Is This Thing On?

The good folks at Bloguin have shifted platforms, so I am just trying to see if this is working. The Bolts signed Mike Pouncey since we last spoke, but the U-T ran a piece by Tom Krasnovic that the Dolphins were more concerned about his hip injury than they let on. TK is pretty level-headed so I wouldn’t accuse him badmouthing the Chargers simply because they moved. Telesco and Lynn must have given Pouncey a decent physical, although I hope it was better than the one they gave Mike Williams.

The Pouncey signing seemed to tie a bow on the offensive line the team plans to go into 2018 with although I would love to see Barksdale get cut. It’s very admirable how he’s handled his depression and the awful abuse he suffered as a kid. However, he sucks on the field. I know there are some stats running around about how he fared against top-notch pass rushers last season but I’m not buying it. I think a lot of the pass blocking was the result of Rivers throwing more passes away. He avoided more sacks then they protected him from. That being said, Okung grew into quite the leader and made us kind of forget the disaster that was Orlando Franklin. Maybe they know they’re doing with Pouncey, but Barksdale has got to go. The emphasis is supposedly on improving run blocking and Bazooka Joe sucks at that as well.

I have no idea what the Geno Smith signing was about. Lynn talks all this shit about needing a mobile quarterback. Well, he’s got one of the least agile ones ever. Does he miss Tyrod Taylor or something? They can reunite when the Chargers go back to Cleveland without hopefully losing this time. In reality, the season is over once we have to go to the backup quarterback. It doesn’t matter who it is. But I’m not sure if this is to push Cardale Jones or what. I am told Smith’s deal is pretty reasonable for a backup, but I’m also told that we can save a lot by cutting Barksdale (and possibly Mebane) after June 1.

I also read on Twitter this week about the Chargers encouraging prospective season ticket buyers to sell them off to opposing fans. Scott Kaplan and Billy Ray Smith put a screen shot of an e-mail exchange on their Twitter feed. It’s sad, but no more sad then the last days in San Diego. I’m not taking Dean’s side, but it’s not like the games really had any home field advantage. If this team wins, the fans will come. The Rams are certainly upping the ante in the “fight” for LA, so it will be interesting to see how things pan out. I’m sure we’ll talk in a few weeks about the draft but I just wanted to see if this post got out there.

JIC,
RLW
Happy retirement, Danny Woodhead. I thought Eric Weddle said it was such a mistake about the Chargers letting him go to Baltimore?