San Diego Chargers

November 10, 2011; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers (17) walks off the field after a failed third down attempt during the fourth quarter against the Oakland Raiders at Qualcomm Stadium. The Raiders won 24-17. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY SportsWhat is happening bolt fam. Just wanted to send some love your way. I have been rocking out with Bolt Beat for a long long time now and I have a confession for all of you… I may be a huge bad luck charm. I was wondering this for a minute. In the three years that I have been writing for Bolt Beat, we have not made the playoffs once!!!! Not once!!! How many times in a row did we make it before I took over the site? We were the dominant team of the AFC West and everyone else was garbage in comparison to our teams. We were favorites to win the Super Bowl every season before I took this thing over. We were so ridiculously good looking ! Then what? Then….. I became the editor of Bolt Beat! It has to be it! That has to be the jinx. I’m not vain and I don’t think that everything is about me, but some things just make more sense than it should. How else do you have the top ranked offense and defense in the league and still miss out on the playoffs? All me! Vain? Meh. To divert blame, we can point the finger at AJ and Norv for the last 3 seasons, but what happens if we miss the playoffs again this year? Norv and AJ are gone and can’t take the blame anymore. There is only one more person to point the finger at. I know this is ridiculous. It’s like thinking that a certain pair of underwear will make the Bolts win on that day…. But those underwear are magical and nobody else knows it! In honesty, I have stopped writing certain post for the sole reason that I thought the Chargers would do better when I didn’t write that post. I may be developing a complex. The Chargers need to make it into the playoffs or I may have to sit out for the good of the team. Anyway, I don’t want to provoke a “it’s not your fault!” Reaction. I want more to know what ridiculous superstitions you have developed over time? This is one of many ridiculous things I do and think throughout the season and felt that I needed to share. Maybe it will break the jinx. What are your ridiculously vain superstitions? …and yes, it is all our faults that the Chargers have not made the playoffs! Someone didn’t wear their lucky hat or shirt on gameday like they were supposed to! Your fault!

Maxim poked fun at Manti Te'o by naming Lennay Kekua to its annual "Hot 100" list. The San Diego Chargers rookie took the jab in stride, appearing at a party honoring the fake girlfriend.

After all that talk about the outside linebacker position lately, I now wanna put my focus on another “recent” development: Jeromey Clary´s possible – or already fixed – transition from right tackle to right guard. Well actually this (possible) move is nothing new to us, but due to his performances in week one of this year´s OTAs, more and more details about this whole thing become public. Already on the first day of the “Organized Team Activities“, U-T San Diego´s Kevin Acee “promised” that we´re “going to feel differently about right guard Jeromey Clary than we did about right tackle Jeromey Clary.” And it seems he´s got prominent support on his side: “I think he’s going to be good for Fluker,” Philip Rivers said. “It’s going to be good having him there. Besides Nick (Hardwick), he knows the ins and outs of that offensive line … better than anybody.” Well, this statement by Philip Rivers may not be too much of a surprise. With all that change on the offensive line, I think he really is stoked that besides Nick Hardwick, another familiar face (or back…) from last season remains a part on the line in front of him in 2013…even if his name is Jeromey Clary. What´s also interesting is that most of the fans are pretty hyped about getting to see the former sixth round pick (in 2006) in a Chargers uniform at least one more season. Months, or just a few weeks ago, he was one of most hated players on the roster and (nearly) everybody wanted to see him get kicked out of town. Sure, “Big Lazy” Jared Gaither might have found a place above him on that list. But the hate for that lazy bu…uhm… ”beast” (*cough* *cough*) was at least followed by phrases like: “When healthy and on the field, he is one of best tackles in the league”. Have you ever heard someone saying the same thing about the guy with the No. 66 on his jersey? And now on the inside at guard he is considered as the designated starter…hmm. I have to admit, influenced by all those praise lately for the “interior lineman Jeromey Clary”, I´m about to jump on that bandwagon too. I mean all of the guys on the roster listed as “guard” (Johnnie Troutman, Rich Ohrnberger, Chad Rinehart) ended last season on injured reserve. Sure, King Dunlap, David Molk and Brandyn Dombrowski can play the position too, but good depth at any spot on the O-Line is highly welcomed. But there´s something else we´ve to consider: the financial aspect. Jeromey Clary is set to be a $5.7 million cap hit in 2013. His release would free up $2.3 million. In comparism, Andy Levitre will count $4.6 million against the cap this season for the Tennessee Titans (it will be a lot more in 2014 though). So, I guess its just fair to question whether or not Clary is worth that money. According to U-T San Diego´s Kevin Acee, “Clary will be just the 15th-highest paid guard in the NFL, based on his $5 million per year average.” If he´s really that kind of a stud player at the interior of the line, then I´d say give him that money. As Rivers said, he could be some kind of mentor for D.J. Fluker who´ll take over the starting job at right tackle. Clary may be a hard working and highly motivated guy, but he never really was able to show that he can be reliable pass protector for the Chargers´ field general. It´s kind of funny, that immediately when Fluker had been drafted, Clary started to mentally prepare to play guard next season. When head coach Mike McCoy phoned the 29-year old veteran on day two of the NFL draft, he already knew what the story is all about: “Sure, why not?” Clary said of his reaction. “I’m here to play football. They want me to play wide receiver, I’ll line up and give it a shot. I’m not saying it’s going to be good, but I’ll give it a shot.” But here comes the next question: would that transition from tackle to guard really be that easy for him? Let´s check out what the Chargers´ signal caller has to say about that: “I feel like he’ll adjust,” Rivers said. “It’s going to be different for him.

