Will Tomlinson follow Brees to Super Bowl?

First, Drew Brees; next LaDainian Tomlinson?

Seems like yesterday’s trash for the San Diego Chargers turns out to be a treasure for someone else.

By now, we’re all more than familiar with how the Chargers discarded Brees … only to see him win a Super Bowl four years later with the New Orleans Saints.

Tomlinson could become the next Chargers reject to win a Super Bowl elsewhere. We’ll see where he goes next season, and certainly what happens.

Rodney Harrison was still a popular Charger when he went to New England and won a couple of Super Bowls. Will Tomlinson follow in his footsteps; not to mention those of LT’s good buddy Brees?

The problem with the Chargers appears to be that whenever they get rid of a veteran player/coach, the front office is so clumsy in doing so.

Do the names Donnie Edwards, Marty Schottenheimer and Lorenzo Neal ring a bell – along with the abovementioned and Junior Seau?

Drew Brees is Exhibit A of a disturbing pattern in San Diego. Notice how he has a Super Bowl trophy, while the Chargers don’t even have a Super Bowl appearance in the past 15 years?

Union-Tribune writer too soft on Chargers' GM

When is Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune ever going to stop kissing the butt of Chargers’ General Manager A.J. Smith?

Did you see the latest in Sunday’s U-T?

Acee tried to defend the indefensible comments of Smith regarding LaDainian Tomlinson.

As a reminder, Tomlinson wrote on his blog:

“I have been getting a lot of messages on my site regarding me leaving San Diego. I feel that I need to make it very clear that I have NO intentions of leaving San Diego. San Diego is where my career started and where I'd like it to end. I have nothing but love and the upmost (sic) respect for this team, the players, and the Spanos Family. Me being traded is completely out of my hands. I have ABSOLUTELY no control in that decision making. All I can do is wait and see how it all plays out. As for now, I am a Charger and will be until I am told otherwise."

Smith replied:

“My first reaction was we both have similar feelings. I have no intentions of leaving San Diego. San Diego is where my GM career started and where I'd like it to end. I also have nothing but love and the utmost respect for this team, the players and the Spanos family. I have absolutely no control over how long I will be with the Chargers.”

Acee, who should be part of the Chargers’ media relations department, tried to defend Smith by saying the general manager meant no disrespect toward LT.

Yeah, and if that’s the case, Smith meant no disrespect when his ego and attitude drove the likes of Drew Brees, Donnie Edwards and Marty Schottenheimer out of town.

If you don’t believe me, go back and read the Sports Letters to the Editor in Sunday’s Union-Tribune.

Couldn’t have said it better myself!

A.J. Smith: "Genius" behind the Chargers

Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio … or Shawne Merriman?

Just think: “Genius” General Manager A.J. Smith of the Chargers isn’t going to keep Merriman anyway when the All-Pro linebacker’s contract expires after 2009.

Put that down as another move equaling the “genius” strategy of getting rid of Drew Brees.

Who was that Brees guy throwing for 339 yards and 3 TDs as the New Orleans Saints beat the Chargers, 37-32, Sunday in London?

Seems like he wasn’t good enough for the Chargers to keep; but too good for the Chargers to stop.

And to think the Saints did it all without star running back/kick returner Reggie Bush.

Yes, A.J. sure looks like a “genius” for thinking the Chargers are just fine without Merriman, who is sitting out the season with a knee injury.

They didn’t lay a hand on Brees, which is the tradition without Merriman … not the exception.

We all know A.J. is a “genius” for getting rid of the likes of Brees, Marty Schottenheimer and Donnie Edwards (at least Schottenheimer could win during the regular season, and Edwards could intercept passes.)

Before Merriman departs after the 2009 season, who knows what other star will go first.

Too bad Smith is too stubborn to admit his mistakes. Otherwise, he’d be sending coach Norv Turner and defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell packing today.

Merriman should sit out 2008 season

Dean Spanos, president and CEO of the Chargers, made it perfectly clear on the team’s radio broadcast Monday night on Rock 105.3 KIOZ-FM:

The decision on whether Shawne Merriman plays for the Chargers this year rests solely upon the player, Spanos said.

If you were Merriman, would you play?

