2008 Ryan Leaf Award Winner
by John (obviousman) on May 6, 2009 6:00 AM PDT
26 comments
The Ryan Leaf Award is handed out annually to the most overpaid San Diego Charger player from the previous season. The award was named after Ryan Leaf after he won the award for four consecutive seasons. The nominees are chosen after comparing the performance of each player on the Chargers roster against his cap value for that season. The winner is chosen by the fans.
There were a lot of candidates for the Ryan Leaf Award from the 2008 season. The Chargers seaon of turmoil included a mid-season switch in defensive coordinators, a seaon-long injury to arguably the most talented defensive player on the roster and a slew of tough guys who tried to play the season through injury. Let's give you a run down of each of the candidates before letting you choose this year's winner.
Chris Chambers, WR - Chambers was traded from the Dolphins to the Chargers in 2007 to help balance the offense, taking pressure off of Vincent Jackson. He also provided veteran leadership amongst the receivers and showed the intelligence to make big play after big play through the second part of the year and into the playoffs. In 2008, Chambers struggled with injuries and only managed to start 9 regular season games. He failed to match his half-year output of 2007, catching the ball only 33 times for 462 yards.
Cap Value: $5,853,840
Others at this position: Randy Moss - $6,006,720, Reggie Wayne - $6,660,000, Steve Smith - $5,874,210, Anquan Boldin $4,500,960
Luis Castillo, DE - Castillo turned in a dream season in 2006, as a 23-year-old second-year player, making the Chargers and their fans very optimistic about his future. He seemed like he was everything you'd want in a 3-4 DE: big, strong, fast and ferocious. Plus, he had pass-rushing skills that made our defense even more dynamic. In the two seasons since Castillo has battled injuries. Although he managed to start and play in 15 game in 2008, he was less effective than in seasons past and blamed it on nagging injuries that he was playing through. Last season he collected only 1.5 sacks to go along with 39 tackles and an interception.
Cap Value: $6,989,380
Others at this position: Mario Williams - $6,881,720, Richard Seymour - $6,836,720, Dwight Freeney - $5,752,400, Trevor Pryce - $5,250,240
Matt Wilhelm, ILB - After showing flashes of talent on special teams and during sporadic time on the field, Wilhelm was named the successor to tackling-machine Donnie Edwards in 2007. He had a good first season as the starter, collecting several interceptions and nearly 100 tackles. High hopes of Chargers fans should've carried him into another productive year, but Wilhelm's play seemed to nosedive after a poor performance in the preseason. In 2008 Wilhelm saw time on the field because of a lack of true depth at the inside linebacker position, but he eventually lost his job to run-stopping linebacker Tim Dobbins. His final stat line for the season was 50 tackles, 1 int.
Cap Value: $3,653,960
Others at this position: Mike Vrabel - $4,186,840, James Farrior - $4,061,150, Bradie James - $3,356,120, Andra Davis - $3,600,000
Jyles Tucker, OLB - Jyles Tucker saw the field sporadically in 2007, until the final game of the year against the Raiders. Playing in place of Shaun Phillips and against one of the worst offensive lines in football, Tucker collected 3 sacks, forced 3 fumbles and jumped on one of those fumbles for a defensive touchdown. He had his way with Oakland and that landed him a big deal in the offseason. In 2008, with Merriman out for the year, Tucker got his chance to impress the coaches and the fans but failed. Shaun Phillips even switched over to ROLB to try and help Tucker, but consistent production from him was nowhere to be seen. In 13 games, Jyles Tucker managed just 5.5 sacks, 37 tackles and 1 fumble recovery.
Cap Value: $3,925,640
Others at this position: Shaun Phillips - $6,637,912, Willie McGinest - $3,666,668, Shawne Merriman - $2,638,580, Greg Ellis - $3,929,800
Clinton Hart, SS - Clinton's story is similar to Wilhelm's. In 2007 the Chargers let go of Terrence Kiel, due to some legal issues, and Hart was called upon to take his spot as the starting strong safety. In his first year he was even better than Kiel, racking up 75 tackles, 5 ints and 1 sack. Outside of his age, and a change in the pass rush, there was no reason to think that he would get worse in his second full year as the starter but he did. Before losing his job to Steve Gregory late in the 2008 season, Hart managed 63 tackles but had no interceptions or forced fumbles. As teams exploited his weakness in coverage, Chargers fans watched tight end after tight end put up big numbers against the defense.
Cap Value: $2,865,254
Others at this position: Brian Dawkins - $3,336,454 (2008), Ed Reed - $3,405,240, Gibril Wilson - $2,005,480, Ken Hamlin - $2,105,000
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Awesome post!
