San Diego Chargers

We all heard it, Tom Telesco was able to get the deal done: Dwight Freeney will be a Charger for the next two years. As already reported here on BoltBeat yesterday, he signed a 2-year contract worth $8.75 million with a $4.6 million incentive package included. So, Freeney got the deal he was asking for. I hoped Tom Telesco would´ve been able to get him in at a lower price tag, but as I mentioned in a previous piece, “desperate times call for desperate measures”. Dwight Freeney was the best option available at this point and our hard working General Manager was able to seal the deal on the 33-year old veteran. But what kind of player do we get with Freeney? Well, one thing is for sure – not an every-down player. The seven-time Pro Bowl defensive end will find his role mainly in passing situations. In nickel or dime packages, he´ll be allowed to put his hands in the dirt and show his famous spin moves to get to the quarterback. John Pagano will create a bunch of options to use Freeney´s skill set in the best way possible. He is not the man to play in a 2-point stance as his performances in the newly installed 3-4 scheme in Indianapolis showed last season; he only was able to record five sacks and 12 tackles in 2012. But according to Pro Football Focus, of his 466 pass rushes, Freeney had his hand on the ground for 402 (86.2 percent) of them. So the Colts were creating some plays giving him the opportunity to do what he does best, but he wasn´t able to repeat those incredible numbers from his past seasons. He was bothered by an ankle injury and I think this was probably the main reason for his decline lately. So, we will experience a 3-4 base defense again in San Diego this season, but John Pagano will get creative and find ways to get the best out of the 3-time All-Pro and thus get off the field on third down more often. Although the defense, overall, did a solid job in 2012; getting off the field on third down had been an issue. Speaking of 3-4 base defense…here are some interesting comments by Tony Dungy and Bill Polian on how Dwight Freeney will fit into the Chargers´ defensive scheme – via ESPN´s Chris Mortensen: With Freeney being mainly used as pass rusher in 4-3 formations; who´ll get out there on first and second downs when Pagano switches back to the traditional 3-4 defense? Well, I guess this would be Larry English then; he will see significant playtime in 2013 – if he´s able to step on the field (we all know about his injury history). So with that Freeney signing, Tom Telesco was able to address a big hole on the roster. It wasn´t cheap, but when considering that he started out asking for $8 million a year from the Denver Broncos some weeks ago, then $8.75 million over 2 years sounds like a pretty solid deal. BoltFam, what do you expect from Dwight Freeney in 2013? Will we experience double digit sacks from the Colts’ all-time sack leader or do we need to lower our expectations on the aging veteran? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section. Thank you for reading! BoltnRoll!

Nov 27, 2011; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney (93) celebrates after a sack during the game against the Carolina Panthers at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports Dwight Freeney, Chargers Agree To Deal ESPN The Chargers were looking for a pass-rusher, but 33-year-old Dwight Freeney hasn’t reached double figures in sacks since 2010, and the odds are stacked against him. Since 2000, only three DE-OLB types age 33 or older have reached 11 sacks. Chargers, Freeney agree to 2-year deal Yahoo! Sports The deal to bring Freeney to the Chargers came four days after outside linebacker Melvin Ingram tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in a padless practice. The addition of Freeney also helps cushion the loss of outside linebackers … Chargers solve problem with Freeney ESPN (blog) That doesn’t mean the Chargers (whose defensive coordinator is John Pagano — the brother of Chuck Pagano, who was Freeney’s coach in Indianapolis last year) are going to totally scrap the 3-4 for a 33-year-old player. It means that the Chargers are … Chargers sign Dwight Freeney to two-year contract CBSSports.com (blog) Early Saturday morning, CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora reported the Chargers were closing in on a deal with defensive end Dwight Freeney. That deal is now done, as the Chargers announced the signing of Freeney on Saturday afternoon.

(Kim Klement/USA Today Sports) After a long wait, it looks like Dwight Freeney finally knows which team he’ll be playing for during the 2013 season–the San Diego Chargers. Freeney and the Chargers agreed to a two-year deal on Saturday after the defensive star drew interest from numerous teams following his release from the Indianapolis Colts earlier this offseason. Freeney may be coming off a 2012 season in which he finished with just five sacks, but the 33-year-old still seems to have a few good years left in him–which is why San Diego hopes this signing pays off. Throughout his career, Freeney has always been considered one of the top pass rushers in the league and there’s no reason why he shouldn’t be able to bounce back with the Chargers in 2013. This team may have struggled over the last two seasons, but San Diego has certainly been making all of the right moves this offseason to make sure they bounce back next year. The AFC West certainly won’t be easy to compete with, but the addition of Freeney seems like a great fit for the Chargers’ defense. If Freeney can manage to return from his dominant level from a couple of years ago–San Diego should be able to compete in the division with the other three teams. At this rate, this seems like a low risk for the Chargers with the potential to be a high reward and keep in mind what happened with Peyton Manning when teams were hesitant to sign him. In other words–expect Freeney to play with an extra chip on his shoulder now that he’s a member of the Chargers. “Like” Dan Parzych on Facebook Be sure to follow Dan on Twitter @DanParzych

