Question To All!!!

[TCUFAN5]

I know im new here..But from what i grasp from all of the conversations to the IMPROVEMENT of our team i hear that we cant have Untested Players on the field. like Rivers so to speak. So why should we go after ROOKIES in important positions when we can pick up Veterans for the same price if not cheaper your saying that we need OL and there are 2 or three ALL PRO OL in the free agency we have the cap room so why not persue them?? with our Secondary there are Pro Bowl candidates in the mix like C. Woodson, N. Clements, A. Archeleta, M. McCree, and and the list goes on wouldnt you rather have some one like that on your team than pick up some one from the Draft and have another Q. Jammer, or S. Davis come out the Mix? Im not saying that S. Merriman, and L. Castillo were bad pick ups and i know they werent but for Secondary players i would look in the FA before i looked at the draft for pick up. id be on the phones now with the players i think that would fit talking to Agents saying what would it take to get him HERE!!! we have the money to do it..so why not do it. its just sickening to see our team with as much talent as we had this year to go another season like that again when THIS YEAR THIS OFFSEASON there are player out there in the FA that can HELP US and we just need to go PERSUE them and bring them to the Blue...JMHO ....

THANKS FOR YOUR TIME!!!!:) :Beer: :cool:

[TCUFAN5]

no comments?

[HeadTrip]

Most Charger fans like the way AJ has drafted, and why shouldn't we? He has given us two years of successful drafting so far, and there is no reason to think the success won't continue.

Also, teams tend to overpay FAs and AJ just won't pay a guy more than he thinks they are worth. He may decide to pursue some big named FAs but he will only offer them fair market value, whereas some teams might pay a lot more.

[TCUFAN5]

yea thats true but i was thinking along the lines of Filling the holes with experience first you know...but that's just my opinion that's how i would i wouldnt got and SPEND everything on one player so to speak but atleast get some good experience talent in first then think about the other rookies.. JMO

[LightzOut]

I would think with Henry on as OL coach, the bolts will make a serious move for Bentley, the FA pro-bowl guard from New Orleans. Beyond that, I think AJ picks up one of the stud offensive tackles in the first round and maybe one or two other lineman for depth in later rounds.
As far as secondary goes, I agree. I would rather bring in an experienced CB. It seems like rookie CBs, even the 1st rounders usually take 2-3yrs to develop and reach their potential, Chargers need help now.

[TCUFAN5]

my thoughts exactly

Thnx for the reply

[BoltsaremyGod]

So why should we go after ROOKIES in important positions when we can pick up Veterans?

Umm....yes we can pursue FAs and if they are a good fit and a good value we should get them, but, I don't know what to make of the quote above? What do you want us to do with our draft picks? Not draft players in important positions that may help us next year or the years to come? You make it sound like a one or the other proposition. If we can get the right players through free agency that will fill some of our holes going into the draft, then we use the draft to fill the rest, for next year and the years to come.

[TCUFAN5]

what i meant by the quote above is why fill IMPORTANT positions that we need experience in like the secondary.. i mean yes OL can be picked up in the draft but secondary is a hard one for me unless u have a DEFINITE SHOW STOPPER BALL HAWK at the position like Ko Simpson or darnell Bing or Cedric Griffin or Michael Griffin or Michael Huff which will be scooped up WELL before our pick comes so why not pursue the FA for those positions? and pick up OL in the draft.

[HeadTrip]

I don't know about you guys, but I consider our Oline to be extremely important. I think LT and Drew feel the same way.

[SuperBowlBolts]

I don't know about you guys, but I consider our Oline to be extremely important. I think LT and Drew feel the same way.
I say its the top priority his off season

[BoltsaremyGod]

what i meant by the quote above is why fill IMPORTANT positions that we need experience in like the secondary.. i mean yes OL can be picked up in the draft but secondary is a hard one for me unless u have a DEFINITE SHOW STOPPER BALL HAWK at the position like Ko Simpson or darnell Bing or Cedric Griffin or Michael Griffin or Michael Huff which will be scooped up WELL before our pick comes so why not pursue the FA for those positions? and pick up OL in the draft.

Pick up value players who are an upgrade through free agency fill the rest of the holes through the draft regardless of position. Yes, experience is better than no experience, but the Chargers are only going to sign free agents who are a value, A.J. has been rewarding from within.

Yes, Huff will be gone by 19, but, the rest might still be on the board, especially Michael Griffin who will be on the board until 2007 since he is a junior at Texas. All I know is Rodney Harrison was a 5th round pick.

[Rivers2Gates]

I say its the top priority his off season
Coming in a close second would be....... getting our quarterback situation ironed out, or getting drew healthy!!

[Ladainiac21]

We have the money, and picks to get it ALL done this offseason!

This is a RARE opportunity, we have so many great young players on both sides of the ball.