Consider the circumstances:

Doctors are telling him he could play, rather than have reconstructive surgery on two torn ligaments in his left knee. But if he does, he risks his future.

And what future does he have with the Chargers?

After 2009, expect Merriman to be let out the door by the Chargers … just as they did in succession with Drew Brees, Donnie Edwards and Marty Schottenheimer.

And along those lines, don’t be surprised if the Chargers let defensive end Igor Olshansky walk after the 2008 season when his contract is up.

Merriman would be taking care of himself by having reconstructive surgery, missing the 2008 season and having a great contract year in 2009.

But on the flip side, he does not come across as a team player by continuing this soap opera concerning what his status will be for 2008.

Since the Chargers normally usher one guy out the door after each season (and Merriman figures to be the odd man out after 2009), don’t be surprised if he takes the self-serving route by sitting out this season.

Can you blame him? … Your call.

A.J. Smith's new contract: Good! Bad!

The good news is the bad news for the Chargers.

The good news is that general manager A.J. Smith has been signed through 2014. And, yes, that’s the bad news.

On the good side, Smith seems to have a great ability to secure great players.

Trading Eli Manning on draft day 2004 for what turned out to be Philip Rivers, Shawne Merriman and Nate Kaeding was brilliant.

Bringing in Keenan McCardell in the middle of the 2004 season and Chris Chambers the middle of this season were both strokes of brilliance. Taking a chance on Antonio Cromartie in the first round of the 2006 draft looks superb right now.

Then there’s the personality.

Smith has run off such mainstays as Drew Brees, Donnie Edwards and Marty Schottenheimer with his piranha personality.

In the future, the Chargers can only hope Smith continues to make above average personality evaluations.

But on the other hand, he may even be more likely to run quality people off with his lack of people skills now that he has the longest-term contract in the organization.

We’ll see.

What's wrong with the Chargers?

So, who is to blame for the Chargers getting off to a stunningly-poor 1-3 start?

It can’t be general manager A.J. Smith. (How can you blame him for the fact his lack of people skills/bullheaded personality led to Marty Schottenheimer and Donnie Edwards no longer being with the Chargers?)

It can’t be head coach Norv Turner. (How can you blame him for the fact he has never won anywhere as a head coach and is 10-26 in his last 36 games in such a role?)

Now that we take the tongue out of our cheeks, let’s get serious for a minute.

Sadly, the man who will probably take the fall if the Chargers continue on their path to destruction in 2007 is defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell.

The Chargers will have to blame somebody, and they’re sure not going to blame the fair-haired boys Smith and Turner.

After all, Smith is the best general manager in the NFL and the second-coming of John Wayne, at least according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. And Turner was his choice.

At least the fans know what’s up. Their chants of "Mar-ty, Mar-ty, Mar-ty" late in Sunday’s 30-16 loss to Kansas City told you they wish Schottenheimer was still walking the sideline in San Diego.

Also, what’s up with Philip Rivers?

He looks worse now than he did as a rookie quarterback three years ago when he appeared nervous and uncertain.

And what’s up with the defensive coverage on the third-and-19 play that turned into a game-winning 51-yard touchdown reception for Dwayne Bowe?

Why were the Chargers in tight man-to-man coverage on a third-and-19. And where was the safety in the middle of the field to help tackle Bowe after a quick slant?

Then there’s the Donnie Edwards factor. The Union-Tribune has made us well aware that Edwards can’t make a tackle within six yards of scrimmage. But where were the tacklers within 51 yards of scrimmage on KC’s winning touchdown?

One thing can be said of Edwards: Unlike the Chargers, at least he has come off the field a winner in his last nine regular season games at Qualcomm Stadium.

What must LT be thinking?

There has to be a reason LaDainian Tomlinson is holding back in his comments.

Normally an outspoken player, there is something on his mind recently that he’s keeping to himself.

That being said, here’s what Tomlinson is most likely thinking:

Why did the Chargers unceremoniously dump his good friend, Drew Brees, after the 2005 season?

Why was Marty Schottenheimer let go after a 14-2 season as head coach?

Why was General Manager A.J. Smith so eager to get rid of linebacker Donnie Edwards, the backbone of the team’s defense?

With LT so far this season, numbers are speaking even louder than his few words.

