Chargers News

"For a rookie, the key is to think more, but not too much. To pay more attention to your surroundings, to everything happening here and there and everywhere, but not too much. To keep your head on a swivel, but not too much. Otherwise, it's just too much. %u201CA year ago, my entire focus was on competing for the spot and making this team, and I don't think I really realized what there was around me until I actually did,%u201D said Chargers receiver Legedu Naanee. %u201CIt was only after the season started that it hit me: Man, we're stacked.%u201D Even with so many of the game's most celebrated weapons, the Chargers offense eventually became even more stacked with the additions of Naanee ..."

"There was a time, not long ago, when it was difficult to imagine the Chargers receiver corps without trusty Eric Parker. But his high salary, a toe injury that kept him out last season and might hamper him further, and the Chargers' abundance of receivers conspired to bring his six-year career in San Diego to a close yesterday. As expected, the Chargers released Parker. %u201CMy time spent in San Diego, it's been a good time,%u201D the 29-year-old receiver said yesterday. %u201CEveryone has been good to me. It was a great run for me.%u201D Sources said last month the team would release or trade Parker before training camp, and his agent has been working on securing a job for Parker. It is ..."

"Nick Hardwick will likely be declared Physically Unable to Perform today or tomorrow, but the Chargers center is confident he won't be so designated by the end of training camp. %u201CI really feel like I'll be back before that list allows,%u201D said Hardwick, who had surgery on his right foot in March. %u201CI don't want to be sitting that long.%u201D A player placed on the Active/PUP list cannot participate in training camp or in exhibition games. The player can attend meetings and do rehab. The team, however, can declare him active any time before the final roster cut the week before the regular season starts. If a player is on the Reserve/PUP list when the season starts, he must ..."

"On Jan. 20, 2008, Philip Rivers became the undisputed leader of the Chargers. If there had been doubts before then, they ended on a day when global warming somehow missed Foxborough, Mass. The Kid became The Man in the New England chill. The Chargers quarterback was unable to do enough to overcome the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game. But few people knew he played without an anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. Even fewer knew he had undergone arthroscopic surgery to remove loose cartilage in the joint the previous Monday. Writers have compared what Tiger Woods did with a torn ACL in the U.S. Open to what some football players have gone through, playing through pain. As game ..."

"As expected, the Chargers have released receiver Eric Parker. %u201CMy time spent in San Diego, it's been a good time,%u201D Parker said this afternoon. %u201CEveryone has been good to me. It was a great run for me.%u201D Sources said last month the team would release or trade Parker before training camp, which begins Friday for veterans, and his agent has been working on securing a job for Parker. It is unclear where he will land, though several teams have expressed interest."

"Nick Hardwick will likely be declared Physically Unable to Perform today or tomorrow, but the Chargers center is confident he won't be so designated by the end of training camp. “I really feel like I'll be back before that list allows,” said Hardwick, who had surgery on his right foot in March. “I don't want to be sitting that long.” A player placed on the Active/PUP list cannot participate in training camp or in exhibition games. The player can attend meetings and do rehab. The team, however, can declare him active any time before the final roster cut the week before the regular season starts."

"Luis Castillo, a player still growing into his potential, called it a beginning. The Chargers, too, hope it is just that in the grand scheme. Castillo yesterday became the first of the Chargers' high-profile players to sign a long-term extension since the team began its recent push to lock up a number of star players whose contracts are due to expire in the next few years. “It's quite a list,” General Manager A.J. Smith said. “We'll do the best we can. We're probably not going to get them all. But I think this was a hell of a start.”"

"On Jan. 20, 2008, Philip Rivers became the undisputed leader of the Chargers. If there had been doubts before then, they ended on a day when global warming somehow missed Foxborough, Mass. The Kid became The Man in the New England chill. The Chargers quarterback was unable to do enough to overcome the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game. But few people knew he played without an anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. Even fewer knew he had undergone arthroscopic surgery to remove loose cartilage in the joint the previous Monday."

"The point of Drew Brees' visit to the Cathedral Catholic High gymnasium a few days ago was to share some lessons with youngsters about the daily importance of healthy diets and 60 minutes of exercise. The former San Diego Chargers-turned-New Orleans Saints quarterback guided 40 kids – all of them 10 to 13 from a local Boys"

"The Chargers have agreed on a contract extension with Luis Castillo that makes him one of the highest-paid defensive ends in the NFL. Castillo will get about $18 million in guaranteed money and more than $43 million in new money over the life of the deal, which extends his contract five years through 2014. Castillo has been plagued by ankle injuries the past two years, limiting him to 10 starts last season and nine in 2007. But those injuries are the only things to have stopped him from compiling Pro Bowl numbers."