I had to go with Castillo.
by Steve (Grey Suit) on May 6, 2009 7:05 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
I was strongly considering him myself
For that money, I’d definitely prefer Seymour or Price.
It took me a long time to vote, but I finally decided that what was most important was if that player was even going to see the field in 2009. I looked at it from what the team has done, and who they’ve pointed to out of this group and said “We need to get him off the field.”
English was drafted to replace Tucker in 2009, so without an injury Tucker is probably only getting a handful of plays per game. Burnett was signed to replace Wilhelm, along with Dobbins, so without an injury there Wilhelm is riding pine (he may even get cut). Chambers, Castillo and Hart each still have a good chance of being the starter at their position come week 1. I voted Wilhelm.
I’m going to let this voting go on for a few days before deciding a winner. Then we’ll be doing the opposite award for the most underpaid player on the Chargers in 2008. I need to think of who that one should be named after…
"I did not invent the wheel, I was the crooked spoke adjacent." - Aesop Rock
by John (obviousman) on May 6, 2009 7:12 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Pryce*
"I did not invent the wheel, I was the crooked spoke adjacent." - Aesop Rock
by John (obviousman) on May 6, 2009 7:13 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I don't think English was drafted to replace Tucker
I think he was drafted to replace Phillips.
by Steve (Grey Suit) on May 6, 2009 7:15 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
In the long run....
English was drafted to provide depth at OLB. Depth that we may need if we cannot sign Merriman to a long-term deal. Depth that we may need if Phillips cannot stay out of trouble. However, I believe AJ was trying to accomplish the same thing by signing Tucker to a long-term deal. By drafting English I think he’s abandoning his plans to have Tucker be the starter-in-waiting for either spot.
Phillips is not a bad player. One of the biggest mistakes Cottrell made was asking Phillips to move to ROLB to help Tucker (who is better at LOLB). He weakened both positions instead of just one. By time Rivera was able to move Phillips back, fans and media were already convinced that he was not a good player and had been riding Merriman’s coattails. I don’t remember the exact game that Phillips moved back, but it was somewhere around the 12th week of the regular season. In Phillips last 4 games of the season he had 3.5 sacks, which lines up quite favorably to his numbers in previous seasons.
"I did not invent the wheel, I was the crooked spoke adjacent." - Aesop Rock
by John (obviousman) on May 6, 2009 7:31 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I was referring more to the off the feild stuff
more than the on.
by Steve (Grey Suit) on May 6, 2009 7:52 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Then I agree
I wasn’t sure, so I figured I’d cover all bases. I know there’s a few people out there who think Phillips is not very good.
"I did not invent the wheel, I was the crooked spoke adjacent." - Aesop Rock
by John (obviousman) on May 6, 2009 8:03 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
after looking at those salaries
it should be the Merriman award.
If I agreed with you, we would both be wrong
by Diesel85 on May 6, 2009 10:10 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I was thinking that
But we all know that within a year Merriman will most likely be the highest paid defensive player in football. Plus, he wasn’t exactly underpaid for his services in 2008.
And….this one is the big one….in doing this I’ve been trying as hard as I can to avoid “rookie contracts”. Meaning I’m focusing only on players who have signed a second contract since entering the NFL. If I didn’t the amount of underpaid players would be ridiculous, and the comparisons to the overpaid players as well. Out of all the players listed above, I believe Merriman is the only one who is still on his rookie deal which is why his number is so low.
I’m actually considering naming it the Jamal Williams Award, but it seems silly since he’s all but guaranteed to win it (mind you, this is before I’ve done any real research). Williams cap number is less than $3Mil a year (meaning he makes less than everyone listed above except Hart). And even before Haynesworth got his big deal, look what other DTs made in 2008:
Dan Klecko – $10,651,720 (yes seriously)
Pat Williams – $8,400,124
Kris Jenkins – $5,900,000
Casey Hampton – $5,378,043
"I did not invent the wheel, I was the crooked spoke adjacent." - Aesop Rock
by John (obviousman) on May 6, 2009 10:46 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
how about the David Binn award.
He probably doesn’t get paid much but does his job perfectly. How often do we see a bad snap? Never. How often is Binn one of the first to tackle the returner? Always. Plus he is old and dated Pam Anderson. What more can we expect from the guy?
If I agreed with you, we would both be wrong
by Diesel85 on May 6, 2009 11:37 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
David Binn has the best job in the world...
by Stephen (shaynes41) on May 6, 2009 12:00 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
how many plays is he actually on the field for?
and he gets to snap the ball without having the QB’s fingers up his crack
I remember my first day of Pop Warner football practice at QB. They said that I had to put my had up against this fat sweaty dude’s ass and basically have my middle finger touching his balls. I didn’t end up playing much QB that year.
