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The Chargers signed two more of their draft picks this week. RB Marcus Thomas (5th round out of UTEP) and OT Corey Clark (7th round out of Texas A&M) both signed 4-year contracts. Currently unsigned draft picks include CB Antoine Cason (1st round), RB Jacob Hester (3rd round), and CB DeJuan Tribble (6th round). Hopefully all contract negotiations are finalized before the Chargers start training camp on July 20th.
(Thomas & Clark) (Source: chargers.com)
Allow me to preface this entry by stating that I think Luis Castillo is one HOT guy, as well as an extremely nice person. That said…… We saw ‘The Incredible Hulk’ today and I have to say that the Hulk looks an awful lot like Luis Castillo. A decent movie as well. You make the call…
(Hulk)
(Luis)
(Hulk)
(Luis)
Former Charger LB Steve Foley is suing the city of Coronado and idiot cop Aaron Mansker as a result of the shooting incident on 3 September 2006 which left Foley permanently injured and cut sohort his football career. The current San Diego trial is expected to last 4-6 weeks. Mansker was off-duty at the time of the shooting, after following Foley to his home in North County with Foley being under suspicion of drunk driving. Interestingly, in the year he had been with the Coronado Police Dept., Mansker had 3 “police matters” during that period. Unfortunately, Mansker’s questionable past will not be admissible during the trial - questionable in his failure to be hired by 10 other police departments before securing employment in Coronado. Additionally, Mansker’s father was killed by a drunk driver and he apparently had a “knack for flagging” drunk drivers (an obvious red flag, if you ask me.) Not once did Mansker call for backup if he felt that Foley was driving under the influence. Furthermore, in the state of California, civilians are not required to pull over for unmarked and un-uniformed officers. Mansker further states that he saw Foley reach for his waistband and thought he was going for a weapon; however, according to Foley’s attorneys, his injuries prove he was shot from behind. In any case, Foley’s football career is over and his life has remained permanently altered. Mansker was obviously a loose cannon with an ulterior motive, and, at 23 years old, was much too immature to be given the immense responsibilty afforded a peace officer. The city of Coronado should have taken notice of the 10 departments which failed to hire Mansker, and maybe it wouldn’t be at the heart of this lawsuit. Frankly, I hope Foley wins, the city of Coronado is forced to pay through the nose for his injuries, pain & suffering, and lost wages, and that Mansker is fired and never allowed to wield a gun again. Some claim that Foley’s history of DUIs (he was arrested on 21 April 2006 for DUI and pled guilty in May 2007 to misdemeanor DUI and sentenced to 5-years of probation) justified Mansker’s off-duty actions to “tail” him all the way home; however, nothing justifies the ultimate outcome of the situation. For additional information, click here.
It’s time again for some interesting factoids. This time…special teams ace Kassim Osgood, who has made the Pro Bowl the past two years for the Chargers. 1. Born May 20, 1980 in Boston, MA, and grew up in Salinas, CA. 2. Attended (my grad school alma mater) San Diego State University, where, in 2002, he was the country’s second leading WR and was named to the All-Mountain West Conference. He also combined with teammate J.R. Tolver to set NCAA records for single season receptions (236) and yards (3,337). 3. Has a sociology degree. 4. Had a cameo on the television show “Jericho” in 2007, playing a Marine; in addition to other small roles and commercials. He is currently actively auditioning to secure his after-football career. Osgood would really like more playing time as a WR; however, with the addition of Chris Chambers and Craig “Buster” Davis, unfortunately, Osgood’s role is being further solidified as a special teamer. In my opinion, if a team has a plethora of talent, USE IT!! Giving opposing defenses innumerable looks on offense equates to success (I hate to use this as an example, but look at Tom Brady’s receiving corps.) Additionally, a bit of friendly competition among teammates further serves to improve the team as a cohesive unit. I would hate to see Osgood leave the Chargers; but he has the talent to contribute more than he is currently being given the opportunity to do. For other interesting info, Chargers.com has a nice interview with Osgood as well.