The San Diego Chargers helped raise money at STAR/PAL’s 13th Annual Celebrity Waiter Luncheon.

The San Diego Chargers helped raise money at STAR/PAL’s 13th Annual Celebrity Waiter Luncheon.

Chargers players and other San Diego luminaries were at the Star/Pal Superheroes For Youth luncheon, volunteering as waiters to raise money for a great cause.

Let's do a mailbag. One of those things where you guys ask me all sorts of questions and I give you a lot of vague answers, because I skipped Gennaro-ly Speaking this week and I'm dying for some BFTB Bossman-commenter interaction. Here's how we're going to try to do this... Please put your questions in the comments below. Please do not answer questions asked by other people in the comments below. The best time to do that would be when I do a follow up post with my answers, so you can give your opinion and prove me wrong at the same time. Anyone that doesn't listen and posts answers below will have their comments deleted. Those that do it repeatedly will be given an official site warning, which doesn't do a lot but looks bad on your record. Oh, and if you ignore the warning you'll be banned. Ask away!

For those of you that have been living under a rock, or doing real life things (like working), and haven't had a chance to hear it yet: Melvin Ingram tore his ACL and is likely out for season. The knee-jerk reactions and panic is warranted. Many expected Ingram to make "the leap" in year 2, the same way 2011 1st round draft pick Corey Liuget did in his second season. Will Melvin's production be missed? Sure, but moreso because of the depth issue the San Diego Chargers now have at Outside Linebacker. San Diego is left with two unlikely starters in Jarret Johnson and Larry English, along with a tweener in 6th round draft pick Tourek Williams and 2 UDFAs that went undrafted for a reason and probably aren't ready to contribute in 2013. Signing Dwight Freeney How do the Chargers adapt to this injury? Sign Dwight Freeney? Sure. Freeney has a history of getting after the quarterback, and is an ideal stopgap player. Freeney also struggled last year making the switch to 3-4 Outside Linebacker. It's unfamiliar territory to go from rushing the passer every snap with your hand in the dirt to playing in a 2-point stance, something you've never done, as well as dropping into coverage. The change was even too much for an 11-year veteran. Freeney struggled last year, but would still be the best pass rusher on the Chargers if he signed with them. To get the most out of him, John Pagano would need to play to his strengths, in the right scheme. Switching to 4-3? RT @edwerderespn: Mike McCoy says defensive scheme will accommodate Dwight Freeney if team fortunate enough to sign him — Bolts From The Blue (@BFTB_Chargers) May 16, 2013 Another important note on Freeney, last year the switch to him playing in a 2-point stance wasn't the only thing holding him back; He was injured, too. He was nursing an ankle sprain that slowed him down. Once he shook the injury, he was able to get going in the latter half of the season. There's plenty of reason to believe that he could be better in 2013 than he was in 2012. The Chargers signed Thomas Keiser on Thursday. Who? Exactly. Contract details haven't surfaced, but it's logical to think he won't be breaking the bank. Some think this signing means Freeney is no longer a target, but Keiser is simply is a much needed depth signing that was probably in the works before Ingram's injury. Doubt a team would tell Dwight "no" because they have Keiser. Veteran piece to mix. RT @eamundosayed What does that mean for Dwight Freeney? — Michael Gehlken (@UTgehlken) May 16, 2013 Personnel When defensive coordinator John Pagano was hired, he said, "Whatever your personnel suits you, you're going to be in certain types of fronts and certain types of coverages whether it's 3-4 or 4-3." He also said something interesting that leads me to believe due to the Chargers personnel, or lack thereof, that we'll be seeing more 4-man fronts than before. Pagano said "the biggest difference between a 4-3 and a 3-4 is that you have a lot more linebackers in a 3-4 and you have a little bit bigger linebackers who can stand up and come off the edge." Does the Chargers roster, with its current lack of Outside Linebackers mean we'd see more 4-down-linemen look Liuget, Kendall Reyes, and Cam Thomas each have the versatility to play all along the line, which gives Pagano more flexibility to play more fronts and align them in more gaps. With the addition of Freeney, and the 2 UDFA Nose Tackles who can command a double team, the Chargers using different 4 man fronts that allow Freeney and English to put their hand in the dirt (which is where both have excelled) makes the most sense. Pagano has said his philosophy is "See ball, get ball" and many would like to see him be more aggressive. You play to your personnel, and with the secondary the way it was in 2012 (and the way it's looking this year) it's easy to look forward to more vanilla blitzing and safe play calling for a defense that was 29th in the league