"Antonio Gates wants to come back whole. He wants to be what he was. He wants to be the athlete you remember, the tight end for a new millennium, the prototype too advanced for mass production. Five months removed from surgery on a torn plantar plate in his left big toe, Gates is a key variable in the Chargers' 2008 equation and a constant source of concern. Gates said he was able to perceive progress during yesterday's soft launch of training camp, but his participation in the practice consisted of an individual workout on a separate field and his timetable for a return to contact drills remains pure conjecture."

"When the San Diego Chargers open their preseason against the Dallas Cowboys on Aug. 9, fans who were accustomed to riding express buses to Qualcomm Stadium will have to come up with a new game plan. The two local transit districts – North County and Metropolitan – will sideline their combined 75 to 80 buses that carried 3,000 to 6,000 football fans from around the county to Qualcomm Stadium. The districts say they have been taken out of the game by a new federal rule that prevents tax-subsidized transit systems from encroaching on services that private companies want to provide."

"The Chargers and representatives for Antoine Cason are not terribly far apart on their desired terms for the first-round draft pick's contract. But there are key discrepancies regarding the compensation. And there is a difference of opinion on the status of negotiations. Cason's agent, Ron Slavin, said yesterday, “We're still working on it.” Meanwhile, Chargers General Manager A.J. Smith indicated the team's present offer is its final one."

"Charlie Whitehurst is stuck in a moment, working for a day no one wants to see happen. He wishes there were more, but he's actually fine with where he is for now. He's an NFL player, 25 years old, and has made more than a million bucks over the past two years. Whitehurst worked along with the rest of the team's quarterbacks yesterday morning, throwing mostly to rookies in the Chargers' first workout of the summer. It was the beginning of Whitehurst's favorite time of year. “I get to be a football player,” he said."

"Chargers first-round draft pick Antoine Cason remained unsigned Sunday night and didn't sound optimistic he'd be at the first practice of training camp. “I'm not sure. It doesn't look like it as of now,” Cason said by phone. “I don't know.” “I mean, we're we were making progress, of course,” said Cason, a cornerback from Arizona who went to the Chargers with the 27th overall pick. “I've kind of just heard little details of it from my agent. I just control what I can control, my play on the field.” Cason is the Chargers' only draft pick who hasn't agreed to a deal."

"Not a rookie and not a veteran but something in between, Anthony Waters finally will be set loose this week. Rookies, quarterbacks and players coming off injury will practice for the first time this morning at Chargers Park in advance of the official start of training camp on Friday. Waters won't be practicing today, because there was nothing medically wrong with him at the end of last season, and he technically has a year of experience in the NFL. But with Waters having never played a game and not having been entirely healthy in 2007, this training camp will be the first time he can really begin to prove himself."

"Norv Turner was born with a tarnished spoon in his mouth. So it figures that, given all the fights he's had to fight in his personal and professional life, the Chargers' head coach would be immune to the criticism and catcalls. A pittance, next to the nothing of poverty and disease. Following their 2006 season, when the Chargers fired Marty Schottenheimer and hired Turner, who hadn't been a winner, the new coach figuratively was bound and gagged. The tar and feathers were in the pot, the rail was greased and the one-way ticket out of town was purchased. He was taking over a loaded team. Rarely, if ever, had a coach inherited so much football talent. And then the Chargers began 1-3 ..."

"Everybody has questions. How soon can quarterbacks Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco start in Atlanta and Baltimore? Where does Brett Favre play in 2008, if he plays at all? Is there another team such as the New York Giants that will come out of the shadows at playoff time to seize the Super Bowl? There are no ready answers in July and August. Training camp is a time to grind, but it's also a time for optimism. Let's set the stage for the NFL's 89th season."

