San Diego Chargers Daily Links: February 24, 2013

Chargers stand by Robert Meachem - Michael Gehlken (paywall)
Meachem is expected to remain with the club for the foreseeable future. Coach Mike McCoy and wide receivers coach Fred Graves reached out to the ex-Saint shortly after being hired last month and indicated their desire to move forward together, a source said.

Gavin Escobar gets job done at Combine - Michael Gehlken (paywall)
The former San Diego State tight end posted, yes, a less-than-spectacular time in the vertical speed measurement, but it's not sure to persuade evaluators to downgrade him. Hand-held timers registered Escobar more favorably — closer to the sub-4.8 area — and with his game film, that may do just fine.

What Are NFL Pundits Saying About the Bolts? - Ricky Henne
"The one name in particular that I’m excited about for the Chargers is Tom Telesco. I’ve always been a big Telesco fan. I remember in 2009, the year that that Indianapolis was in the Super Bowl, I remember talking to Tom at great length on media day and thinking, ‘Wow, this guy’s really smart!’ And I could see why (former GM) Bill Polian never wanted to let him go. And I could also see when they made the switch from Polian to Ryan Grigson, why Ryan Grigson kept Telesco. He’s really a bright guy who sees both the present and future of football very, very clearly."

NFL Combine: Scouting the Tight Ends - Chargers.com
Last year I sat back and was wowed by a raw prospect out of tiny Louisiana-Lafayette light it up for the tight ends. That young man of course was Ladarius Green, who the Chargers drafted in the fourth round and is now developing behind one of the best to ever play the game in Antonio Gates. So this year while watching the tight ends, I was concentrating on trying to find the next Green rather than focusing in on the top three prospects of Tyler Eifert, Zach Ertz and Gavin Escobar.

NFL Combine: Scouting the Running Backs - Chargers.com
This year's running back class at the NFL Scouting Combine is much like the quarterback class and even the wide receiver class for that matter: great depth, very little star power. In my mind, University of Alabama's Eddie Lacy is easily the top running back prospect, with his combination of power and speed. But after Lacy, who did not participate in any drills at the Combine, there is a bit of a drop off.

NFL Combine: Scouting the Wide Receivers - Chargers.com
The wide receiver workout on Sunday at the NFL Scouting Combine became the Tavon Austin and Marquise Goodwin show. The wide receivers from West Virginia University and University of Texas, respectively, came close to breaking current Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson 40-yard dash record of 4.24 seconds, but came short as Goodwin recorded a 4.27 time and Austin had a 4.34 time.

NFL Combine: Scouting the Quarterbacks - Chargers.com
Perhaps I’m spoiled getting to watch Philip Rivers each day at practice, but I was underwhelmed by the overall talent on display today by the quarterbacks. It’s not considered a particularly strong class and I can certainly see why. Many throws were off target, either behind or too far in front of the intended target, and the deep balls were loopy and didn’t have great zip to them.

Eight in the Box: Biggest cap casualty - Bill Williamson
While the Chargers probably won’t cut too many veterans, one who appears assured to be shown the door is left tackle Jared Gaither. He signed a hefty contract last year and was a disaster. Gaither played only four games last season and there were heavy rumblings that many teammates and coaches thoughts Gaither wasn’t as injured as he claimed to be.

Adjusting YPC based on Defensive Personnel Packages - Mike Clay
Of 76 running backs with 45-plus qualified carries in 2012, Sproles benefited most from the defensive personnel he faced. Our test drops his YPC from 5.2 to 4.3. His expected YPC (a calculation that determines the YPC an average NFL back would put up against the same personal package split) is 5.4.