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports According to Brian Murphy of fftoolbox.com, San Diego Chargers head coach Mike McCoy told Sports Illustrated’s Peter King that Philip Rivers could complete 70 percent of his passes this season. McCoy made a bold statement because according to pro-football-reference.com, this has only been done five times by four quarterbacks in NFL history.  New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees completed over 70 percent of his passes in 2009 and 2011.  Former San Francisco 49ers quarterbacks Joe Montana and Steve Young completed 70 percent of their passes in 1989 and 1994, respectively, and former Cincinnati Bengals QB Ken Anderson accomplished this in 1982. Rivers completed 66 percent of his passes in 2010 when he led the NFL with 4,710 passing yards and that was the highest completion percentage of his career. Vincent Jackson, Antonio Gates and Malcom Floyd were San Diego’s leading receivers in 2009 and they missed 22 games in 2010 when Rivers completed 66 percent of his passes. San Diego’s offensive line has to play better in 2013 than they did in 2012 when they allowed 49 sacks which ranked fourth-worst in the league.  If the offensive line can protect Rivers, he is capable of completing 70 percent of his passes in 2013. San Diego’s receivers have to play better as well because they ranked 13th in receptions, 22nd in receiving yards and 30th in yards per reception last season. Rivers ranked ninth in the NFL with 26 touchdown passes and 11th in passer rating last season, but San Diego’s rushing attack, which ranked 31st in yards per attempt, has to take pressure away from him. McCoy’s statement about Rivers’ potential in 2013 shows that McCoy has confidence in his system and Rivers because completing 70 percent of one’s passes is uncommon in NFL history. Anderson, Brees, Montana and Young made the playoffs when they completed 70 percent of their passes while Montana, Young and Brees won Super Bowls and were Super Bowl MVPs in 1989, 1994 and 2009.  If Rivers completes 70 percent of his passes, San Diego will make the playoffs and could make a run at a title this season.

Feb 21, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; San Diego Chargers general manager Tom Telesco speaks at a press conference during the 2013 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports The holdup with the possibilities of adding Dwight Freeney to the San Diego roster is the same holdup that has been holding him up from signing anywhere so far. It comes down to money. Freeney is still looking to get paid like he is a Pro Bowl player and doesn’t want to lower the price yet. He doesn’t want to look at himself as an aging veteran that is declining in skills. Don’t get me wrong, Freeney is a better pass rusher than anyone else we have on our roster, but we can’t ruin our purse trying to fill another hole. The signing of Thomas Keiser yesterday gives us more pass rushers on the roster, but he is just some random dude. Honestly, I had no idea who the guy was before we picked him up yesterday. He will likely make the roster though. If we break the bank to get Freeney, then what are we going to do at left tackle? What are we going to do if someone else goes down with an injury at a position that we are lacking depth at also? The injuries are going to come and the depth around the roster is poor. Just look at our secondary at the corner position. With Marcus Gilchrist sliding over to safety, who is the next man up if Shareece Wright or Derek Cox go down? We are going to have to duct tape and super glue this season together in order to fight for a playoff spot. All the pieces are not going to be in place. Some people will need to step up in order to make this thing successfull. If Freeney wants to get PAID, then we will have to trust that Larry English or someone else on the roster will step up and do work. I won’t say that I expect Larry to be a stud…. but the potential is there. We have tried to put trust in him before and was left disappointed. An opportunity has opened up and now someone needs to take it and run with it. I wish it was Freeney, but it seems that he still wants that money. I applaud Tom Telesco and crew for holding strong. It would be easy to throw money at the situation and try to bandaid it all with Freeney, but there are other concerns on the roster and tossing every last dollar on an aging star would cripple us in the future. Freeney, our offer is on the table… just shake your head NO and let us know that you want more money and kick rocks. Otherwise, take the deal and suit up and let’s get some work done!