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Into the Offseason - 2019


Leoric

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The final ride of Philip Rivers is upon us. We have to expect the team to go all in this season on trying to compete and getting deep enough to lure our favorite giraffe into an extension. The good news is we aren't losing any of our offensive linemen in free agency. The bad news is none of our offensive linemen are good enough to where we don't need to consider upgrades/replacements. DT wasn't a strong position for us this season and it looks like everyone we have is a free agent.

 

Draft/FA Priority

1. DT

2. LB

3. G

4. T

5. S/CB

6. QB

 

Departing  Free Agents

DT Brandon Mebane

WR Tyrell Williams

TE Antonio Gates

DT Damion Square

CB Jason Verrett

FS Adrian Phillips

LB Denzel Perryman

S Jaylen Watkins

LB Hayes Pullard

LB Kyle Emanuel

DT Darius Philon

CB Trevor Williams

DT Isaac Rochell

 

Team Needs

QB- It all starts here. Rivers is in the last year of his deal and I don't expect him to continue playing. I expect our signal caller to play out his contract and retire to coach his kids teams and be more involved in his religious community. He's been the lone source of continuity through these years and I will miss having him on the team. QBOTF has to be a concern. A weak QB class combined with the fact we need to go all in for 2019 makes this unlikely to be a day one pick. Geno Smith is up gradable as a backup.

RB- Melvin Gordon and Ekelor are serviceable if not spectacular. They are solid in the pass game and in pass protection. Unless we can nail a tier 1 bell cow type back I don't see much capital being invested in 2019.

WR- After heavily investing in the position in recent years with KA and Mike Williams, I don't foresee a day one pick invested here. We are relatively strong here despite our WR's just disappearing for games.

TE- We need another guy desperately here. Henry has flashed talent but so did Ladarius Green. Has to stay healthy. Virgil Green is blocking level TE only. Gates shouldn't be returning...

T- Both Tackle positions should be open competition in the ideal situation. Okung is average but old and unreliable health wise. The right side has been a hole since Olivea decided to try to eat his entire signing bonus in one off season.

G- We put a ton of capital into the Feeney/Lamp/Schofield combination and it's been... disappointing. One has to wonder if it's a problem with development and not talent at this point.

C- Pouncey brought stability to a position of flux since Hardwick's retirement. By no means is he a pro bowl performer but we've got bigger holes to fill.

DE- Ingram is one of my favorite players in the league. Bosa... performs well when he wants to. I don't see anything more then depth added here.

DT- I'm not even sure we have a starter currently on the roster here. We've got everyone entering FA outside of Liuget who you can't count on to stay healthy at this point. Liuget will be entering the last year of his deal and counting 9.5m against the cap so who knows what could happen here. Look for a Day 1 pick here or some straight cash homie in free agency.

LB- This group under performed massively. I expect Perryman to walk because he just isn't good enough to justify us rolling the dice on him to finally learn to stay healthy. Emanuel will also test FA and I don't expect to return despite being a stop gap level player. Jatavis Brown sucks. I was a huge fan when we drafted him but it has translated to nothing. Struggles versus both the run and pass. Other posters have theorized he can be successful at the will spot but I'm skeptical he can do anything well. Make it or break it year for him and I would hope he would have competition from day one in camp.

CB- Even with Verett leaving, I like this group. You always have to draft a guy here because of the money these guys get in FA though.

S- Phillips hopefully will be brought back. Addae will hopefully be cut. James was a huge bright spot here this season. Still need another guy though alongside him. Phillips in a starting role would be nice.

 

 

Edited by Boltstrikes
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We also look to be entering 2019 with 28 million in cap space so...we could see a new FA face brought in. Suh anyone? All in for 2019, let Geno Smith or whoever we can sign tank us in 2020 and pick up our first attempt at GBOTF in 2021.

Edited by Boltstrikes
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You make good points all around about the roster. I would draft a DT/LB in the 1st and FS in the later rounds. Spend the best money can buy to lure in a great OG or RT. Sick and tired of Feeney's crap play the guy is a bench player. I hope Lamp can take Scho spot and if not draft another OG and hope he can win the battle between the two.

Resign Adrian Phillips, Trevor Williams

Extend Rivers 2 years( remember he stated he wants to play into the new stadium but not in his 40s)

Restructuring Liuget contract.

Draft Mack Wilson Alabama LB or ANY Clemson DL preferably Christian Wilkins and go FS/OL/WR rest of the way.

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3 minutes ago, Boltstrikes said:

That dude that forced the game winning fumble in our playoff game? Probably pencil him in as a starter next year. 

I hope so. I drafted him last year on my dynasty team and hope to start him at SAM this year as I run the same scheme as the Chargers do on D.

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4 hours ago, y*so*blu said:

Don't suppose you guys have any changes in the coaching staff going on, do you? Generally teams don't mess with success, and I know Lynn's not going anywhere (even though he seemed thoroughly outcoached in the NE game).

