Introducing the Chargers 2011 53 man roster

Introducing the Chargers 2011 53 man roster.

When all the dust settles and the bickering and frustration of the NFL lockout ceases, The coaching staffs of each team have some tough choice to make.

With each passing day , their chance to evaluate their team's talent and depth is dwindling away.

The Chargers current roster boasts 72 players. Many of which are young and unproven. I'm not just talking about the undrafted free agents. I'm talking about many contracted players.

Cam Thomas, Donald Butler, Darrell Stuckey are all filling roster spots, and drawing salary space, and saw little to no action last year.

The last three years the Chargers have been more ravaged than any NFL team, by a huge margin. Last year they fielded 73 different players, a league record since 1973. The two years prior, they led the league in injuries fielding 61 and 59 players.

In that time at many positions, the normal starter sat on injured reserve, while their backup stole their glory, and possibly their  job.

With the lockout in place, very little is certain. However, with each passing day, free agency is becoming less and less of an option as time to learn a teams playbook is winding down.

With all those considerations, the Chargers roster still baffles me. There are ten wide receivers, and only two quarterbacks listed. This could be by design however. Seeing how our wide outs have been so injury prone, and also if Philip Rivers goes down, the season is over.

The AFC west race is picking up, Chargers cant afford the luxury of another slow start, also Norv Turner and A.J Smith are both feeling the heat to really make a run at a Superbowl title. So they might be aggressive.

Usually the evaluation process goes through many cycles while cutting down to the final 53, but this year, it looks like training camp, OTA'S , practices and even pre-season games wont be in the process,it will all be a guess and reputation. So I might as well be the first to give mine.

Wide Receivers:

Don't read into the Steve Smith rumors too much Charger fans. A.J Smith won't give him big money to come in, and not give a younger bigger healthier  Malcom Floyd a contract.

Offense

Wide Receivers:

1. Vincent Jackson
2. Malcom Floyd
3. Patrick Crayton
4. Seyi Ajirotutu
5. Vincent Brown.

Tight ends:

1. Antonio Gates
2. Randy McMichael
3. Kris Wilson

Running Backs:

1. Ryan Mathews
2. Mike Tolbert
3. Jordan Todman

Yeah, I hate to see Sproles gone too, but I have 100 percent confidence in Todman stepping into a similar role. This guy is going to do great things in a Chargers uniform.

Fullback:

1.Jacob Hester.

Though he won't see many runs, he's a blocking machine, and a monster special teamer.

Quarterbacks:

1. Philip Rivers
2. Billy Volek

Offensive Tackles:

1. Marcus McNeill
2. Brandyn Dombrowski
3. Jeromy Clary
4. Nick Richmond

Guards:

1. Kris Dielman
2. Louis Vasquez
3. Scott Mcruczowski

Center:

1. Nick Hardwick
(Mcruczowski backs him up)

Defense:

This will be a little tougher. A new coordinator. So many new top round draft picks, many more who didn't play last year. Free agents. Where shall we begin? How about drafting two defensive backs and Bob Sanders?

Strong safeties:

1. Bob Sanders
2. Steve Gregory
3. Darrell Stuckey

Free Safeties:

1. Eric Weddle
2. Paul Oliver

Cornerbacks:

1.Quentin Jammer
2. Antoine Cason
3. Marcus Gilchrist
4. Shareece Wright

Inside Linebackers:

1. Stephen Cooper
2. Kevin Burnett
3. Brandon Siler
4. Donald Butler
5. Jonas Mouton

Outside Linebackers:

1. Shaun Philips
2. Larry English
3. Antwan Barnes
4. Antwan Applewhite

Defensive Ends:

1. Luis Castillo
2. Jacques Cesaire
3. Vaughn Martin
4. Corey Liuget

Defensive Tackles:

1.Antonio Garay
2.Ogemdi Nwagbuo
3. Travis Johnson
4. Cam Thomas

Special Teams:

Long Snapper:

David Binn.

 Yeah, I know, he's 39, but we all saw what happened with one season without him. The Chargers fielded their worst special teams ever.

Kicker:

Nate Kaeding
This year he kicked great in January (Denver) too bad it didn't matter

Punter : Mike Scifres

Gunners:

I think that Strong safety Pat watkins and Wide receiver Kelley Washington make this roster to round out the 53.

They are both veterans who could step into the role of starter, and have contributed well on short notice for the Chargers.

With each passing day, the chance of A.J Smith taking a huge gamble on a free agent is diminishing. They need guys who know the playbook, and are going to contribute right off the bat.