Posts by Rob Zepeda at FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog

Ernest Wilford is a physical specimen at 6' 4", 223 lbs. A Restricted Free Agent for the Jaguars, Wilford was drafted in the 4th round out of Virgina Tech. Coming out of high school and into VT, Wilford was supposed to play Defensive End but later made the switch successfully to Wide Receiver. The 2004 draft was filled with good WR prospects, with 7 receivers picked in round one alone. The Jaguars took Reggie Williams with the 9th pick in the draft, and then picked Ernest Wilford at 120.

What makes Wilford's story interesting is that Jacksonville had a number one WR in Jimmy Smith the year they drafted Williams and Wilford. The following year, Jacksonville again took a first round receiver, Matt Jones with pick 21. And in the 2006 draft, the Jags once again picked up a pass catcher in the first round, this time it was Tight End Marcedes Lewis from UCLA.

Since Jimmy Smith's retirement prior to the 2006 season, there has yet been a player to step up and take Smith's place. While the Jags get contributions from their WR corp, there is no player on the roster that had 55+ catches last season.

Wilford is a bargain for the Jaguars as a fourth round pick playing a position that commands big money from top playmakers. His size/speed combo is attractive to teams, but the Jags are loaded with big and fast receivers. Jacksonville already has a lot of money tied with their receiving corp, and could potentially allow Wilford to leave to another team.

If the Chargers were to make a solid offer to Wilford, the Jags would likely not match and instead take the compensatory pick in the draft. I feel Wilford would be an excellent addition to the Chargers and brings great size, speed, and physical play to the WR corp. He is a strong blocker, can make plays with the ball in his hands, and provides another big target for Rivers to go along with guys like Antonio Gates, Vincent Jackson, and Malcom Floyd.

Instead of spending their first round pick on Wide Receiver, the Chargers would be better off signing Wilford to a deal and using that pick elsewhere, or packing a pick to move up in the draft. Wilford has the added benefit of being in the league for a few years now and would have limitless potential if added to the Chargers offense with QB Philip Rivers at the helm.

YAY! Here is the official word from Chargers Owner Dean Spanos:

STATEMENT OF DEAN SPANOS
President and Chief Executive Officer
San Diego Chargers

"I have decided that Marty Schottenheimer is the best person to lead the Chargers in the 2007 season. General Manager A.J. Smith and I agree on this fundamental point. That is why we are pleased to welcome Marty and his coaching staff back for Marty's sixth season as head coach of the San Diego Chargers.

"We are all bitterly disappointed how this season ended, but we can't allow our disappointment to cloud the achievements of our franchise over the past few years. Only two teams have won more regular season games over the past three years than the Chargers. We have 24 key players under long-term contracts through at least 2009. This is a fine young team, with great chemistry, and right now stability is important for this team. I'm already looking forward to next season.

"That is why we are also offering one-year contract extensions for Coach Schottenheimer's staff, through 2008. We also offered a one-year $4.5 million contract extension to Marty, with a team option buy-out of $1 million for the 2008 season. He decided not to accept this extension, and I respect his decision.

"Now it is time to put this issue behind us and move forward together. That is what I told both Marty and A.J. when I met with them this afternoon. The entire Chargers family will do whatever it takes to bring a championship to San Diego."

Word around town is that (unknown to those watching the game on TV - had to be in the stands I guess) Bill Belichick decided to wait until the Chargers were being introduced to march out his team.

What the heck is that about? Is this what LT was referring too? Thats a pretty disrespectful thing to do, and I haven't ever heard about a team coming out during the home team intros.

Didn't Jets players also have a hard time with the way Belichick acted after the loss to New York earlier in the season?

"He disrespected our coach," Jets wide receiver Laveraneus Coles said recently when asked if there was truly bad blood between the two organizations. "He wouldn't even say his name."

Couple this with Belichick's actions against a helpless photographer, and you can start to see what people are slowly starting to either realize or admit:

Belichick isn't a nice guy.

Lordy, where to start?

The San Diego Chargers were the better team on paper, but on the field they couldn't pull out a victory from the clutches of the New England Patriots. What will go down forever in the minds of Chargers fans as a game with 'too many mistakes,' was a contest in which the players ultimately determined the outcome, not the coaching staff. In such a large stage, certain players made a name for themselves, while others highlighted their flaws immensely. As the Chargers season is now over, it is only natural to look ahead to the 2007 draft. I will do my best to break-down the directions the Chargers will look to go from a personnel standpoint.

