In case you're new around here, we're big fans of Football Outsiders. This means the BFTB staff and most of our readers geek out when the annual Football Outsiders Almanac is released. If you're looking to pick up a copy yourself, you can do so right here.

Doug Farrar from FO appeared on High Boltage Radio a few weeks ago (listen here) to discuss his write-up on the Chargers with Steve and I. After the rest of the BFTB staff got their  and read through the San Diego Chargers section we sent a few questions over that Doug was nice enough to answer.

Bolts from the Blue: You've criticized the Chargers' offensive line. FBO has written numerous times that it's far more valuable for a team to have consistency there rather than to constantly change out parts. The Chargers will be returning exactly the same o-line personnel in 2011 that they had in 2010. Especially given the short off-season, would it really have been better to try and mix things up? Isn't it especially valuable right now to have the consistency?

Doug Farrar: Well, when it came to the 2010 Chargers' offensive line, my primary criticism was of A.J. Smith, and his insistence on playing dollars-and-cents with left tackle Marcus McNeill while Brandyn Dombrowski (through no real fault of his own - there's a reason a guy is a swing tackle) was helping to get Philip Rivers killed. People put the Seattle loss down to special teams, and Leon Washington was the obvious factor in that game, but Chris Clemons absolutely owned Dombrowski from the Seahawks LEO position, and I don't see Clemons doing that to McNeill.

So, yeah - you start with talent, and then you move over to continuity when you can. I think there are aspects of continuity that can make up for a relative lack of talent, but not generally at the left tackle position. With McNeill set up for his future and barring any sort of injury, I think the Chargers' line is set up much more for consistency and success this season. McNeill is very good, Dielman is still a quality guard (though not what he used to be), and they have "glue guys" like Nick Hardwick and Jeromey Clary. Given Philip Rivers' adeptness even behind an iffy line, and the fact that my concern about the team's running game goes past the line, I think their front five is in pretty good shape right now.

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Despite the fact that it's been half-dead here at BFTB and around other NFL blogs as well, we continue to work to provide you readers with the things that you've been asking for. One of those things is more interviews, with players and coaches and other people associated with the San Diego Chargers football squad.

Today, we start with step one of what should be a continuous slew of interviews done by our HBR Radio podcast host Steve Adler. That means instead of two minutes of me mumbling, bumbling and stumbling over a handful of way-too-long questions, you'll get Steve's particular brand of cool, calm and collected. He also threw in some music that you actually might know, instead of my hipster collection of songs I tried pushing on you last season.

Without further ado, BFTB's interview with the Chargers 2011 3rd round draft pick and hopefully future shutdown cornerback Shareece Wright.

Shareece Wright interview on BFTB

Autograph Signing and Meet-and-Greet

Shareece Wright will also be signing autographs and taking photos with fans as part of Dick’s Sporting Goods’ recognition and appreciation of the efforts of the Escondido Pop Warner Football League.      

For the second times in as many years as the Managing Editor of BFTB, I was given an advanced copy of Football Outsiders Almanac. If you like football and you like/appreciate stats, there is absolutely no reason not to pick up this book every single year. It's the best tool for measuring the performance of the team last year, and to predict performance for the upcoming season as well.

After perusing through the Chargers section, written by Bill Barnwell (who does a great job on the Football Outsiders website as well), I was given the chance to submit questions to Bill and have him respond. As you'll see from my line of questioning, I was looking for clarifications on some of the points that me and Bill disagree on. Some of his answers satisfied me, while others didn't. I've written in a few follow-up points to his answers where I felt they were necessary.

Read the full interview, plus my rebuttals, after the jump.

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Bill Barnwell from Football Outsiders should be by in about a half-hour to start answering your questions in the comments section below.  Go ahead and start posting your questions down there so he doesn't have to wait for them to roll in.

Oh, and please be nice to Mr. Barnwell.  He's our guest.

For part 2 of BFTB's interview series with Ogemdi Nwagbuo, we take a look back at his playing days at Michigan State and even get some more info on that "Working at the airport car rental counter" story we've heard so many times.  Also, knowing that OG is a die-hard NBA fan, I couldn't pass up the chance to get his opinion on a couple of this season's hottest NBA topics.

Give us a quick update on your recovery.  Are you doing anything but resting the ankle right now?