Consider that last season, he had 2,323 yards in total offense and an NFL-record 31 touchdowns. After three games this season, it’s 229 total yards and three touchdowns.

Projected over a full season, his current numbers would equal 1,221 total yards and 11 TDs this season.

That’s half as many yards and one-third as many total TDs.

No wonder he’s frustrated.

For those who criticized Schottenheimer’s staff for supposed poor usage of Tomlinson in an MVP season, what do you think of the way Norv Turner is utilizing him?

Going back to what LT must be thinking, the following conclusions can be drawn:

It’s debatable whether the Chargers would be better off with Philip Rivers or Brees, who is having a horrible season in New Orleans.

There’s no debate the Chargers are suffering due to the losses of Edwards and Schottenheimer.

If the current trend continues, who takes the fall at the end of the season for not going deep into the playoffs?

Chargers have a lot of Norv

This is no time for excuses.

Quit saying that it will take time for Norv Turner to implement his system with the Chargers.

There is no reason for this team to be a loser at this point, just because the head coach is new. (After all, isn't former Chargers defensive coordinator Wade Phillips 3-0 in Dallas?)

Look at the last time the Chargers hired a new head coach. His name was Marty Schottenheimer; the year 2002.

He took over a team that lost its last nine games in 2001. All his first Chargers’ team did was start out 6-1 on the way to an 8-8 season. (An injury to defensive stalwart Jamal Williams led to the team losing its final four games.)

There goes the excuse of taking time for a new coach and his team to jell.

With no apology to the apologists at the San Diego Union-Tribune, hiring Turner for the 2007 season was a horrible decision.

Turner couldn’t win in nine previous seasons as a head coach, and Hall of Famer to be Jerry Rice says Turner will never win as a head coach because he can’t motivate.

This is a Chargers’ squad that was supposed to be Super Bowl-ready. In reality, it’s a team that will be fighting for its life this Sunday against Kansas City with a 1-2 record.

Cris Collinsworth got it right during Sunday Night Football on NBC-TV. He sent out a bulletin to all teams saying you should not fire a coach who goes 14-2.

That’s what the Chargers did with Schottenheimer.

Without Schottenheimer and team leader Donnie Edwards at linebacker, the Chargers seem lost.

I wonder if a certain Union-Tribune columnist still sees General Manager A.J. Smith as the equivalent of John Wayne for being involved in the wonderful moves to get rid of Schottenheimer and Edwards.

Chargers will find out if the Pack is back

The Pack is back.

Or are they?

The Chargers will certainly find out Sunday when they make a rare regular-season appearance at Green Bay.

The good news for the Packers is that they have defeated the Philadelphia Eagles (16-13) and New York Giants (35-13).

But neither of those teams has won this season, so it’s hard to tell where the Pack stands right now.

Brett Favre may never retire. His quarterback rating of 84.0 is nothing to brag about thus far, but he does have those two wins to show for it.

Donald Driver is off to a solid start with 14 receptions and 1 touchdown, yet the Packers’ running game has looked like LaDainian Tomlinson in 2007.

And that’s where the issue comes in for the Chargers.

Has LT just had two off-games so far, or are other teams keying on him so much that he’s bound to take an individual step back in 2007?

This much is for sure: If Philip Rivers and the passing game don’t start stepping it up; opponents won’t have much more to concentrate on than LT.

The Chargers can only get away with it for so long if Antonio Gates is going to be their only legitimate receiver.

The good news for the Chargers is that nose tackle Jamal Williams is expected to play this week. Without him, San Diego loses its top defensive player.

We’ll see how Tim Dobbins does in place of the injured Matt Wilhelm at linebacker. (Yes, this is the spot that was formerly occupied by team leader Donnie Edwards.)

It’s a revenge game of sorts for the Chargers, as they try to prove that last week’s 38-14 loss at New England was an off day; not a trend.

It says here they bounce back this week.

Prediction: Chargers 24, Packers 16

Are Chargers Super?

You hear it on the radio. You hear it on television. You hear it all over town.

People are saying what the Chargers do during the regular season doesn’t matter. What matters is what they do in the playoffs.

Hold on a second!

There is no guarantee this very talented team will make the playoffs in 2007.

The last time the Chargers were coming off an AFC West championship season, they went 9-7 in 2005 and didn’t even make the playoffs. So much for January.

