San Diego Chargers Daily Links: February 6, 2013

Are the Super Bowl-Winning QBs Getting Worse? - Neil
Now that we live in a world where Joe Flacco and Eli Manning have quarterbacked 3 of the last 6 Super Bowl-winning teams, you might be tempted to think that winning a Super Bowl as a QB doesn’t mean what it used to. After all, the playoffs are getting more random — as Aaron Schatz pointed out last night, four of the last six Super Bowl champs have finished the regular season with 10 or fewer wins. So it stands to reason that, as the championship teams themselves post less-remarkable seasons, so too would their quarterbacks not be the cream of the crop. And for all of his postseason brilliance, Flacco was just the league’s 17th-best quarterback during the regular season. Does his ascendancy, coming on the heels of Manning’s, signal a new trend?

Tulane QB Ryan Griffin and The Disconnect Between Evaluating and Drafting Talent - Matt Waldman
The flavor of Texas versus Nation week may well have been 6-4, 216-pound Tulane quarterback Ryan Griffin. NFL Draft analyst Dane Brugler was among several who believe Griffin’s stock is on the rise to the point that he should hear his name called in April. Compared to the Geno Smiths, Matt Barkleys, Mike Glennons, and Tyler Wilsons of this prospect class, the changing perception of Griffin’s draft grade seems like an afterthought. The fact that Griffin served as the front man for a 2-10 squad doesn’t help.

Football great Walt Sweeney had a soft spot for dogs - Diane Bell (paywall)
Bill Swank had planned to deliver a Local Authors Exhibit medal to former Chargers lineman Walt Sweeney while they watched the Super Bowl here together. But it wasn’t meant to be. Sweeney, 71, diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this month, died Saturday at his home.

Best available NFL free agents - Bill Polian (Insider)
As early as Thanksgiving, general managers begin evaluating their projected rosters for the following season, studying the draft and free-agent classes to see how they can best augment their talent. By the time the Super Bowl rolls around, they already have a list of key offseason targets, particularly for free agency, which opens March 12.

Postseason shuffling has begun - Todd McShay (Insider)
Bowl season is over, the deadline for eligible non-seniors to declare for the 2013 NFL draft has passed, and three college all-star games have come and gone. All of this has led to plenty of shuffling in my latest ranking of the top 32 overall prospects.

2013 NFL Mock Draft 1.0 - Mel Kiper Jr. (Insider)
Fisher is a tall player, but one that displays very good balance and isn't easily rattled by quickness or pass-rushers who can counter. He reminds you a little bit of Nate Solder, a left tackle who uses athleticism to handle the rush, and can drive effectively as a run-blocker.