It's doubtful any firings will be handed out this off-season. However Whiz was distracted this season with getting offers to be a HC at this alama mater in Georgia Tech. So maybe if we start slow next year he is shown the door. Gus is on the otherhand has 1 year remaining on his contract and may or may not want to extend his time here if he does well with the defense again next year. I still believe he wants another shot at a HC in the NFL.

 

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On 1/14/2019 at 11:02 AM, Classic said:

You make good points all around about the roster. I would draft a DT/LB in the 1st and FS in the later rounds. Spend the best money can buy to lure in a great OG or RT. Sick and tired of Feeney's crap play the guy is a bench player. I hope Lamp can take Scho spot and if not draft another OG and hope he can win the battle between the two.

Resign Adrian Phillips, Trevor Williams

Extend Rivers 2 years( remember he stated he wants to play into the new stadium but not in his 40s)

Restructuring Liuget contract.

Draft Mack Wilson Alabama LB or ANY Clemson DL preferably Christian Wilkins and go FS/OL/WR rest of the way.

Just a reminder, you don't have to have a player's contract expire when you expect him to retire, provided the team is willing to eat a dead money cap-hit in the year(s) remaining on the contract after the retirement actually does occur (sadly, I'd expect Dean to be the type of cheapskate that would try to "recover" a pro-rated portion of a signing bonus for which he didn't actually play that contract year - but McGuire is capable of figuring this stuff out and has enoguh rapport built up with the Spanos clan you'd figure he could communicate this stuff in advance) for pro-rated hits from the signing bonus.

That said, i do think Rivers would play an additional couple seasons as long as he feels physically capable.

Now, I'll be honest, I don't expect Telesco's drafting approach to change unless some sort of phenomenal value falls to the team (and we've seen where he's much more prone in "push years" to trading up to go after what he perceives as a need before ever jumping on the value; if Kyle Posey's sources are to be believed, had Derwin not fallen to the Chargers in the 1st last year they were all geared up to select Taven Bryan - even as a perceived reach).

The DT bit is likely going to depend on what technique they aim to play Justin Jones at moving forward (everything seems to indicate the team has always been extraordinarily high on him).  I'd argue that the smartest thing to do would actually be to take advantage of this unusually strong (particularly for blocking scheme fit) top of the OT class and put Tevi where he belongs (as a swing tackle).

I'd agree with Boltstrikes on the WR front.  I wouldn't sweat putting emphasis on finding a Tyrell replacement (the team has always managed to do well historically identifying priority rookie FA's who can grow into that WR2/WR3 role), I'd look more to Day 3 and getting someone to replace Benjamin in his role and finally get Rivers the kind of player his particular game has always lent itself to (going back to NC State) and the team has never really given him: That speedy WR/RB hybrid akin to a Randall Cobb.  The guy who can actually take those jet-sweeps and if he gets the corner can turn them into 40-plus yard gains rather than 10-15 yard ones.  It's also someone who can (in most cases of guys who fit this role) take some of the load off of Ekeler and King in the return game.

What this team needs more than anything on defense is a leader - a chessmaster, so to speak.  Derwin is clearly an emotional leader, but Derwin is at his best when he can take his own assignment and do a little freelancing for his own given role on a play based off what he reads; he's not the guy you want lining everyone else up and making on-field adjustments.  Perryman was capable of that, but Perryman can't stay on the field.  A truly instinctive linebacker would go far in this defense and this scheme (it also provides someone beyond Bradley who can actually make adjustments in-game if Gus won't or doesn't).  A guy like TJ Edwards and Khalil Hodge, despite some athleticism shortcomings, would be huge.

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We don't need to go chasing a QB yet I wouldn't think. We are in 'win-now' mode, so I expect us to draft DT or LB in the first round, followed by bringing in some guards that can give Rivers protection. I would love for us to make a move on Suh and use the draft to solidify our LBs and Oline.

A replacement for Addae would be nice as well.

And going in to next season.. We need to win the division and earn a week off. I expect a top 2 seed if we address those needs. 

Rivers will give us another 3 years.

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On 1/14/2019 at 10:44 AM, Boltstrikes said:

The final ride of Philip Rivers is upon us. We have to expect the team to go all in this season on trying to compete and getting deep enough to lure our favorite giraffe into an extension. The good news is we aren't losing any of our offensive linemen in free agency. The bad news is none of our offensive linemen are good enough to where we don't need to consider upgrades/replacements. DT wasn't a strong position for us this season and it looks like everyone we have is a free agent.

 

Draft/FA Priority

1. DT

2. LB

3. G

4. T

5. S/CB

6. QB

 

Departing  Free Agents

DT Brandon Mebane

WR Tyrell Williams

TE Antonio Gates

DT Damion Square

CB Jason Verrett

FS Adrian Phillips

LB Denzel Perryman

S Jaylen Watkins

LB Hayes Pullard

LB Kyle Emanuel

DT Darius Philon

CB Trevor Williams

DT Isaac Rochell

 

Team Needs

QB- It all starts here. Rivers is in the last year of his deal and I don't expect him to continue playing. I expect our signal caller to play out his contract and retire to coach his kids teams and be more involved in his religious community. He's been the lone source of continuity through these years and I will miss having him on the team. QBOTF has to be a concern. A weak QB class combined with the fact we need to go all in for 2019 makes this unlikely to be a day one pick. Geno Smith is up gradable as a backup.