Spend the money this offseason, and start fitting the Bolt players for rings!

[mk87]

Coming in a close second would be....... getting our quarterback situation ironed out, or getting drew healthy!!

Really? I would say a secondary/defense that will force more turnovers to keep our offense on the field (CINNNCCCYYYY's complemented Palmer and Chicago's got them to the playoffs).

[LarryAW]

Other than a high-pick in the first round, I don't think free agents are cheaper than draftees. Not by a long shot. If that was the case, their teams would re-sign them. They generally let them go because they can't, or don't want, to pay them what the players and their agents think they are worth.

The Chargers drafted 15 of their starters and two others were undrafted free agents. That is how the Chargers build the team now, and it's cheaper than signing free agents. Some fans are gun-shy about drafting DB's because they don't like the DB's we have already drafted and want a proven DB. I think the Chargers will sign a free agent or two that will have a big impact and get the Chargers to the playoffs, and deep into the playoffs next year. But, the Chargers will be adding most of their talent via the draft. Look at the impact both Merriman and Castillo made to the team last year, and both came via the draft.

Shawne wasn't cheap and Reggie Bush, Lineart, and Young will cost their teams an arm and a leg this year. But those contracts aren't the norm. The Chargers do not overspend on free agents, and that is the reason we are so far under the cap.

No matter what happens, it is always fun to speculate. ;)

[TCUFAN5]

yea i understand its just the fact i see so much potential out there via the FA and i think we should get a piece of it...look at the broncos..ENTIRE DEFENSIVE LINE...and then Champ Bailey the year b4 and John Lynch that's the type of changes we need just on the opposite side of the ball that in depth you know the front seven of ours are GOOD..we just need to relook at the Secondary see who we are going to keep and who we need to upgrade that's all im saying i think we can come out this year and have a 13-3 season with the right additions maybe better you know..i can see some people on that FA list that can HOOK US UP for the postseason. and we should jump on it.

[TCUFAN5]

yea i know Shawne wasnt cheap..BUT DID HE LIVE UP TO HIS MONEY? you dayum right he did... what has Q. Jammer done? S. Davis? come on if we are going to draft these boys they better Dayum well show up or CUT their Asses...LOL look at me talking this like im the GM LOL...but hey that would cost us money...LOL but it is fun to speculate what will be done but all in all GO CHARGERS make a run for that superbowl in 07 baby...!!!

[Chargeroo]

I know im new here..But from what i grasp from all of the conversations to the IMPROVEMENT of our team i hear that we cant have Untested Players on the field. like Rivers so to speak. So why should we go after ROOKIES in important positions when we can pick up Veterans for the same price if not cheaper your saying that we need OL and there are 2 or three ALL PRO OL in the free agency we have the cap room so why not persue them?? with our Secondary there are Pro Bowl candidates in the mix like C. Woodson, N. Clements, A. Archeleta, M. McCree, and and the list goes on wouldnt you rather have some one like that on your team than pick up some one from the Draft and have another Q. Jammer, or S. Davis come out the Mix? m not saying that S. Merriman, and L. Castillo were bad pick ups and i know they werent but for Secondary players i would look in the FA before i looked at the draft for pick up. id be on the phones now with the players i think that would fit talking to Agents saying what would it take to get him HERE!!! we have the money to do it..so why not do it. its just sickening to see our team with as much talent as we had this year to go another season like that again when THIS YEAR THIS OFFSEASON there are player out there in the FA that can HELP US and we just need to go PERSUE them and bring them to the Blue...JMHO ....

THANKS FOR YOUR TIME!!!!:) :Beer: :cool: A few comments. First, the list of FA that you see right now will not be the list of FA that we can sign. Many will sign with their existing team before the FA period starts. (Just as Osgood was signed by us the other day.) For instance, it's highly unlikely that the pro-bowl Tackle (Runyan) and pro-bowl Guard (Hutchison) will not be signed again or franchised by their teams. Also, we aren't even allowed to talk to any of those players until the FA period arrives. In fact, a team can be fined for even hinting that they're interested in some other teams FA ahead of time. Another point is that the amount of money that we are under the cap will be diminished quite a bit by the time we sign all of our own free agents. Just Brees alone will likely take up 4 mil. or so of cap space. I don't know who they want to keep and who they will let go but my guess is that they want to keep most of these guys -

Unrestricted (4+ accrued seasons):
Drew Brees
Justin Peelle
Ben Leber
Reche Caldwell
Jamar Fletcher
Bob Hallen
Carlos Polk
DeQuincy Scott

Restricted (3 accrued seasons):
Kassim Osgood
Courtney Van Buren
Matt Wilhelm
Hanik Milligan
Andrew Pinnock
Clinton Hart
Kris Dielman
Jacques Cesaire
Stephen Cooper

Exclusive Rights (2 or less accrued seasons):
Jonathan Pollard
Derreck Robinson
Corey Lekkerkerker

Signing them will take up quite bit of that 20M cap space and AJ had that in mind when he steered us into the Salary Cap position we are in now.