"Yes, the Bears have some issues as they head into training camp this week. But they are not alone. Each of the 32 teams in the NFL will be trying to answer deep questions, tie together loose ends and bury ghosts of the past. Here is a look at the other 31:"

"The Chargers and third-round draft pick Jacob Hester have agreed to terms on a four-year deal and Hester will be in camp when rookies report tomorrow. Hester, a running back from LSU, received an $833,000 signing bonus, according to sources. The Chargers also agreed to terms with sixth-round pick DeJuan Tribble, a cornerback from Boston College, on a four-year contract. That leaves first-round pick Antoine Cason as the team's only unsigned pick."

"It was more a matter of where he was going to end up, not if he was to hang with San Diego. Chargers GM A.J. Smith didn't even attempt to sign Brees and trade him. The QB was allowed to walk, and his stroll took him to post-Katrina New Orleans, where he has been excellent. “I wasn't bitter,” said Brees, who yesterday was running about three dozen kids through their paces at Cathedral Catholic High as part of the NFL's Take a Player to School program. “Certainly, I felt like there was one person who didn't quite believe in me like the rest (of the Chargers). That's unfortunate.” That “one person,” of course, was and is Smith, and it's safe to say that, leading up to the 2004 ..."

"As part of Dean Spanos' desire to focus on finding a new stadium and as another step toward his eventually stepping aside, the Chargers president has promoted his eldest son to second in command. A.G. Spanos, 30, has been promoted to executive officer, a position that places him directly under his father in the organization's business operations. “In the past several years, most every decision I've run by him,” said Dean Spanos, 58. “He's got a good grasp. I've appreciated his input, so I felt it was the right time.”"

"He is the Rev. Fred Dean now, an associate pastor of the New Hebron Baptist Church in Arcadia, La. “Mean Fred,” as he was known, finally went one-on-one with a force superior to him. “All I can say is that God works in mysterious ways,” Dean said yesterday at the Hall of Champions in Balboa Park, where he was introduced as the 34th member of the Chargers Hall of Fame. As Dean detailed it, his acceptance of a changed role in life occurred during the seven days in December 2003 when he was being treated in the emergency wing of a Louisiana hospital after his blood-sugar level had spiraled to more than 900. “Close to terminal,” he said."

"When the Chargers in 1981 dealt away Fred Dean, they were, in effect, trading him into history. Today they are making him an honored part of their own history. Dean is being received into the San Diego club's Hall of Fame in ceremonies at the Hall of Champions in Balboa Park. Among those to be there to salute Dean are Gary Johnson and Louie Kelcher, his associates on the Chargers' defensive line of the 1970s and early 1980s."

"The New England Patriots didn't do much this off-season, which is why not much has changed in the American Football Conference. New England did lose All-Pro cornerback Asante Samuel, but otherwise looks like the same team that went 16-0 last season. The Patriots have won 20 regular-season games in a row, dating to a 21-0 loss at Miami on Dec. 10, 2006. They have broken their own NFL record of 18 consecutive victories set in 2003-04. The Indianapolis Colts, the San Diego Chargers and the Jacksonville Jaguars didn't change much in the off-season, either, which is why they are given the best shots to challenge the Patriots for AFC supremacy this season."

"As the encore to his record-setting, All-Pro, breakout season nears, Antonio Cromartie is going national, part of an effort by his handlers to increase his profile in the months and years ahead. One element of that push is a blitz of ESPN headquarters today, during which the Chargers cornerback will appear on three ESPN networks and ESPN radio, participate in an online chat and even do something for ESPN Verizon."

"Sez Me . . . What to make of Brett Favre? That's a hard make. It tells you something about the barren waste that is our mid-July sporting landscape when a 38-year-old NFL quarterback sticks out like a sequoia. But that's how it is at the moment. We act as though Angelina and Brad are the first couple to have twins. And now Favre is the first athlete to backpedal on retirement. Anything, it seems, to get himself out of southern Mississippi for a while, no matter the destination. Favre, a three-time MVP with the Packers and a certain Hall of Famer, retired after a stellar 2007 season. Consequently, the Pack made other plans. Understudy Aaron Rodgers, who has been waiting for his ..."

"Former Chargers linebacker Steve Foley, who was forced to end his athletic career after he was shot by an off-duty Coronado police officer, settled his civil lawsuit against the city and the officer last week for $5.5 million, his attorneys said Monday. Foley, who was shot by off-duty Officer Aaron Mansker, agreed to settle his civil lawsuit against the city and Mansker on July 2, but the amount of the settlement was not released. Jordan Cohen and Harvey Levine, Foley's attorneys, confirmed the amount Monday."