(Source: wikipedia.org, chargers.com)
The Chargers signed free agent and ex-Buccaneer WR/PR Mark Jones to a one-year contract. Jones, drafted by the Bucs in the 7th round of the 2004 draft was subsequently traded to the NY Giants for one year, then re-signed with Tampa Bay in 2005. GM A.J. Smith touts Jones’ versatility and hopes that he will be able to “raise the level of competition in our camp.” San Diego has also released 4 players: CB Stanley Franks, G Charles Manu, RB Germaine Race, and DT Keith Shologan.
As part of the NFL’s rookie orientation, each team has scheduled a trip to Canton, OH to visit the NFL Hall of Fame. The Chargers visited last Saturday, after watching the Padres play the Cleveland Indians. For many of these young players, it was an opportunity to revisit the past, particularly since the majority of HOF inductees served as role models for the current players. In addition to the guided tour every visitor enjoys, the Chargers had the added benefit of Hall of Famer and Bolts’ WR coach Charlie Joiner to give them a unique, first-hand perspective. Interestingly, the idea for this addition to rookie orientation was courtesy of ex-Cowboy Michael Irvin who, in a conversation with League Commissioner Roger Goodell, stated that young players would greatly benefit from learning more about the history of the sport. Visiting the Hall of Fame is high on my list of things to do before I die; including watching the Chargers win a Super Bowl, publishing my collection of NFL poetry, and meeting Stephen King.
(Source: chargers.com)
The Chargers signed ex-Raider and 11-year veteran C Jeremy Newberry to a one-year contract. Understandably, worry as to whether Nick Hardwick will have fully recovered from foot surgery by the start of the season is on the team’s mind; but Cory Withrow did a mighty fine job filling in for Hardwick last season after the initial injury. So, why another center? Although, I have to admit Newberry is a smart man. He said, ”I didn’t really even entertain those ideas because I’d rather have retired than went to the East Coast and been away from my daughters … I’m not playing financially anymore. I want to win a championship. I want to be in a good situation and that’s why (the Chargers are) the perfect fit for me. I really believe we can win a championship down here.”
(Source: chargers.com)
In my just-received June 9th issue of the Sporting News, I was checking out the offseason scorecard wherein San Diego was given the grade of C- due to the loss of Michael Turner and Drayton Florence to free agency. So, the draft acquisitions they selected to reinforce their receiving corps, secondary, and offensive line do not offset these losses? Excuse me, who was the NFL’s top GM for the past few years? I have to laugh. Pardon me for a moment. Next, after reading that with respect to defensive ends, the Chargers are ranked 4th in the AFC behind the Patriots (cough, cough), Colts, and Browns, on the next page (p. 48), there was the delightful headline: “Bad news for QBs: Merriman plans to get even better.” To quote verbatim, “Shawne Merriman believes 2007 was his best all-around season: He made more plays in coverage and forced teams to adjust their game plans. Still, the Chargers’ three-time Pro Bowler wasn’t satisfied with his sacks total (12 1/2), and he’s working to improve his size-speed combination. In offseason workouts, he looks more cut. Merriman believes there isn’t much more offenses can throw at him with blocking schemes, and he plans to reel in more quarterbacks.” Now, I really don’t care to hear from all those Merriman-haters who continue to piss and moan about his “alleged” steroid use (ya hear me Patsie fans?!?). What I am looking forward to is another trouncing of Indianapolis (Nov. 23rd) with an un-Peyton-Manning-esque plethora of INTs peppered with a few sacks; as well as the complete annihilation of New England (Oct. 12th), wherein Merriman shows Tom Brady just how hard he has been training.
(Yeah, I know I’ve already used this picture….but I like it!!)
