-rush is music to my ears.  I'm still a little worried about our ability to stop the run, but maybe 4th-rounder Vaughn Martin will surprise us. From what we're hearing from the Chargers' brass, Larry English will be more than a backup to Shawne Merriman and Shaun Phillips.  In college he played some defensive end, but he's already being touted as part of a three-headed monster at linebacker, with Merriman and English rushing off the outside, and... Read more

Eddie Pappani from the Chargers' Countdown To Kickoff show was good enough to give us his perspective of this weekend's NFL Draft. Those who know Eddie know him as "The Sports Oracle", and those who don't need to start listening to the Mikey Show on Rock 105.3. On with the interview... Jeff: What's up Oracle? The NFL Draft is almost here! I'm amazed out how big this thing has gotten. The NFL has really become a 365-day a year event. What are your plans for draft day? Eddie: I have been a draft geek since I was a little kid. I read a ton of publications and stay on top of it all year. It is my favorite sporting event all year. I have been to the draft several times as a reporter and it is so awesome. This year I will be an analyst on XTRA Sports 1360.... Read more

Less than a week until the draft!  I seriously can't wait.  My wife has already been warned that I will be unavailable for a majority of the weekend.  And like any good wife, I can count on her to not complain about it until at least an hour into the thing.  Gotta love her...   Anyway, just a few positions left to cover in our review of the current Chargers roster.  Next up we look at the linebacker spot.  Just last year I wrote that the linebacker corps is probably the deepest of any team in the NFL.  Last year, the Chargers put that statement to the test and I'll admit that the results were mixed, if not entirely disappointing.    With Shawne Merriman taking a not-so-unexpected early exit from the season and Stephen Cooper serving a four-game suspension, the Bolts quickly put their depth to the test.  Jyles Tucker... Read more

As we continue our breakdown of the Chargers roster position-by-position heading into the final two-weeks before the draft, we turn our attention to the defense. As a whole, the defensive unit was almost as bad as it gets for most of 2008. Ron Rivera took the reigns as Defensive Coordinator midseason and was able to improve the struggling group, but there is still a lot of work to be done. The defensive line took a lot of heat for failing to pressure the QB and more importantly failing to stop the run. As teams learned that they could pass on the Chargers almost at will, the blame was primarily shouldered by the secondary, yet the defensive line played an important role in the failure of their pass defense. This is another one of those "What a difference a year makes" moments. In 2007, with a healthy Shawne Merriman creating havoc... Read more

Jay Cutler...man (well, boy), myth (like the self-perpetuated myth that he was better than Elway), legend (only in his own mind)...and now, Chicago Bear.  And the Bears' drama at QB continues.   I'll let you in on a little secret- I'm a closet Bears fan.  I fell in love with the team (and really, football in general) during the 1986 Super Bowl win by the Bears, and although the Chargers will always be MY team, the Bears will always have a special place in my heart.  With the Bears now in the spotlight, I can't let Thursday's Bears-Bronco trade slip by without offering my two-cents on the deal.    My first thought?  The Broncos absolutely made out.  No other team was offering close to what the Bears paid.  My second thought?  The Bears got hosed!  Trading a lot of the future away for a QB with a solid arm... Read more

Over the last couple of years, we have heard (or, since it is mostly on message boards, seen) an awful lot of trash talk from all over the league and most especially from Denver.  The subject was what an "immature jerk" Philip Rivers was.  It was all precipitated by an incident where Jay Cutler and Philip, among others, engaged in a cross-field yelling match.When Philip was later noticed exchanging words with fans in Indianapolis, the masses seized on it as proof that Cutler was blameless and that Rivers was an childish arrogant instigator.Hmmmm,  Anyone interested in re-thinking that position now?Rivers has simply proved over and over again that he is a leader of men.  Yes, he is also a very emotional player.  But his maturity being questioned always seemed rather silly when you considered his response to on-field challenges to his composure, dating back to the multiple comebacks of his... Read more

"I just know we're not good enough. But I will say this, which I've said before: we need to have a solid, consistent running game. We have to." - AJ Smith Any smart NFL fan knows that a good offense starts at the line of scrimmage. Having addressed one piece to the Chargers running game with the retention of LT, now the focus turns to the 2nd, and possibly most important piece: the offensive line. Much maligned throughout the 2008 season due to a combination of health issues and just poor play, the offensive line is one of the top areas that need improvement for the Bolts. That's strange position for the Chargers to be in since it was just a year prior that three Chargers linemen were named to the Pro Bowl, including Marcus McNeill and Kris Dielman (and Hardwick as an alternate). Add Mike Goff to the mix,... Read more

That sound you heard last week wasn't artillery from Camp Pendleton. It also wasn't the throng of daily commuters trapped on I-15 expressing the collective frustration that the driver in front of them was an idiot or that they could get there faster by walking.That sound you heard was thousands of Charger fans from San Ysidro to San Onofre giving out a collective sigh of relief. LT and the Chargers had worked out an agreement on a restructured contract, keeping the iconic running back in San Diego.To talk about Tomlinson on another team is to utter the unthinkable. Imagine George Brett hitting a gapper for Cleveland, Larry Bird hitting a jumper from the corner in a Suns jersey or Steve Yzerman cutting loose on a slapshot in a Rangers sweater. Unthinkable.  Once in a rare instance, a player comes along that stands out and rises to the level of an... Read more

The Chargers and LaDainian Tomlinson announced his restructured contract, and it was as if there was never any doubt in anyone's mind:  LT will remain a Charger, and all seems right in the world once again for Bolts fans. That all sounds good- I mean, I was at the front of the "Keep LT" bandwagon.  But funny, this isn't exactly what I expected.  Under the terms of the new deal, LT's contract remains basically unchanged for the 2009 season, aside from some new bonus money that will lower his cap-number.  That's alright for the face of the franchise, but surprising for a 30-year old RB who ended the last two seasons with injuries. If the Chargers are happy with it, who am I to complain?  All I know is that I expected a slightly deeper salary cut and a more performance-based contract.  And with the potential savings, I was expecting... Read more

The San Diego Chargers have announced a renegotiated contract with LaDainian Tomlinson.  This surprises plenty of people outside of the Legions of the Lightning Bolts and pretty much nobody within them.Is anybody else getting more than a little tired of the east coast media inventing controversy about the guy who shares initials and impact with a NY Giant Hall of Famer but has infinitely more integrity and intelligence?  First, they tried to say he was a whiner after the upset playoff loss at home.  Then they questioned his toughness... which really is the stupidest thing out of all of it.  News for you so-called reporters: the game in Pittsburgh this January was the first this guy has ever missed due to injury. Ever.  You should have been able to look that one up, gang.  Now, they all said he was a disruption and was going to be traded or released. ... Read more