Post Full of Links: 7/26 Chargers Links

You may notice today's links are little heavy on the SignOnSanDiego content.  You can thank Kevin Acee's return from a 3-week vacation for that, in addition to some pre-camp interviews and news coming out.  Also, in collecting the links, I found a lot of other news sources linking to the same U-T stories, so instead of linking to those pages, I'm just linking to the source.

That all said, there is a bit of good information in the links provided below.  So without further ado, I present to you, Post Full of Links for Monday, July 26, 2010.

• Rivers upbeat as Chargers enter training camp | SignOnSanDiego.com
  Rivers doesn’t seem to have lost any sleep — sheets soaked in sweat as he awakens in a start from the nightmare of being crippled from his blind side, or frozen in the fear of a sleepless daze as he imagines himself repeatedly unable to find an open receiver.
• Chargers' coach: ‘We have to go finish the job’ | SignOnSanDiego.com
  In his annual pre-camp give-and-take with Union-Tribune Chargers beat writer Kevin Acee, Turner addresses perception and reality with his own unique blend of candid coach speak as he discusses players, the schedule, issues and, of course, the holdouts.
• No movement expected with holdouts as Bolts camp opens | SignOnSanDiego.com
  We are almost certainly approaching Smith’s last public proclamation on this topic, the final statement maybe coming Friday, the day that Jackson and McNeill (and perhaps Shawne Merriman) will officially be tardy.
• Report: Chargers, Merriman discussing when he'll report to camp | NFL.com
  Sources told The San Diego Union-Tribune on Saturday that the Chargers and Merriman are in the early stages of discussing the possibility of the three-time Pro Bowl linebacker signing his one-year, $3.269 million tender and joining the team.

• Chris Ello: My Lunch With Norv | 619Sports
  Superheroes may do it for you, but I’m looking for Super Bowls. I like to spend my afternoon meals with real men. Men of substance. Men who are referred to as "real" geniuses. Men who, believe it or not, can actually bring laughter to the table from time-to-time.

• San Diego Chargers Team Report | USATODAY.com
  Few Chargers will be watched more closely in the coming days than Antonio Gates. The Chargers' standout tight end has been nursing a foot injury this offseason. It prevented him from participating in minicamp and derailed much of his offseason conditioning.

• Tim Sullivan: City needs professionals, not politicians, in stadium talks | SignOnSanDiego.com
  The one voice we most need to hear is dispassionate and discerning, tactical and tough, more measured than "whatever it takes," less defiant than "over my dead body," and carefully positioned in nobody’s pocket. Someone able to joust with the National Football League across a quasi-level bargaining table. This is someone we haven’t seen previously in San Diego.

• Sunday Seven: Pre-Training Camp Edition | 619Sports
  Seven thoughts on the seventh day from 619 Sports’ Craig Elsten.

• Chargers Training Camp Preview Podcast | 619Sports
  With Chargers training camp opening today with rookies practicing, and the full squad (minus holdouts) gathering by Friday, 619Sports.Net’s Craig Elsten and Chris Ello preview the key storylines to follow in the next month.

• Training camp battles: AFC West | CBSSports.com
  San Diego Chargers: Cam Thomas vs. Ogemdi Nwagbuo, starting nose tackle
• Cutler, others under pressure going into camp - NFL - Yahoo! Sports
  From New England Patriots guard Logan Mankins in the east to San Diego Chargers wide receiver Vincent Jackson and left tackle Marcus McNeill in the west, training camps throughout the NFL will likely feature more holdouts than ever.
• Wisdom Of Crowds 2010: QB Part I | Football Outsiders
  Our Wisdom of Crowds feature returns for a second season, starting today. For those of you who are unfamiliar, we use my Twitter account to crowd-source fantasy projections for the upcoming season.
• Rookies can be required to report as early as July 5 | ProFootballTalk.com
  Some of you have noticed that rookies are required to report for training camp before the veteran players. Some of those some of you have asked us to explain how that can be. None of us knew. So we looked into it.
• When signing players at the top of the draft, NFL is in a no-win situation | ProFootballTalk.com
  If the teams drag their feet and/or refuse to follow the windfall model that has been applied in past years -- and some league insiders still believe the Rams should take a stand -- the collusion case will be bolstered via additional circumstantial evidence to support an argument that the league consciously, and collectively, has decided to keep dollars in the owners' coffers, and out of the players' pockets.
• Lane Kiffin Angers Most of Tennessee Thanks to Eric Bieniemy | Daily Norseman
  Lane Kiffin is kind of a jerk. Also, the sun rose in the east today.