December 11, 2011; Baltimore, MD, USA; Indianapolis Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney (93) sacks Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (5) in the second half at M First of all, I just want to say that it was a great day on the site! Everyone was rockin’ and rollin’.. throwing it all out there… making each other laugh.. getting down & durty with the stats & facts… and generally being awesome! I LOVE IT when we have days like this, where we can celebrate, do a little dance, and give each other a virtual Hi-Five! I want to thank Ernie for being on top of the story before I even woke up. (I am not a morning person, especially on the weekends). What a great way to start the day! Furthermore, I want to praise Tom Telesco for GETTIN ER’ DUN!!! When Freeney left town, I think we all thought “There goes another one”, and put our face in our hands. What a Finale! Dwight Freeney is a Charger, folks… like it, or not.. big contract or not. Aging veteran, or not. He is going to hold down the left side, and get after Manning, Smith, and whoever ends up starting in Oakland this season… probably Flynn. Personally, I think Dwight Freeney is going to look GREAT in Lightning Bolts! In fact, other than drafting Ingram.. I haven’t been as excited for a Chargers pass rusher since good ole’ QB eating, scary seizure dancing, steroid taking, Tia Tequila dating, “Lights Out” Shawne Merriman. Yeah, he was a controversial player… but, he was OUR controversial player. I loved the heck out him, and enjoyed every minute of the time he spent here. I’m not going to get into all of the if’s, and’s, why’s, and but’s of the signing. (Not in this article anyway), because I am too excited to get to the main event… THE POLL! Every year, somebody throws up the “How many sacks will (insert player here) have”? Article. Since I’m new around these parts, I am going to seize the opportunity, before somebody else does.. hahahaha! It’s a dream I’ve had. So, I won’t spend anymore time yapping, and get straight to the point. How Many Sacks Will Dwight Freeney Have this year? NOW… GO!!!!! And, as always…Keep Bolting Toward Excellence! Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

May 13, 2013; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Chargers tackle King Dunlap (77) at organized team activities at Chargers Park. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY SportsPeople are worried about the left tackle spot now. We spent all our cap space money on Dwight Freeney and don’t have anything left in the purse for a left tackle or any other position on the roster… And I have my own thoughts on some positions that need to be beefed up. What are we to do now? Just roll with the punches and play with the roster we have? We need to cut more fat. Players like Eddie Royal, LeRon McClain, Jeromey Clary and Charlie Whtehurst are eating up valuable cap space. Releasing them off the roster now could give some relieve and waiting to release them after June 1 would open up even more room under the cap. If we release Clary and Royal on that date, we could free up nearly $7M…. via my own calculations and could possibly be wrong, but I am pretty sure it is something close to that. That extra dough could definitely bring in vets for the o-line or for whatever other depth issues we need to fill. Waiting till June 1 will also let us see what players around the league get the axe and we can try and pickoff some vets from there. Things are still moving. Another good player could become available. We have a few players that we can cut ties with that will free up some room for us. There is time to get a Max Starks. He doesn’t look like he is in any rush to sign a deal anyway. I believe that King Dunlap will not be starting at left tackle to start out the year and that Jeromey Clary has seen his last game as a Charger. It just makes a ton of sense. At least it makes sense to me. We have a little wiggle room and we know Tom Telesco wants to win immediately after going hard after Freeney.

Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports According to ESPN, the San Diego Chargers signed former Indianapolis Colts defensive end/linebacker Dwight Freeney to a two-year deal today. This move comes four days after 2012 first-round pick and outside linebacker Melvin Ingram tore his ACL during a Chargers practice. Unfortunately, the former South Carolina Gamecocks defensive end will more than likely miss the entire 2013 season. Freeney is a seven-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro who led the NFL with 16 sacks in 2004. While Freeney’s production has declined the last three seasons, he made the Pro Bowl from 2008-2011 and was injured last season, so Freeney could bounce back with San Diego in 2013. The signing of Freeney came as no surprise when it was announced that he was visiting with San Diego this week because Chargers general manager Tom Telesco was employed by Indianapolis for Freeney’s entire career. Telesco worked as a scout and later became Indy’s Director of Player Personnel. Freeney’s 107.5 career sacks rank fifth among active players and 21st in NFL history. San Diego uses two outside linebackers in their lineup and the coaching staff will depend on Freeney to be the one who puts pressure on quarterbacks because Jarret Johnson is not known as a pass rusher. When Freeney plays in at least 10 games a season, he averages 10.4 sacks, which San Diego needs because they lost their best pass rusher Shaun Phillips in free agency to the Denver Broncos. San Diego uses three defensive linemen, but only one is a defensive end so Freeney needs to take pressure away from DE Corey Liuget in passing situations. The signing of Freeney could be a benefit for Ingram when he comes back next season because Freeney could be a mentor to him and they could start at the outside linebacker positions.