RB- Melvin Gordon and Ekelor are serviceable if not spectacular. They are solid in the pass game and in pass protection. Unless we can nail a tier 1 bell cow type back I don't see much capital being invested in 2019.

WR- After heavily investing in the position in recent years with KA and Mike Williams, I don't foresee a day one pick invested here. We are relatively strong here despite our WR's just disappearing for games.

TE- We need another guy desperately here. Henry has flashed talent but so did Ladarius Green. Has to stay healthy. Virgil Green is blocking level TE only. Gates shouldn't be returning...

T- Both Tackle positions should be open competition in the ideal situation. Okung is average but old and unreliable health wise. The right side has been a hole since Olivea decided to try to eat his entire signing bonus in one off season.

G- We put a ton of capital into the Feeney/Lamp/Schofield combination and it's been... disappointing. One has to wonder if it's a problem with development and not talent at this point.

C- Pouncey brought stability to a position of flux since Hardwick's retirement. By no means is he a pro bowl performer but we've got bigger holes to fill.

DE- Ingram is one of my favorite players in the league. Bosa... performs well when he wants to. I don't see anything more then depth added here.

DT- I'm not even sure we have a starter currently on the roster here. We've got everyone entering FA outside of Liuget who you can't count on to stay healthy at this point. Liuget will be entering the last year of his deal and counting 9.5m against the cap so who knows what could happen here. Look for a Day 1 pick here or some straight cash homie in free agency.

LB- This group under performed massively. I expect Perryman to walk because he just isn't good enough to justify us rolling the dice on him to finally learn to stay healthy. Emanuel will also test FA and I don't expect to return despite being a stop gap level player. Jatavis Brown sucks. I was a huge fan when we drafted him but it has translated to nothing. Struggles versus both the run and pass. Other posters have theorized he can be successful at the will spot but I'm skeptical he can do anything well. Make it or break it year for him and I would hope he would have competition from day one in camp.

CB- Even with Verett leaving, I like this group. You always have to draft a guy here because of the money these guys get in FA though.

S- Phillips hopefully will be brought back. Addae will hopefully be cut. James was a huge bright spot here this season. Still need another guy though alongside him. Phillips in a starting role would be nice.

 

 

Just wanted to address the bolded part, but Brown did play well in the Will spot. When he has looked pedestrian, it has been at the Mike role in trying to take over for Perryman that one game, which the coaching staff realized and moved him back to Will. Ultimately, the problem with our LB core is that none of them can stay healthy (Brown, White, and Perryman). If they all come back and stay healthy, then I feel that this position drops down in importance. But that's a big "if".

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On 1/22/2019 at 3:39 AM, H.E Pennypacker said:

We don't need to go chasing a QB yet I wouldn't think. We are in 'win-now' mode, so I expect us to draft DT or LB in the first round, followed by bringing in some guards that can give Rivers protection. I would love for us to make a move on Suh and use the draft to solidify our LBs and Oline.

A replacement for Addae would be nice as well.

And going in to next season.. We need to win the division and earn a week off. I expect a top 2 seed if we address those needs. 

Rivers will give us another 3 years.

I'll be real, the only QB the Chargers should remotely be considering in this class - and that's only if they can get him at good value (4th round or later - which I don't think is likely) is Tyree Jackson.  And that's mostly because he's a more-developed version of 12-gauge (less of an arm but more than sufficient for the pros) that still needs some polish.  Get your trenches locked down and specifically the OL stuff sorted and you have all the pieces in place to acclimate a young QB when the time comes (OL, 3-down TE with YAC capability, WR1 who wins with sharp routes and separation, big tall WR2 with hops, long speed, and catch radius, and efficient running game.  You can effectively drop whatever young QB it is into a situation not unlike what KC put Mahomes into, what GB put Rodgers into, and what - barring the TE - Seattle put Wilson into.

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Just thought I’d link the thoughts on the last Rivers extension. 

 

https://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2015/8/15/8647735/philip-rivers-contract-extension-chargers

 

Appears Rivers left money on the table last time and most of his career. He doesn’t seem to be primarily motivated by money but expects to be paid fairly. I don’t expect Rivers to sign any sort of extension beyond when he wants to play. I don’t see him given the demonstrations of character over the years not playing out whatever contract he signs. That being said I am at least a little bit concerned that this may be his last year. I will remain so until an extension is announced. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if Rivers were to play out this last season and then see if 2020 looks promising enough to come back. 

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I would be really surprised if this is Rivers final season.

Hasn't he made comments about playing in the new LA stadium? He needs to stick around for at least 2 more years to play there, as well as get in the top 5 of major passing categories (yds and tds). Then you have the fact that he wants a ring badly.

I think that guarantees us at least 2 more years of Rivers, probably 3. I think the only way he retires this year is if he gets a ring or if we totally implode to 5-11 and our superbowl window closes.

Edited by H.E Pennypacker
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