Chargers Pre-Draft Talk: A Haiku for Igor Olshansky

(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Chargers fans scream stop
Igor Hits; Blood comes out of ears
Igor we will miss you

Seriously? San Diego had the money to pay Quentin Jammer $30 million for six years, but not enough to pay Igor $18 million over four?

The guy was 26 years old and was one of the consistent (read: uninjured) players on defense last year. Plus, for those of you who have never been to a Chargers home game, yelling "Iggggooooorrrrr" after they announce his name on the loudspeakers is darn fun.

San Diego was 31st in pass defense last year but 11th in rushing defense. Opponents in 2008 scored 25 of their touchdowns through the air but only 11 on the ground.

They didn't "stop the run" like they had in years past, but they certainly didn't cave the way the pass defense did again and again. I know the team was hurt by the lack of pass rush, but there's no excuse for the secondary to be that bad when they're getting that much money.

Jamal Williams, one of the most underrated players on the sqaud, is nevertheless starting to show his years at 32. His might be a good roster spot to plan for.

There are still questions regarding Shawn Merriman's knees and Clinton Hart's ability. I for one doubt Hart's capacity to produce.

Issues on D are definitely priority No. 1, but there is another more, uh, sensitive issue on offense:

Is LaDainian Tomlinson reaching the end of his career?

Let me make myself clear about this, because I don't want to be misunderstood.

I think that Tomlinson should stay with the Chargers organization forever. I think they should offer him some kind of assistant coaching position, or at least a spot in the front office after his playing career is over.

Heck, when he dies, I think they should bury him at the 50-yard line in whatever stadium the Chargers are then playing in and put up some kind of "Ted Williams"-like bronzed statue of him somewhere in the Gaslamp district.

His best playing years are behind him, though, and it's clear something like that 2006 season will never be repeated again (by anyone, ever). It's especially unlikely in the era of splitting time in the backfield.  

I think his lack of effectiveness last year due to injury was a sign of greater wear and tear on his body. He may have one or two good seasons left, but then he's probably going to have to start sharing carries far more.

All this being said, I don't think Darren Sproles is a full-time answer, and I don't think they should be picking a new running back up just yet, either.

San Diego actually already has a possible future running back at the fullback position; the man's name is Jacob Hester. Maybe it's just the drop-off from Lorenzo Neal that has me doubting Hester's abilities at fullback, but there was something about the running game last year that was just plain off, and it didn't feel like it was coming from the O-line or Tomlinson.

For those of you that don't know, Lorenzo Neal blocked for a couple of guys by the names of Eddie George and Corey Dillon before he blocked for Tomlinson. If memory serves, they were alright at running the ball, too.

Hester always seems to find the holes, though. In the 2008 preseason game versus Dallas, he was the only one on the team who really seemed to know which way they were trying to go on the field.

I guess I can just blame Norv Turner, though. That's always easy enough. Anyway, I think the Chargers should be looking to draft a better blocking fullback and giving Jacob Hester more carries instead of seeking a new workhorse.

I don't expect the Chargers to find another Neal, but they should have been better in 2008 than their 20th ranking in rushing yards per game.

The best way to build a team is through an offensive line, and the Chargers should always be looking to improve there, especially now. I don't think this is as pressing a need as the lack of depth on the defensive line, but it's probably third on the list.

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