Chargers by the (Jersey) Numbers: #29

Let’s face it -- the winners of these Jersey things (18 of the 27 so far) usually come from one of four distinct eras in Charger history, classified in four year periods:

-           ’60-‘64:  The AFL years.

-           ’79-’83:  The Coryell years.

-           ’92-’95:  The Boss Ross years.

-           ’04-present:  The Shottenheimer/Turner years?  The LT years?  Smith/Butler regime?  Brees/Rivers?  I don’t know…

 

#29 is yet another victory for Era Coryell.

 

 The Requisite List of Nobodies

·                     Joe Fuller, CB

·                     Armon Hatcher, S

·                     John Hendy, CB

·                     Doyle Nix, CB

·                     Dennis Partee, K/P

·                     Jerry Robinson, WR

·                     Charles Romes, CB

·                     Terrance Shaw, CB

 

A Couple Worth Mentioning

Darren Carrington, S

Carrington deserves some mention because he played in a Super Bowl with the team – oh, and he intercepted 19 passes as a Charger.  But the end of his Charger career was so ignominious.  In fact, if you ever forget how to spell his last name, just watch Super Bowl XXIX highlights.  You see so much of the back of his jersey that you’ll never forget how to spell it.

 

 
Drayton Florence, CB

And Florence had a degree of success for some good Charger teams – including 3 playoff interceptions – but talk about wearing out your welcome.  Which play was more detrimental to the Chargers losing that playoff game to New England in ’06?  His personal foul or McCree’s fumble?  Whichever.  Those plays bought both those guys one-way tickets out of town, and Marty Schottenheimer was driving.  (Although Florence lasted one more season in San Diego AND intercepted another pass in the playoffs.)

 

The Winner

Mike Williams, CB

Mike Williams was the second Charger pick of that legendary 1975 draft.  He played 8 years for the Bolts, and is 5^th on the all-time list of Interceptions in Charger history with 24.  And although (unlike the four guys ahead of him) he never scored a touchdown, he was especially proficient at not allowing any to be scored against him.  Entire seasons would go by before Williams would allow a touchdown to be scored on him.  You constantly hear about Red Zone Efficiency, but rarely for a Defensive Back.