San Diego Chargers repeat history with franchise tag on Vincent Jackson
San Diego Chargers fans have seen this before, the organization refuses to offer WR Vincent Jackson a long-term contract and slap the franchise tag on him. If Jackson signs his tender offer this season, he will earn between $10-11 million dollars for the 2011 season.
Chargers GM A.J. Smith told reporters, “Vincent’s a good player and he’s always been a good player, which I’ve said repeatedly. I’m comfortable with not giving him a long-term deal right now, and we are not negotiating a long-term deal. We’ll see how the year goes, but not at the present time”.
For the pricetag of $10-11 million dollars in 2011, Jackson might consider playing for one more season and then hitting the free agent market. However, what is risky for the Chargers is that the current designation of the franchise tag on players means nothing after the current Collective Bargaining Agreement expires on March 4th. If the new CBA does not include provisions for the use of the franchise or transition designations, Jackson has accrued enough time in the NFL to become an unrestricted free agent after 6 seasons.
The reluctance to offer Jackson a long-term contract could come back to haunt the Chargers.
Chargers WR has run with the law while drunk, although not the WR you think
A San Diego Chargers WR was arrested this past weekend after police determined he was drunk, although it’s not the wide receiver on the Chargers with an alcohol related past. Chargers WR Legedu Naanee was arrested on Saturday after police determined that he was intoxicated.
According to reports, Naanee came across an active crime scene at 3:20am in the Indianapolis, Indiana area. Police officers asked Naanee to leave, but he refused. Naanee was asked to leave again and he asked a police officer why he was being “such an (expletive)”.
Police determined that Naanee had a “strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on or about his person” and after being asked to leave the crime scene several times, he was eventually pepper sprayed.
Naanee was charged with public intoxication and resisting arrest. On the was to a police car, Naanee reportedly told one police officer, “Don’t you know who I am? I am an NFL player and I’m going to sue your *ss”.
Naanee will be a free agent after the Collective Bargaining Agreement is finalized.
Just a few observations. When are professional athletes going to realize that mixing alcohol and being out and about a # am generally does not result in positive things happening. Had Naanee waiting until after the owners lock out the players on March 4th, he would not be subject to any league discipline under the personal conduct code, however since the CBA is currently still in place, he will likely face some sort of league discipline.
San Diego Chargers are the AFC’s third best bet to win Super Bowl XLVI
After a very disappointing 2010 regular season, failing to win the AFC West or reach the playoffs, the San Diego Chargers have emerged in early betting lines as the third best bet in the AFC to win the Super Bowl in 2011. In the preliminary betting lines offered up by Bodog.com, the Chargers trail only the New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers as the AFC which is likely to be hoisting some hardware next February after Super Bowl XLVI.
Of all 32 teams, the Green Bay Packers have been installed as the favorite to repeat as champions, getting 7/1 odds. Following the Packers are the New England Patriots at 8/1, the Pittsburgh Steelers at 10/1 and the San Diego Chargers at 12/1.
I happen to like the 12/1 odds for the San Diego Chargers. The Patriots had a very solid season and performed better than I had expected. The Patriots will be a team which personifies the adage, the rich get richer, as they have five selections in the first 75 picks of the upcoming draft.
At the end of the season, I thought the Chargers were playing some of the best football in the league, and that they would be a team which would make some noise in the playoffs. However, the Chargers dug themselves into a hole early on and simply weren’t able to recover all the lost ground.
QB Philip Rivers is playing his game at an elite level right now, and the only reason he does not get the recognition he deserves is that he does not have a Super Bowl title. I look for continued improvement from rookie RB Ryan Mathews next season, who didn’t live up to preseason expectations but also dealt with some nagging injuries during the season.
I do think the Chargers will be in a position to once again make a push to the playoffs, but they cannot afford another dismal start as they endured in 2010. The Chargers should be able to hold off up and coming Kansas City, a team I expect to take a step back in 2011 after the loss of offensive coordinator Charlie Weis. However, I really feel that San Diego is going to have to contend with a rising Oakland Raiders club. The firing of Tom Cable shouldn’t matter because I think the difference in the Raiders this year was offensive coordinator Hue Jackson, who is now the head coach.
All in all, I like the 12/1 on the Chargers.
Rant Sports Live Super Bowl Chat on Friday, 11am EST
I will be conducting a live Super Bowl Chat here on Rant Sports tomorrow morning at 11am EST, (February 4th) The chat will be conducted on the Pittsburgh Steelers website, SteelersChronicle.com. We have scheduled other internet NFL bloggers to participate, and we will be discussing all things having to do with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Green Bay Packers, and every other thing surrounding the NFL and the Super Bowl.
You know tomorrow morning, you’ll be at work, you’ll be waiting for the clock to hit 5:00 so you can kick off Super Bowl weekend. If you live in the areas just blasted by the record snowfall, you are likely looking for an excuse not to go outside, so join in and submit your questions to me and the panelists.
To check out the live chat, hit us up right here. Feel free to submit your questions, comments and predictions.
With Jeff Fisher available in 2012, Norv Turner better make some noise in 2011
In a move that caught the NFL world by surprise yesterday, the Tennessee Titans and former head coach Jeff Fisher parted ways, a situation that should make Norv Turner stand up and take notice. If I am the ownership of the San Diego Chargers, I call Turner in and inform him that he is on a very short leash in 2011.
Fisher was the longest tenured head coach in the NFL at the start of yesterday, but is now currently unemployed. Three weeks ago, Tennessee had to make a decision as to whether keep QB Vince Young or Jeff Fisher, as a rift between the two widened by the end of the regular season, and it appeared that the two of them could no longer exist on the same team. Now, it appears that neither of them will be on the Titans in 2011.
I expect Fisher will join a broadcast team for whatever duration the 2011 NFL season winds up being, but he should be front and center on the lists of NFL teams looking for new coaches in 2012. San Diego had better be one of those team’s with Fisher’s name in big bold letters on the top of that list if Norv Turner fails to deliver in 2011.
And if it’s not Fisher, there will be three other Super Bowl winning head coaches that will also be available and ready to get back to work in 2012. If I am Chargers ownership, Norv Turner is on notice.
