The Rookie Review
by bstew95 on Aug 28, 2010 11:10 PM PDT
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PrintNow that the 3rd and most important pre-season game is over I wanted to hear reviews of how the chargers rookies are doing. And who will win the camp battles or just any comments on rookies. Players that could be discussed after the jump.
-Ryan Mathews (of course)
-Curtis Brinkley (he's practically a rookie)
-Traye Simmons (is he a rookie?)
-Shawnbrey Mcneal
-Richard Goodman (is he a rookie pt. 2?)
-And any other rookies I may be forgetting
This FanPost was written by a member of the Bolts From The Blue community and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Bolts From The Blue editors or SB Nation.
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Mathews is the real deal. He isn’t as elusive as LT was, and doesn’t have the pocket presence, but he sure has the muscle. He’s gonna be a thumper, and as long as he stays healthy we’ll have a whole lot of juicy second-and-short situations.
Stuckey needs another year. He’s a Safety, though, so I’m not too concerned about that.
Thomas will be a stud. He’s pretty athletic too, though apparently not quite enough to catch a RB 10 yards downfield.
I think Ajirotutu makes the team and Williams gets snagged off the waiver wire. “Almost made the Chargers WR corps” will get you a final-53 gig somewhere.
Lang makes the team, says my gut. Goodman is a rockin’ returner and will end up somewhere. Either here, on some other team, or on the PS, I don’t know. We could use a good returner, and 6x WR isn’t out of the question, if one of them is a KR.
No opinion on others.
What is best in life? To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentations of the cheerleaders!
by Neoplatonist Bolthead on Aug 29, 2010 7:48 AM PDT reply actions
Oh, wait. An opinion on others.
McNeal and Brinkley will not end up on the final 53. I think they’ll end up with just 4x RB, giving Mathews half the carries, with Tolbert and Sproles accounting for the bulk of the rest.
Mathews can’t be worked like LT was. Nobody got out of punishment like LT: I have no idea on historical OOB+TD stats, but if you added those two together, LT just HAS to be the all-time leader; one way or another, that guy went through more white lines than all the producers in Hollywood. So yeah, the guy has three-thousand-whatever touches, but how many times did he actually get tackled? Mathews is not that back. He knocks the first guy into the second guy, and the third guy slows him down enough for one of the first two to get back into the action. That’s impressive, but how many times can you do it before you can’t do it no more?
What is best in life? To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentations of the cheerleaders!
by Neoplatonist Bolthead on Aug 29, 2010 8:01 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
What I was going to say to tie the two pars in, before I got distracted by white lines.
There’s no reason not to think you can get any of these rookies off the street. I’ll admit to tuning out of preseason games at or shortly after halftime, so I don’t really know how they did. But if one of these guys makes the PS, he’s gotta be happy.
What is best in life? To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentations of the cheerleaders!
by Neoplatonist Bolthead on Aug 29, 2010 8:05 AM PDT up reply actions
Just some random thoughts
Love Mathews, but you gotta think with his running style that Norv may limit his carries as much as possible to keep him fresh for the end of the season. I tend to agree, though, that they’ll only keep 4 RBs and try to put Brinkley and maybe McNeal on the practice squad.
The WRs intrigue me the most. I thought at the beginning of camp that Josh Reed was a lock to make the team but he only has one reception all preseason. I now think he’s gone to make room for the bigger potential of some of our young talent. So that means if they keep 5 WRs (with Floyd, Naanee & Buster being locks), then 2 out of Williams/Tutu/Goodman make it, but might they have room for 6 WRs? (in which case all 3 make it) The SF game will be a big test for these guys.
Traye Simmons is a rookie. Wasn’t he making a lot of ints during camp scrimmages? Don’t remember seeing him during any of the preseason games though. I think they keep Vasher over him and the 2 Hughes CBs, but maybe he’s PS material?
Cam Thomas has impressed me. Yeah, he missed Ivory on that run, but the fact that a gigantic nose tackle even made it that far down the field is impressive.
Stuckey missed a lot of practice time and seems lost at times, but he is faster than any of our other safeties. Norv said in his Sat. press conference that he’ll get a lot of work in SF to catch up.
I haven’t been too impressed in our special teams. They miss Kassim – isn’t Scifres aiming it more out of bounds than he used to because there’s no one at the goal line to down it? Is Spillman still the gunner of the future? As for returners, that may be why Goodman makes the team because he’s the only one who’s done much returning the ball and I think they need to save Sproles for RB duties.
by murpho on Aug 29, 2010 8:43 AM PDT reply actions 2 recs
A few thoughts
Mathews runs so fast and hard, he’s gonna hurt someone. I just hope its not himself or another Charger. I wish we had 2 of him.
Cam Thomas has looked very strong, and I loved his hustle on the Ivory play. Pity he didn’t make the tackle, but for a guy accused of taking plays off it was really good to see that kind of effort. But his real value is gonna be as a run stuffer, and I think he’ll do very well in that role.
Mcneal hasn’t really wowed me. He looks just like Sproles standing still, but he just doesn’t have that same killer foot speed.
I’m sure there are some Oline rookies to talk about but I couldn’t speak about any specifically.
Has anyone heard anything about Dedrick Epps? I know he basically had no chance to make the team but I haven’t even noticed him on the field with the scubs or special teams.
My two cents
I get the feeling we’re all going to have the same general opinions about these guys.
Mathews is everything I expected. He’s not LT but he’s very good. He needs to learn how to block and be blocked for. I haven’t seen him have trouble catching, but I haven’t seen him do it much either. A few tosses is all. I assume that’s a coaching decision and he needs more work there as well. This is nothing new for a rookie RB, and he’ll pick it up. I only worry about his health. He takes a lot of hits. Fun to watch, but it will catch up with him.