"A California man says Pro Bowl tight end Tony Gonzalez of the Kansas City Chiefs kept him from choking to death. "Tony saved my life. There's no doubt," Ken Hunter, a shipping company manager and Chargers fan, said in a phone interview from Huntington Beach. "Tony came up behind me and gave me the Heimlich maneuver. Thank God he was there." Gonzalez, a nine-time Pro Bowl selection who has set numerous NFL records, was having dinner with his wife, brother and 5-week-old daughter at Capone's restaurant in Huntington Beach last Thursday night. Hunter, 45, was dining with his girlfriend at the next table when suddenly a piece of meat got stuck in his throat."

"Diana Martin was about to offer cheese to the couple dining Thursday at the little Italian place in southern California when the man with the medium-rare filet started choking. It all happened fast, and Martin doesn't remember all the details. She just remembers Tony Gonzalez running over, performing the Heimlich maneuver on the choking man, and Gonzalez rejoining his family at their table. "We were scared, definitely," said Martin, who has worked four years as a server at Capone's Italian Restaurante in Huntington Beach. "He was so thankful that Tony was behind him. We wouldn't have been able to help him the way Tony did." In what Martin estimated was a 10-second ordeal, Gonzalez ..."

"Former Chargers safety Terrence Kiel, 27, died late yesterday when the 2004 Chevy sedan he was driving crashed in Scripps Ranch, San Diego Police Sgt. Alan Hayward said. A woman told police she saw Kiel, who was alone in the car, driving in the wrong direction before he lost control of the car and it rolled near the intersection of Stonebridge Parkway and Stockwood Cove. Kiel was ejected from his car. When emergency personnel found him, he was barely breathing. He was pronounced dead at 11:28 p.m., police said."

"On the day former Chargers linebacker Steve Foley was to testify about his career-ending encounter with an off-duty police officer in 2006, he was summoned to the judge's chambers instead. Visibly upset, pacing the courtroom and glaring at Coronado Officer Aaron Mansker, Foley was finally coaxed by his mother yesterday to follow the attorneys behind the bench. Moments later, a conditional settlement was announced in the two-week civil trial, and the jurors were sent home. It was over."

"The Chargers signed running back Marcus Thomas and offensive tackle Corey Clark to four-year contracts yesterday. Thomas, a 6-foot, 215-pound fifth-round pick, rushed for 1,166 yards and 16 touchdowns as a senior at Texas-El Paso. Clark (6-6, 315) was a three-year starter at Texas A"

"La'Roi Glover is one of the great test cases. Because he was going to have problems making it. He was going to be too small to play defensive tackle in the NFL. And, if that didn't happen, then what? He was without a college degree, falling several credits short when he left San Diego State. As it turns out, the "then what" question has been answered. He's a role model. By sheer will, La'Roi Glover has become one of this town's most inspiring athletic success stories."

"The signing of Mark Jones yesterday, in itself, is not a big deal. Jones, a receiver and punt returner, faces a major challenge making the Chargers' opening day roster. But the presence of the four-year veteran gives the Chargers yet another option at receiver, where they will by training camp be without one of their most prolific and dependable pass catchers over the past five years. Sources said yesterday the Chargers have fielded calls from several teams about trading Eric Parker and that Parker will be traded or released by the start of training camp next month."

"During a team session this week, with the offense going against the defense, Chargers head coach Norv Turner ordered Paul Oliver to the sideline. “Take a break,” Turner yelled. It was one of the rare times Oliver came off the field during the past month's offseason coaching sessions, which ended yesterday. Most veterans participated in their final OCS last week. The past three days consisted of rookies and some second-and third-year players such as Oliver."

"Jeremy Newberry has been welcomed with open arms and clenched fists. The Chargers' new offensive lineman fills a need and provokes a reaction. His football philosophy is ?survival of the fittest.? His football reputation, by his own admission, can be summarized by a two-syllable epithet unprintable in these pages. ?Now that he's on our team, I have to like him,? Chargers noseguard Jamal Williams said yesterday afternoon. ?When we were going against each other, I did not like that guy at all."

"A season ticket holder who sued the Chargers last year over their playoff refund policy has reached an undisclosed settlement with the team. The team and the attorney for plaintiff Kells Christian declined comment on the agreement. Christian filed a potential class-action suit last year, accusing the team of unjust enrichment for not automatically giving refunds to those who bought tickets to a second playoff game that was never played."