Why would Chargers rookie Keenan Allen wear a Raiders cap? Answer: We don't know.

Can someone tell the rookie what team he was drafted by again! Keenan Allen was rocking an Oakland Raiders hat yesterday on a video he posted on vine. Now that is an insult! Any other team and it would be less of an insult, but that is an Oakland Raiders hat! Just the team that Chargers fans hate the most. I wonder what his thoughts are going to be on Raiders week. Sigh Keenan. I wonder how the vets will razz this rookie when he gets back to camp. He deserves a little crap for that one.

I'm loving all of the positive comments and votes regarding my posts. I'll keep posting as long as you want to read! This edition of (Realistic) Expectations of the Chargers in 2013 will focus mainly on our lone FB and our TE's. FB) Le'Ron McClain 20 att, 70 yards, 1 TD Le'Ron McClain was brought in to mainly block for Ryan Mathews. He didn't do a great job of that last year, because Mathews was hurt, but I think he will have a good season this year. Our O-line is slightly more solid than it was last year, and I'm thinking we're going to emphasize the run more, especially with the addition of DJ Fluker. Le'Ron won't touch the rock too much, but look for him on the goalline maybe a few times throughout the season. Don't expect Tolbert-esque numbers from him. 7 receptions, 23 yards He's not here to catch, but he can if we need him to. Most of the scat back sets will be with Danny Woodhead. TE1) Antonio Gates 52 receptions, 600 yards, 8 TD's I think Gates is going to feel good coming into this season. I do think he's losing a step, but I also think that McCoy is going to want to rely on our TE's more than Norv did last year. I think Gates is close to retiring, and he'll want to go out strong. Expect a solid year from him. TE2) John Phillips 25 receptions, 200 yards, 2 TD's John wasn't brought in to catch the ball. He is our replacement for Randy McMichael, and will be used mainly as a blocker. I think he'll be a little better then McMichael in blocking, but won't catch as well as Randy did in 2010 and 2011. TE3) Ladarius Green 13 receptions, 172 yards, 1 TD He was drafted last season to take over for Gates at some point. He is a great pass catcher, but he needs to bulk up and learn how to block. He will start, or get a bigger role within the next few seasons. He's pretty quick, too! Ben Cotton, David Rolf, and Dallas Walker will all be camp bodies. I'm loving all of the positive comments and votes regarding my posts. I'll keep posting as long as you want to read! This edition of (Realistic) Expectations of the Chargers in 2013 will focus mainly on our lone FB and our TE's. FB) Le'Ron McClain 20 att, 70 yards, 1 TD Le'Ron McClain was brought in to mainly block for Ryan Mathews. He didn't do a great job of that last year, because Mathews was hurt, but I think he will have a good season this year. Our O-line is slightly more solid than it was last year, and I'm thinking we're going to emphasize the run more, especially with the addition of DJ Fluker. Le'Ron won't touch the rock too much, but look for him on the goalline maybe a few times throughout the season. Don't expect Tolbert-esque numbers from him. 7 receptions, 23 yards He's not here to catch, but he can if we need him to. Most of the scat back sets will be with Danny Woodhead. TE1) Antonio Gates 52 receptions, 600 yards, 8 TD's I think Gates is going to feel good coming into this season. I do think he's losing a step, but I also think that McCoy is going to want to rely on our TE's more than Norv did last year. I think Gates is close to retiring, and he'll want to go out strong. Expect a solid year from him. TE2) John Phillips 25 receptions, 200 yards, 2 TD's John wasn't brought in to catch the ball. He is our replacement for Randy McMichael, and will be used mainly as a blocker. I think he'll be a little better then McMichael in blocking, but won't catch as well as Randy did in 2010 and 2011. TE3) Ladarius Green 13 receptions, 172 yards, 1 TD He was drafted last season to take over for Gates at some point. He is a great pass catcher, but he needs to bulk up and learn how to block. He will start, or get a bigger role within the next few seasons. He's pretty quick, too! Ben Cotton, David Rolf, and Dallas Walker will all be camp bodies. Poll When will Ladarius Green start? This year Next year 2015 2016 Never 2 votes | Results

Chargers sign veteran to fill void left by Ingram injury.