While researching a social psychology assignment for my “real” job as an educational researcher/writer, I came across a journal article which relates group violence to epidemic theory. More specifically (and a bit less technical), when individuals congregate in large quantites (i.e. at a football game, perhaps), an overly enthusiastic (or “infected”) fan has the potential to infect more than one other individual; essentially creating an epidemic which may be conducive to inciting crowd violence (think Chargers/Raiders games!!) As a result, unstable dynamics result, leading to likely violent outcomes. Additionally, the more factors present “that increase social identification” such as wearing team jerseys, chanting, similarities in age groups will likely increase the potential for riot; in addition to other factors further increasing the propensity for violence, such as alcohol consumption. Finally, the longer the time such “infected” individuals remain in the situation before being removed by the fine men and women of the San Diego Police Department, the likelihood for continued spread of said “infection” increases. Finally, this theory, the Kermack-McKendrick model, was initially developed to address epidemics and vaccinations in the medical sector; but applies quite well to this discussion. And next time you are watching “Jeopardy” or “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” on television and the Kermack-McKendrick model comes up, you can dazzle your friends and family with your brilliance. Oh, and a small share of your winnings would be greatly appreciated! (Source: Patten & Arboleda-Florez, “Epidemic theory and group violence”, Social Psychiatry & Psychiatric Epidemiology 39.11 (Nov. 2004))
Does this crowd have the potential to become a violent mob? You betcha - (Raiders fans and beer?!?!) (photo courtesy of North County Times)
The following is taken from an interview with Jamal Williams on 29 May 2008. I especially like the pizza comments. The San Diego Chargers are one of a handful of NFL teams that use a base 3-4 defensive scheme. They are able to execute that defense in large part due to the play of Jamal Williams. Williams is a 6-foot-3, 348-pound nose tackle who made his third straight Pro Bowl last season. In this exclusive Q&A with NFLPLAYERS.COM, Williams tells us about his skills off the field and more. Q: We all know about your strengths on the field, but what are your greatest strengths off the gridiron? A: I’m a humble guy, so I don’t like to brag or say anything about that. But, I’m a caring person and a giving person, so that’s what I try to strive to be. Q: What’s been the coolest part about being an NFL player for you? A: Just the experience of being out there and playing with a great group of guys all year. Q: Which players do you think are the best linemen in the league? A: This is the (National Football) League. Everybody’s good. But there are a couple of guys, like Jeff Saturday, center for last year’s Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts. You have to check out guys like Nick Hardwick from the Chargers, and the young guys, like Marcus McNeill—you’re going to see big things from him. Q: Rumor has it that you can cook a little. Any truth to that? A: That’s a great rumor (laughing). And it’s going to stay a rumor, too, because I don’t know anything about that. Q: What’s the best dish you can cook? A: Hot dogs (laughing). I’m not a great cook, but I like to prepare some healthy stuff these days. Q: What’s your favorite pig-out food? A: Pizza, of course. You can’t go without pizza. I can’t imagine the world without pizza. Q: How many slices can you throw down in one sitting? A: Slices? Q: Okay, how many pizzas can you throw down in one sitting A: Maybe three. Q: What’s your favorite topping? A: Everything. You have to have your vegetables on your pizza. Q: If they’re making a movie about your life, who’s the leading actor? A: There’s a guy named Anthony Anderson. I look just like him. Mine would be a comedy, so I guess I’d have to take him. Additional tidbits about Jamal: 1. Born 26 April 1976 in Washington, D.C. and is the 2nd of 7 boys (OMG, poor mom!!) 2. Played for Oklahoma State University and Kemper Military School and Junior College (Boonville, MO.) 3. Was drafted in the 2nd round of the 1998 Supplemental Draft by the Chargers, and has been in San Diego his entire career thus far. 4. Was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2005, 2006, and 2007; as well as making All-Pro 2004, 2005, and 2006. 5. Is 6′3″ and 348 lbs (must be all the pizza); but is one of the nicest guys around. He signed my hat, see??!! (fuzzy picture though.)
6. Is the highest-rated DT in Madden ‘08, with an overall rating of 98.
(Sources: chargers.com, wikipedia.org) |
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