MVN - Most Valuable Network

Question Exchange With 49ers Blog

I answered a set of questions for the 49ers blog and thought I should post them here as well. Why not? (Oh, and I answered these before Merriman’s decision…)

 

1- Shawne Merriman has to make a decision on whether or not he should play through his ligament injury. Should he play or shut it down for the year?

Shawne may understand self-promotion in the modern sense, but when it comes to playing football he is a throwback. He will have to be physically dragged off the field by Ron Riveria. My understanding is that he is exploring a procedure that would allow him to play the year and delay the surgery until February. If it can be done, he will do it.

Of course, this raises the possibility that he will have an injury midway through the year that will sideline him anyway. I believe he will risk it, and as a fan I admire that about him. The window for a Super Bowl is always narrow and I don’t think Shawne wants to miss it anymore than the rest of us.

Unless he is told it’s his career or this year, he’ll play and none of us will be able to stop him, even if we wanted to do so. And I don’t. We need his energy.

 

 

2- LaDainian Tomlinson does not play preseason games and has entered the regular season on top of the game. Do you think more players should take this approach, not play any snaps in preseason?

L.T. is not your average player. He has a very strong work ethic and the slurs on his dedication that have emerged over the last couple of years from the east coast media are nothing more than the most recent example of their disdain for someone who dares to play out of their time zone. Because of that work ethic, I think it is possible for L.T. to get ready for the season in a way that not every player can.

The lack of exposure to injury is an obvious benefit, but must be balanced by whether or not an individual player needs that game-speed exposure to be prepared on opening day. With only sixteen games in a season and the competitive balance that the NFL has tried so hard to maintain, teams often miss the playoffs by a single game. Which risk is greater? Having a star player injured or having him get off to a slow start and losing a game that you could have won?

In other words, I’m passing the buck on this question to where the ultimate decision belongs…with the coach and the player.

 

 

3- Both LT and Philip Rivers entered the AFC Championship Game hurt, which made it difficult for them to get past the Patriots. What do the Chargers need to do get to that next level?

Avoiding injury is part of it of course, but that’s not something that can always be controlled. I am confident that we will not have to play our final game this year with our top three offensive players injured. (Remember, Antonio Gates was playing through an injury that day.)

Other things that have to happen are the continued growth of Vincent Jackson to compliment Chris Chambers; For Jacob Hester and Darren Sproles to combine and offset the loss of Michael Turner; For the team to find someone to lead block and replace Lorenzo Neal. And that’s just on offense. The defense has question marks as well, but most of them revolve around Merriman and whether or not he will be available.

 

 

4- Norv Turner returns to San Francisco since leaving the 49ers. Do you think that Turner’s departure turned a once promising Alex Smith’s career into a downward spiral?

While there is no doubting that Norv has had a positive impact on the careers of many quarterbacks, I think that saying Alex Smith’s troubles are due to his departure is a major oversimplification. There are plenty of other QB’s who’ve never had Norv to work with.

The simple truth is that there is no more difficult position to succeed at in this game than quarterback and that a stellar college career is no guarantee of professional success.

 

5- Which Charger should we keep an eye on during this game?

I would watch Malcolm Floyd and Darren Sproles. Both will get significant playing time and both have something to prove, plus both are coming off good performances.

Shawne Is Going To Play? No Surprise.

As I wrote here a few days ago, if he can play he will play.

No one in San Diego is surprised that Shawne Merriman has decided to delay surgery on his left knee.  He is not a player who misses time because of sprains or bruises.  There is far more  similarity between him and Dick Butkus or Ray Nitschke than most modern players.

Shawne Merriman is modern in his flamboyant celebrations, in his manner of firing up the crowd, in his intelligence in pursuing the endorsement dollar.

But as a football player, he would love playing in a leather helmet.

Chargers Score Late To Top Seattle 18-17

Coach Norv Turner called for a two-point conversion try with 2:30 remaining against Seattle last night and the Bolts down 17-16.  Quarterback Billy Volek lofted a ball designed to be in a place where only 6′5″ Malcolm Floyd could reach it.  He did, the cannon sounded and the Chargers had a preseason win over the Seattle Seahawks.

The conversion followed a one yard touchdown run by Jacob Hester on the first play after a 51 yard pass interference call that also came with Malcolm Floyd in the end zone and Volek throwing, although that was more of a heave than a loft when you consider it had to cover nearly seventy yards in the air.

Floyd finished with three catches for 37 yards.  Fellow receiver Vincent Jackson made the most of his first action of the preseason, catching four passes for 84 yards.

The majority of the Bolt starters played one series into the second half as the team prepares to close out the exhibition season Friday versus the 49ers and eagerly anticipates the start of a season that is filled with expectations of glory.