[TCUFAN5]

we only have 20m are u serious..i did not even know it was that low...sheesh that brings a new light on the situation..i thought we were upwards to 35 maybe 40 then i could see us making moves...but 20 mil may barely cover those pending on the price they agree to with Brees

[Ikeman83]

Couple things:

1.) Of the six DBs you listed probably only one of them will be off the board when we pick. I don't know if you've compared the top three needs of each team and the players available at each position, but there are going to be a lot of WRs, DLs, LBs, RBs, and QBs taken in the first 20. Probably only Atlanta is going to pick up a DB, and they will likely take Huff.

2.) I can't decipher what your roster strategy is at all. Honestly, I'm clueless. There are basically 7 positions that translate really well from college to the pros in the first year (the rookie wall aside): LB, DL, SS, RB, K, TE, and P. With few exceptions, just about every other position has some kind of transition element, even for top players. If all we do is get FAs to fill our weaknesses, and assume that our draft picks can't take care of business, we severely limit ourselves.

3. 20 mil is a lot of cap room, period. signing a player to a contract involving a bonus also allows a team to prorate that salary over several years. Looking at the list, and considering how much each of these guys is going to take up and how many of them are going to get cut, we're going to be entering the draft with somewhere in the neighborhood of 10+ million in cap room. Keep in mind, we don't need to "save" cap room.

Unrestricted (4+ accrued seasons):
Drew Brees - 4 Million-ish, possibly a contract heavy in bonuses and incentives rather than high base salaries.
Justin Peelle - Either plays cheap or isn't a Charger. I'd look for him to be signed for around 500 K in cap hit.
Ben Leber - probably gone, but if we move him inside to MLB he'll probably cost around 1 to 1.5 Mil. I don't see the Chargers keeping him for more than that.
Reche Caldwell - gone, and if he isn't I'll be surprised
Jamar Fletcher - CBs cost money, we can probably hang onto Jamar for less than 2 Mil for this season.
Bob Hallen - gone
Carlos Polk - injured too much and we have enough depth at the position... gone
DeQuincy Scott - good player, probably won't cost us very much to keep, I'd guess less than 500K as his cap hit

Restricted (3 accrued seasons):
Kassim Osgood -signed, don't know the terms.
Courtney Van Buren - gone
Matt Wilhelm - can probably be had for around 500K
Hanik Milligan - less than 500 K
Andrew Pinnock - gone
Clinton Hart - 500 K or less, he's never had a number higher than that, and won't this year either.
Kris Dielman - probably good for around 500 K
Jacques Cesaire - 500 K
Stephen Cooper - 500 K

Exclusive Rights (2 or less accrued seasons):
Jonathan Pollard
Derreck Robinson
Corey Lekkerkerker

All of the Exclusive rights guys will play for minimum salaries. In other words, and these are just estimates, we're looking at spending 11 Mil in cap space, and having around 10 Mil left over for other FAs and Draft picks. All of our picks combined will be around 5 Mil, and we can sign two big FAs.

[Chargeroo]

Some other details regarding the cap space -


Minimum Salaries for 2005:
0 Credited Seasons: $230,000
1 Credited Seasons: $305,000
2 Credited Seasons: $380,000
3 Credited Seasons: $455,000
4-6 Credited Seasons: $540,000
7-9 Credited Seasons: $665,000
10+ Credited Seasons: $765,000

A player like Kris Deilman that's been riding the bench for league minmum will get a big pay raise next year, probbaly 1.5M or so. They could also save cap space by releasing some of the players listed below, I'm not saying they will but it's possible that at least one or two will be released if others are signed to replace them.

Donnie Edwards = 3.55M in 2006
Sammie Davis = 630K in 2006
Leander Jordan = 800K in 2006
Mike Goff = 2.65M in 2006

[mwooten]

Some other details regarding the cap space -


Minimum Salaries for 2005:
0 Credited Seasons: $230,000
1 Credited Seasons: $305,000
2 Credited Seasons: $380,000
3 Credited Seasons: $455,000
4-6 Credited Seasons: $540,000
7-9 Credited Seasons: $665,000
10+ Credited Seasons: $765,000

A player like Kris Deilman that's been riding the bench for league minmum will get a big pay raise next year, probbaly 1.5M or so. They could also save cap space by releasing some of the players listed below, I'm not saying they will but it's possible that at least one or two will be released if others are signed to replace them.