Stuckey has not impressed me. I like his speed but his tackling leaves something to be desired. He is definitely not going to be the started and it may take a while before he is.
Thomas looks like one hell of a steal. He’s strong and athletic, and is at the very least hanging with the vets on the D line. He’ll prove to be an excellent pick.
Ajirotutu makes the team. At least I hope so. He needs some polish but has more to offer in the long term, and probably this season, than Williams. Williams will be picked up by another team and make their roster.
Lang has kind of disappeared but that may not have been his fault. He is a rookie after all. He’s showed flashes and I would be surprised if he wasn’t on the team.
Goodman is an ST guy and that may help him out, but it seems to be all he’s good at. I just don’t think he makes it over the other options.
McNeal hasn’t been as elusive as promised, but I can see the comparison to Sproles. He is shifty. It just hasn’t done him any good.
Brinkley hasn’t shown much, but seems to be the likely pick to make it if we keep a third RB. Mason has done nothing. The team seemed to be feeding it to Tolbert to see what he could do, and Hester had a couple memorable plays against the Saints. I’m beginning to agree with Neoplatonist Bolthead that the team just keeps them as the reserve RBs. I honestly don’t see any rookies or vets that are better options than those two.
"Were such things here as we do speak about?
Or have we eaten on the insane root
That takes the reason prisoner?"
He has to clear waivers first.
What is best in life? To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentations of the cheerleaders!
by Neoplatonist Bolthead on Aug 29, 2010 1:33 PM PDT up reply actions
Which won't happen
As you pointed out above I think.
"Were such things here as we do speak about?
Or have we eaten on the insane root
That takes the reason prisoner?"
Kind of a crazy thought but all three WRs could stay.
If CBD goes.
and it wasnot all CBDs fault last week. Volek was throwing everything 10 feet over everyone’s head, and CBD missed like five chances to the air ball. CBD has logged very few catches and returns, and once again he’s been less than 100% physically. It could go M80, Naannee and the three rookies.
Ya did miss one rookie, Jonathan Crompton. I don’t like him. But I think he’ll make the team. Who knows how he develops. Crompton wasn’t much worse than Billy Volek over the last three games. I realy hope Rivers stays healthy this year, the back up Chargers QBs suck.
This is Volek's last year here.
CBD is a lock to make the roster.
What is best in life? To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentations of the cheerleaders!
by Neoplatonist Bolthead on Aug 29, 2010 4:01 PM PDT up reply actions
CBD isn’t going anywhere.
Bolts from the Blue // "Sometimes you would get the sense that people felt bigger than the team," Gates said. "Not to say it was an issue, but we know it’s not an issue for sure now."
Bloody Elbow // "I'm not Dog the Bounty Hunter, I don't issue apologies. And you're not going to be the first one to get one out of me." - Chael Sonnen
by Richard Wade on Aug 30, 2010 11:58 AM PDT up reply actions
^^^ Clarify?? ^^^
CBD isn’t going anywhere.
As far as being cut?
Or on the football feild this season?
by Trendsearcher on Aug 30, 2010 12:04 PM PDT up reply actions
Being cut. There is no way they cut him.
Bolts from the Blue // "Sometimes you would get the sense that people felt bigger than the team," Gates said. "Not to say it was an issue, but we know it’s not an issue for sure now."
Bloody Elbow // "I'm not Dog the Bounty Hunter, I don't issue apologies. And you're not going to be the first one to get one out of me." - Chael Sonnen
by Richard Wade on Aug 30, 2010 6:17 PM PDT up reply actions
I don't know
Volek is pretty good for a backup. I’ll grant he hasn’t looked good this preseason, but look who’s blocking him. He hasn’t had much time. Crompton’s had even less, and made some pretty good throws.
No way CBD is cut, barring major injury. The rookies are too raw. Buster caught everything that was catchable, which wasn’t much, and I don’t remember any drops. He’s the only guy beyond Floyd and Naanee that could start, assuming Josh Reed is cut, and I’m not convinced he could start either. Hasn’t done anything at all.
"Were such things here as we do speak about?
Or have we eaten on the insane root
That takes the reason prisoner?"
Meant ot reply to Trendsearcher
"Were such things here as we do speak about?
Or have we eaten on the insane root
That takes the reason prisoner?"
You are probably right on CBD
but Craig is not replacing Kassim Osgood’s speed on teams. And one of those rookies would run into a meat grinder if it would help him make the team.
I think CBD has some compromising photographs or something, so he probably sticks again for the fourth year, and does NOTHING…. and sticks for the fifth year and does NOTHING. And then at the end of the fifth season stubs his toe while cleaning out his locker and is forced to retire. CBD’s made for TV movie will be just like Brian’s Song, only devoid of any measure of NFL success or productivity.
I don’t give Volek or Crompton much slack for bad passes and picks. Yes some plays were rushed. But they both also held onto the ball for too much time, on way too many plays. And they both sailed passes even when the were not under pressure. Volek has been OK in the past, this year he’s played very poorly.
Maybe Volek is friends with MM and wants to pressure the team to purchase the left tackle insurance policy.
by Trendsearcher on Aug 29, 2010 4:03 PM PDT up reply actions
Heh
Buster will be OK if he stays healthy. If not, he’s gone. He has the talent to be a solid WR at least.
As for the backups, I guess we just disagree. I think if you put Volek in with the first team, he does reasonably well. Not Rivers well, but enough. Crompton is a rookie and had a difficult situation in college. This team knows QBs and I think he’ll be OK. Nobody expects him to replace Rivers.
As for MM, I don’t think he’s gained any ground this preseason. If anything he’s lost ground. It wasn’t Dombro giving up pressure.
"Were such things here as we do speak about?
Or have we eaten on the insane root
That takes the reason prisoner?"
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