Granted, this team is certainly right there with New England and Indianapolis as far as being a favorite to win the Super Bowl.

But the change at the top could cause some concern.

Marty Schottenheimer turned bad teams around, won in the regular season and couldn’t win a playoff game to save his life.

Norv Turner comes in with a head coaching track record of not even making the playoffs.

We’ll see.

General Manager A.J. Smith has definitely turned this team around with his maneuvering. But we’ll see this season whether the 35-13 regular season record over the past three years was because of him or Schottenheimer.

The Chargers may have shot themselves in the foot by letting go their big playmaker on defense, linebacker Donnie Edwards. Now with Kansas City, Edwards is not too fond of Smith.

“We had something great going there,” he told the Kansas City Star. “But egos destroyed it. Well, not egos. Ego.”

The season will determine if Smith’s ego got in the way of the 2007 season … or whether the Chargers can go all the way because of him.

When the Chargers open the season Sunday at home against Chicago, they will face a Bears team that went all the way to the last Super Bowl.

“It’s very special,” LaDainian Tomlinson said. “It’s a big game starting off the bat to play a team like Chicago.”

Prediction: Chargers 23, Bears 20

Here are predicted standings for the NFL season:

AFC West
Denver
San Diego
Oakland
Kansas City

AFC East
New England
New York
Miami
Buffalo

AFC North
Cincinnati
Baltimore
Pittsburgh
Cleveland

AFC South
Indianapolis
Jacksonville
Tennessee
Houston

NFC West
Seattle
Arizona
St. Louis
San Francisco

NFC East
Dallas
Philadelphia
Washington
New York

NFC North
Chicago
Detroit
Green Bay
Minnesota

NFC South
Carolina
New Orleans
Tampa Bay
Atlanta

AFC Champion: New England
NFC Champion: Carolina
Super Bowl Champion: New England

Wilhelm is key to 2007 Chargers

Remember the name Matt Wilhelm.

He will make or break the 2007 San Diego Chargers.

Not Philip Rivers. Not LaDainian Tomlinson. Not Clinton Hart.

No, it all comes down to how well Wilhelm plays at inside linebacker in place of the departed Donnie Edwards.

You remember Edwards. He’s the one always criticized by the San Diego Union-Tribune for making tackles downfield; but he’s always the one who seemed to save the game to those watching through unbiased eyes.

Wilhelm may not play much in Sunday night’s exhibition opener against the Seattle Seahawks, yet he’ll certainly see plenty of action come September when it counts.

A fourth-round pick out of The Ohio State University in 2003, Wilhelm has 73 career tackles. That’s fewer tackles than Edwards makes in a normal half-season.

However, Wilhelm has been patiently waiting his turn which finally starts coming Sunday.

His response may very well determine just how far the Chargers go in 2007.

Chargers may select linebacker first

Virtually every “expert” expects the San Diego Chargers to pick a wide receiver or safety in the first round of this weekend’s NFL draft.

But what about a linebacker?

Now that Donnie Edwards has bolted the Chargers for Kansas City, San Diego is in desperate need of someone to step up inside.

It’s going to be hard for anybody to match Edwards’ production. Not only did he lead the Chargers in tackles each of the past five seasons, he also seemed to make the key interception whenever the team needed a game saver.

Can Matt Wilhelm or Stephen Cooper do the same when they likely start at inside linebacker in 2007? We’ll likely find out as Randall Godfrey (who started alongside Edwards the past three seasons) is also expected to move on.

Certainly, the Chargers are set at outside linebacker with Shawne Merriman and Shaun Phillips. But back-up linebackers Carlos Polk, Marques Harris and Tim Dobbins are just that – back ups.

Without Edwards, the Chargers will go from a very strong linebacker group to a somewhat questionable one … at least depth-wise. Wilhelm and Cooper must step up in 2007 if the Chargers are to remain among the NFL’s elite at linebacker.

Talk all you want about the team needing to draft a wide receiver or Safety. However, don’t be surprised if General Manager A.J. Smith’s No. 1 pick is at linebacker.

After all, Smith is gambling that his personal feud with Edwards that caused the veteran linebacker to leave will not create a huge hole for the 2007 Chargers.