If I agreed with you, we would both be wrong
by Diesel85 on May 6, 2009 12:07 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Binn is actually a pretty good QB too
He throws really nice spirals in warm ups before the game. I think I heard someone say he is the 4th QB on game days.
LT Fan 4 Life
by sdpads24 on May 6, 2009 12:19 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
He may thrown nice spirals
but can he handle a headset like this?
"I did not invent the wheel, I was the crooked spoke adjacent." - Aesop Rock
by John (obviousman) on May 6, 2009 12:47 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
we have the most dynamic looking 3rd string QB in the league
I can’t imagine someone looking more ready to speak into their headset.
by Stephen (shaynes41) on May 6, 2009 12:52 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I hate this picture
because it’s lacking the beard. Nothing makes a QB look more like a leader from the sideline than a beard and long hair.
I missed my chance, but on April 1st I was going to try to do an X’s and O’s breakdown on Charlie Whitehurst’s ability to hold a clipboard. Unfortunately it was like looking for a needle in a haystack trying to get more than one good picture of him doing it.
"I did not invent the wheel, I was the crooked spoke adjacent." - Aesop Rock
by John (obviousman) on May 6, 2009 1:28 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
How did he injure his shoulder?
Was it the reaching back to turn on the box on his belt or was it holding the clipboard?
by Ed in LJ on May 6, 2009 2:36 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
reaching to get Rivers a cup of gatorade?
carrying the other players’ jocks?
Memo to baseball managers: You manufacture runs by NOT making outs, not by making them on purpose.
by Wonko on May 6, 2009 2:39 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
David Binn's 2008 Cap Value....
$1,408,480
and Diesel85 is exactly right. For being on the field for maybe 5 plays each game, that’s plenty. I think Binn is the first or second highest-paid long snapper in the NFL.
"I did not invent the wheel, I was the crooked spoke adjacent." - Aesop Rock
by John (obviousman) on May 6, 2009 12:08 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
This article is very thought provoking
I had no idea what the players were each making, and when you stack it up side by side with other payers at the position from around the league. WOW.
It makes you wonder how these guys can get along as teammates, when the guys producing week in, week out get paid a fraction of what the journeyman pine rider gets for following the coach around and coiling up the head phone cable. [The high priced butler with a clean uniform says] "Can I get you some Gatorade Mr Williams?"
by Trendsearcher on May 6, 2009 2:42 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I was rewatching the Baseball mini-series by Ken Burns
The Chicago Black Sox, pre-scandal obviously, wouldn’t throw the ball to Eddie Collins during infield drills because he was the highest paid player on the team and no one else was close (Collins’ contract was inherited from a trade with the Philadelphia A’s and the other players had been nickeled and dimed by Comiskey their whole careers).
Memo to baseball managers: You manufacture runs by NOT making outs, not by making them on purpose.
by Wonko on May 7, 2009 1:00 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Give Tucker’s money to Merriman right now
With the addition of English, I do not see why they don’t just cut Tucker, and re-do Merriman early.
Last year’s spend on Tucker was not a value, no sense in repeating the exercise given that he will probably be #2 on the depth chart.
We need to put our cap money on the field not the bench.
by Trendsearcher on May 6, 2009 9:51 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Right
because we didn’t need a backup OLB last year. All our OLBs stayed healthy. No need to pay backups anything.
A.J. makes these gambles because they pay off from time to time. For all the flack Clinton Hart got last year, he was a big part of our run to the AFC Championship in 2007. Him providing that help at safety wouldn’t have happened if A.J. didn’t invest in backups from time to time. The same could be said for Shaun Phillips or Jacques Cesaire. I think even Wilhelm has fulfilled his obligation to the money he got (it’s not his fault the Chargers never found anybody better). Imagine if A.J. had invested in Michael Turner before the league saw how good he was. Having moderately priced players that can compete for starting jobs is a good thing. You can’t assume that if you didn’t have Wilhelm or Hart or Tucker or whoever that you’d have somebody better, you’d probably have somebody cheaper that was worse.
Memo to baseball managers: You manufacture runs by NOT making outs, not by making them on purpose.
by Wonko on May 6, 2009 1:52 PM PDT up reply actions 2 recs
I think Tucker's contract
has $5M worth of “escalators” in it. Which I assume are performance based escalators. Good contract info here
So his cap number for this year is more like $1.7 mill (unless he has hit his escalators).
by Stephen (shaynes41) on May 6, 2009 3:23 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
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