"The Chargers signed center Jeremy Newberry to a one-year contract yesterday, adding depth at a position at which they might have a desperate need. Newberry, a 10-year veteran, is the presumed starter should Nick Hardwick's recovery from March foot surgery last into the regular season. When Hardwick is healthy, there will be a likely decision to make regarding a roster spot between Newberry and current backup Cory Withrow."

"NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has worked hard to bring his players' behavior under control. Or at least as much under control as possible. Now, he is turning his attention to fan behavior, saying last week he is working with teams on ways to bring out-of-line fans in line and make games more enjoyable for all fans. Details of how the commish plans to do this are forthcoming, but we thought we'd offer our help in the form of these 10 recommendations:"

"Five months before the Saints and Chargers kick off at Wembley Stadium, tickets already are going fast. The first 40,000 tickets made available for the NFL's second overseas regular-season game were sold in 90 minutes yesterday. The game will be Oct. 26, a Saints home game. Because of the demand, the NFL released an additional 5,000 to go on sale immediately."

"The Chargers took issue yesterday with San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders for daring to suggest that the football team supports his chief re-election challenger, Steve Francis. The Chargers say they are not backing any local candidates, and sent Sanders' office a letter yesterday saying so. The source of the tiff is a phone-bank message that team officials say implies they support Francis. Voters are told that Francis courted special interests as finance chairman of the state Republican Party – including Chargers owner Alex Spanos."

"Miami Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor has passed word through friends that he wants to play for the Chargers. It won't happen... The Chargers are forbidden from talking about a player under contract, but sources familiar with the thinking of the team's decision-makers have said emphatically that the Chargers have no interest in the Miami Dolphins defensive end and aspiring actor."

"All NFL teams want to be pretty, and the Chargers are pretty pretty. They have plenty of what some of the other guys – either without the charm, looks or brains – would like to employ. Rival suitors not only want football players, they want great football players. And many of them are willing to pay through their sinuses to get them. Smith lives in a world where coaches have been known to cheat, where a terrific player seems more content to dance with the stars than play for a loser. What he has is the best group of players in The League, and Smith has done a great job of tying up his core players with long-term contracts. But long-term doesn't mean forever. They are not diamonds, ..."

"The mistake is to moralize. Collective bargaining is not about who's right and who's wrong, but about how much muscle each party brings to the table. Though no labor union on the planet can bench press more pounds per capita than the National Football League Players Association, the real leverage usually lies with the owners. Yesterday's announcement that NFL management has voted unanimously to invoke the opt-out clause of its current contract with the players means that the owners think they deserve a bigger piece of the pie and, moreover, that they can get it."

"The Chargers began offseason coaching sessions yesterday, and everyone was present except three players who primarily contribute on special teams. Kassim Osgood was true to his word and did not show up. Osgood said earlier this spring that since he is not used as a receiver by the Chargers, he would stay in Florida to train instead of wearing his body down here running pass routes. The two-time Pro Bowler as a special-teamer is not happy with his role and has asked to be traded. General Manager A.J. Smith has said Osgood will remain a Charger through 2009, when his contract ends."

"Long snapper David Binn, who has played in more games than anyone else in franchise history, on Monday agreed to terms with the Chargers on a four-year contract through 2011. Binn, 36, who has played in 223 games in his 14 seasons, was entering the final year of his contract. Now he will almost certainly finish his career here. He'll tie Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Fouts with his 15th season on the Chargers."

"Hiding injuries is common in the NFL. Sometimes, though, the practice backfires on the team and the player. That happened in the AFC title game last January when San Diego Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson played briefly against the New England Patriots, then spent the rest of the game on the bench after just two carries and one reception. The Chargers lost 20-12. Tomlinson's absence became a controversy because of the way the team handled the situation."

"As the Chargers prepare to begin negotiations in earnest with several of their star players, both sides will be dealing with an uncertainty looming over the talks. With potential – many say likely – labor instability on the horizon, it isn't even known for sure when several Chargers will become free agents. “I'm anxious to find out,” one agent said. “I don't know how it's going to affect (negotiations).”"

"Seven different teams have represented the NFC in the past seven Super Bowls, which suggests how markedly matters can change from year to year in the NFL. With this in mind, a first look at the league's power structure for 2008:"