Yeah, just going through the recovery process right now.

I'm sure you watched some football this weekend.  How do you think the Chargers match up with the Jets?  Do you think Shonn Greene/Thomas Jones will cause problems?

I think it's gonna be be a good matchup. The Jets have a great running game and they definitely want to run the ball.  It's gonna be a matchup of a physical offense versus a physical SD defense.

I saw Demetrius Byrd on Twitter saying that he didn't think Darrelle Revis could shut down Vincent Jackson next week.  What do you think?

That's is a matchup of two of the best players at their position in the NFL, so you never know what's gonna happen.

Are you planning on going to the game?  If not, do you have any big plans for Sunday?

Yes, I'm going to be there.

We've heard your story through the voice of commentators several times, but I'm interested to hear it from you.  How long did you work at the airport?  Did you have the job because you didn't think you would make the team?  Do you miss the job?

I was working there for about 6 months. I just kept working there because there is a lot of free time in the offseason. It was a cool job because you get to meet a lot of different people.

What's your best memory from playing at Michigan State?

I had a great time at MSU. There are so many to choose from, but I would probably say just hanging out with my teammates at Cherry Lane Apts.  Or coming back to beat Penn State my senior year.

Why do you think you went undrafted?

I dont know why i was undrafted.  The whole draft is an unpredictable process, so you never really know what's gonna happen.

Vaughn Martin is somebody that intrigues a lot of Chargers fans because even less is known about him as is known about you.  When we look at him we see a guy with big size, big strength and good speed.  Do you think he's a future starter?

He is a definitely an explosive athlete and I think he is gonna be a very good player.  Strangely enough, I actually hosted him on his recruiting trip at Michigan State.

A lot has been made of Stephen Cooper being the "Quarterback of the defense".  Supposedly, he's the one that calls the plays and makes sure everybody is lined up properly before the play starts.  Explain to us, from a Nose Tackle's perspective, what Coop does and how valuable he is out there.

In most defenses the middle linebacker is the QB of the defense.  He gets everybody lined up and basically lets you know what's going on out there. Coop is a great player and a great leader.

Are the Cavs better or worse than they were last season?  Has LeBron finally reached his ceiling?

I think they are better because of all the players they added, they have better athletes at the wing position and better defenders, but we wont know until the playoffs come. I think Shaq will play a bigger role on their team in the playoffs.

Will Kevin Durant ever win a championship in Oklahoma City?

I think he is a great scorer and they have good young talent around him like Jeff Green, Westbrook and Harden, but they have to get better and get more experience.  Also, they would have a tough road to a championship in the Western Conference. Young talent doesn't always mean success, you can just look at the Clippers a few years ago with Lamar Odom, Darius Miles, Quentin Richardson, Elton Brand and Corey Maggette.

Is it time for Tim Duncan to retire?  It looks to me that the Spurs need to rebuild.

Tim Duncan is still a great player and he can always take over a game.  The Spurs have a lot of talent, but the connference as a whole is very deep so I don't know about their championship chances.

Do you think this Celtics team is as good as the 07 team that won the title, or is their record inflated by the lack of competition in the east?

I think Rasheed Wallace makes them a better team because of his versatiity, but they have to be healthy to be reach their full potential and I don't know if that will happen.

You guys ready for something fun?  Ogemdi Nwagbuo has agreed to do a series of interviews with BFTB, discussing his life, the Chargers, rehab, whatever.  Why?  Because he likes BFTB, reads it himself, and (as I mentioned before) the dude is bored.  He also has aspirations of being a SportsCenter anchor after his playing career is over (according to his Twitter), so it would probably help if you knew who he was and how funny of a guy he is.

By the way, for those old folks who can't root for a player unless they know he's a decent person with respect for his elders.....OG seems to start and end every conversation with me by calling me "sir" (perhaps he knows I'm 11 months his senior?).  He does it so naturally that you can tell he does it with everybody.  I'm sure his parents must be proud.

Below you'll find our first series of questions and answers.  If you have a question for Ogemdi, feel free to put it in the comments and I'll do my best to include it the next time we do one of these (probably in a couple of weeks).  Also, don't forget to stop by OG's Twitter and follow him.

Give us a little history on your name.  What is the proper pronunciation and where does it come from?  Should fans call you Ogemdi?  Og?  O-G?