Donnie Edwards = 3.55M in 2006
Sammie Davis = 630K in 2006
Leander Jordan = 800K in 2006
Mike Goff = 2.65M in 2006
I don't think there is any way Dileman gets remotely close to 1.5 mil. He might get half that if he's lucky. He will maybe get 1-2 million in bonuses max, but no way in annual salary.

[Chargeroo]

I don't think there is any way Dileman gets remotely close to 1.5 mil. He might get half that if he's lucky. He will maybe get 1-2 million in bonuses max, but no way in annual salary.You may be right but if Jordan gets 800K to be abackup and the other Guard gets 2.65M - I have to think it'll take at least 1M. He's an RFA so other teams can pluck him away if they don't pay him right.

[BoltsaremyGod]

yea i understand its just the fact i see so much potential out there via the FA and i think we should get a piece of it...look at the broncos..ENTIRE DEFENSIVE LINE...and then Champ Bailey the year b4 and John Lynch that's the type of changes we need just on the opposite side of the ball that in depth you know the front seven of ours are GOOD..we just need to relook at the Secondary see who we are going to keep and who we need to upgrade that's all im saying i think we can come out this year and have a 13-3 season with the right additions maybe better you know..i can see some people on that FA list that can HOOK US UP for the postseason. and we should jump on it.

But now the Broncos are $20 million over the cap for next year by doing just what you said. They made a run at it this year and came up short. Can't wait to see who they release first (same goes for the Chiefs and the Raiders).

[CBO]

You may be right but if Jordan gets 800K to be abackup and the other Guard gets 2.65M - I have to think it'll take at least 1M. He's an RFA so other teams can pluck him away if they don't pay him right.

Jordan was a FA that we signed from another team wich usualy makes them more expensive. Dileman is still a project and will be playing for about league Min. Realy dont think he will caost us more than 500-600K. He did not play all that well to get a big contract. AJ rewards people that preform at a high level. I dont think he falls into this catagory yet. He does work hard but his skills are not there yet.

[Totally Bolted]

FA's are not necessarily the cure for failure to reach the SB. There are a lot of teams that try it. Gaiturds for one. It might work in baseball but it doesn't work in football. No sure why. In one sense maybe it's the "collect the pay check mode" or something and it takes more than 16 games to snap out of it. 1 to 2 FA's is about all any should be able to tolerate.

[Ikeman83]

I don't think we need a bunch of free agents... I think we might only want to go for two: LeCharles Bentley and Nate Clements.

[CBO]

I don't think we need a bunch of free agents... I think we might only want to go for two: LeCharles Bentley and Nate Clements.

I agree. We dont have alot of hole and these 2 will be expensive but can dramaticly improve our play. Bently is solid and Clements is a big 6ft 205lb corner. He is one of the best in the league. I would also like to pick up Charles Woodson and move him or Jammer to FS. Then fill the rest of our needs in the draft. we need playmakers and all 3 of these guys can do that.

[Ikeman83]

I actually like Jue at FS, but line Jammer up against any team's no 2 WR and we shut off that side of the field, Clements shuts down the number one, and all of a sudden our pass D is rediculous. Plus, when we draft Ko Simpson, we can make our whole defense additionally rediculous. Actually, come to think of it, if we did this then our ILBs would be our biggest team weakness. Interesting...

[Chargeroo]

Why does everyone think Nate Clements is the cure? He had one more interception than Jammer had but he had 7 fewer passes defensed. Our own offense ate him up in our game against the Bills. He gave up two TD passes in the game where Miami came from behind to beat the Bills - including the game winner. I think the people in Buffalo are hoping he leaves but you guys are hoping he come to SD. Grass is always greener I guess.

[Ikeman83]

He might've given up some passes but then again so have all of our guys. Every corner gives up plays, it happens. I think he would improve our secondary though because instead of having a B+/A- Corner in Jammer and then dropping to a B- corner in Flo, we'd have two B+/A- corners. Plus, Nate got destroyed by Drew Brees, the greatest QB of all time, you can't really hold that against him.

[ChampCharger]

Nate Clements isn't the only guy who would improve our secondary.

One of the two steelers CBs will not get resigned
Deshea Townsend or Ike Taylor would be a great help.

Then there's Brian Williams from Minnesota who looke pretty darn good this season.

Any one of them would improve our pass defense.

[Tomlinson21]

Well one thing you have to tip your hat to AJ in that Rivers trade. He did address the QB issue via Drafting Eli Manning - arguably the best pick at the time (Big Ben turned out to be the Best in that draft for obvious reasons now). The only thing is, he didn't want to play for us. So who does he pick, Rivers. There's really no secret as to why it was done (drafting QB). It had to be done. But who would have thought about Brees having all-pro type seasons soon after that? Not me.

It's all circumstantial with all the events that happened after that draft...some bad but mostly good. But you got to trust AJ to run the tables again this year.