It's pronounced oh-gem-dee new wah bo.  It's a Nigerian name.  Both of my parents were born here, but everybody calls me OG even my mom.

What's it like playing in front of your hometown fans?  Were you a Chargers fan growing up?

It was great playing in front of my hometown fans.  I definitely enjoyed it because I love being back out here in San Diego. Last time I played out here was when I was at Southwestern College.  I wasn't a Chargers fan, my favorite team was actually the Patriots. but the Chargers were my second favorite.

When did you know that you had made the team?

Found out the day the final cuts were made.  I was nervous because there are always a lot of talented players that dont make teams, so I just had to leave it in God's hands and everything worked out.

How much did you learn by being forced into the starting Nose Tackle position?

I learned a lot this year being out there in game action. The NFL is a lot faster than college so the best way to get better is to get out there and get experience if the opportunity presents itself. I definitely feel like I got better from the experience I gained, but it also showed me that I have a lot of work to do to be a better player.

In your early games, there were frequent shots of you on the sidelines taking pointers from Jamal Williams.  How big of a help was he to you this year?

Jamal certainly helped me out a lot because he has seen everything there is at the nose tackle position and he is  Pro Bowl player.  I asked him a lot of questions. but all the d-linemen were a big help: Luis, Jacques, Ryon, Ian, Boone and Travis.  I tried to learn something from all of them.

All I ever saw as a reason for you being placed on Injured Reserve was "Ankle Injury".  Which ankle is it and what type of injury was it?

It was a high ankle injury, on my left ankle.

Was this your first time getting surgery for a football injury?

No, I actually broke my hand against Wisconsin up there at Michigan State, but this was the first time I've had to miss any games.

Where are you in the recovery process now, and has the team or your doctor given you any indication of when you'll be back to 100%?

I'm still in a cast, but I'll be back to 100 percent by next season.  I don't have any specific dates, just got take it day by day and keep working out and get stronger. I am definitely looking forward to the challenge and I'm going to come back better than ever.

On Thursday, I had a chance to interview Kellen Winslow.  Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1995, he is without a doubt one of the greatest players to ever play in San Diego.  Depending on who you're talking to, he's the best or 2nd best TE the Chargers have ever had.  Besides that info, and seeing a handful of highlights, I didn't know too much about Mr. Winslow.  For instance, did you know he's the Athletic Director of Central State University in Ohio?  Me neither. 

The best thing I found out about Kellen during our 15 minutes conversation is that he's got a tremendous sense of humor.  It may not come across in the text below, but most of these answers were said while he was chuckling.  He couldn't have been nicer or easier to interview.  Now, onto the Q&A......

What are your feelings heading into this week's Broncos/Chargers game?

If I remember the Broncos....they were one of the luckiest teams we ever played against, besides the Raiders.  if ever the ball was on the ground it seemed to bounce their way.  And not just a bounce and then they fall on it, it would bounce right up to them so that they could run with the ball.  It could be that they were that good at getting turnovers, I don't know.  But every time i think about a game against the Broncos I think about the ball bouncing their way.

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How anxious are you to get started?
I'm very anxious.  To be away from the game as long as I was....that anxiousness is just building up. 

Are you looking forward to playing under Coach Rivera and in his scheme?
Yeah.  I'm just happy to be back, but especially in a system where we like to attack.  That's kindof the theme of our team and our defense this year. 

Do you have any specific goals in mind for yourself this year or just team goals?
It's all team goals.  I know how I'm going to do as an individual, but the goals I set this year are more related to the team's success.

I've been talking with Chargers fans all day on Twitter and somebody told me to ask you if your TwitterBerry has gone "lights out".
(laughs) My TwitterBerry is definitely "lights out" right now.  It sends when it wants to and then other times it doesn't work.  Then it works, then it doesn't work.  These last two days is like the longest time I've not Tweeted. 

You gotta get an iPhone.
I don't know, man.  I don't know if it's the phone or what, but it's like....whew, I gotta get something done.

What's your favorite tattoo that you have and why?
My "Lights Out" tattoo, because that's what I got my name from and that's part of me. 

Do you have any thoughts about Bolts From The Blue?  Any tips you want to send our way?  Whenever you have something to say, don't hesitate to e-mail me directly.