Everyone has heard the old-school 'San Diego Super Chargers' disco song. Its a favorite of millions world-wide and I know half a dozen people personally who have played that song at their wedding.

But for those few who don't get down to disco, check this out -- San Diego born rockers P.O.D. have put their own unique twist on the song. If this track doesn't pump you up something fierce, check your pulse.

Chargers Anthem by P.O.D.


This song is up on the Chargers official site, so go check it out there and read the comments.

Why the hate, New Englanders?

Maybe us San Diegans might be viewed as laid-back, and maybe there is some truth to that. But are New Englanders really that pissed off all the time? I personally know a few guys from that area, and they are all real cool guys. But if you read some newspapers from the east coast, you might get the wrong impression.

Boston Herald writer Gerry Callahan called Merriman a 'steroid cheat' over and over. He did all he could to drag Shawne Merriman's reputation through the dirt:

When Merriman appeared on TV at halftime of the Patriots-Jets game, Shannon Sharpe asked if Merriman, sporting a neat spaghetti-strapped top, would have won the NFL defensive player of the year if he hadn't missed those four games. Ah, Shannon? There is a reason the voters held that four-game absence against Merriman. He didn't sit out with a pulled hammy. He cheated and got caught, and now he's so full of remorse that he showed up on your show looking like he was posing for the cover of Muscle and Fitness magazine.

BURN! No holds barred with mister Callahan, huh? Wow.

Yea Merriman is a confidant guy, and he has good reason to be. He can dominate a football game like few players can. But he shows the proper respect to the game and its great players & coaches. During last week's Jets-Patriots game, Shawne made a half-time prediction on national television. He called a Jets victory:

"First of all, I was badly wrong," Merriman said. "I figured if the Patriots didn't blow them out by first half then the Jets would have had a shot. But Brady once again came back and started firing that ball and made some key plays. It was a bad decision to pick the Jets."

Now don't get it twisted - Merriman has great respect for Tom Brady and company, but thats not going to stop him from trying to get some hits on the QB:

"He's going to get rid of the ball quickly. For a player like myself who likes to make plays in the backfield and likes to get to the quarterback, its going to be frustrating because I can't hit him as often as I want to. He's a smart quarterback and he knows how to get rid of the ball, and thats what I expect from him."

I have a feeling that if the Chargers win and Shawne Merriman has a dominant performance, we wont hear the end of it from the New England writers for quite some time.

A look at the AFC teams playing this weekend shows off some top-flight NFL QBs. McNair and Brady have started in the Super Bowl before, and Manning has now won his division four years in a row. Philip Rivers, on the other hand, is the new guy on the block - but the dude is no slouch. He is a Pro Bowler and the leader of the NFL's best team. He will likely have a superstar career like his AFC Playoff counterparts have had.

But there is no denying it, he does lack experience in the playoffs.

Hall of Fame Quarterback and excellent NFL analyst Phil Simms doesn't see that as a problem:

We always hear about this "playoff experience," and what a big factor it is. Well, maybe it is to some people, but not to me. I've been preparing my notes to call the New England-San Diego game on CBS this weekend, and I have written nothing about the importance of this being Rivers' first playoff game. It never crossed my mind.

Let's take a look at Rivers. He's a third-year player in the NFL, he took every offensive snap for the Chargers this season and he was a four-year starter in college who played in several big games during that time. He might have some jitters when the game starts, but that will go away quickly. He's not going to be out there thinking, "Wow, this is a playoff game, this is different."

I don't see experience being a factor the way it's talked about. If San Diego can block well and give Rivers time, then he'll have a solid game. And if Brady is pressured by San Diego's defense, then we'll hear all this stuff about the young guy doing better than the veteran. What will everyone say if that happens? "Rivers outdueled Brady."

Of course, if the Patriots win the game and they put a lot of pressure on Rivers -- what will they say? "Rivers can't react to the playoff pressure." I don't know about the playoff pressure, but I do know about the pressure of getting hit and hurried by the Patriots defense. And that is a factor no matter how much playoff experience you have.

Philip Rivers has played a ton of football, and while he is young, he is not immature. I don't see him being overwhelmed at all. He is a competitor and if anything, I think he prefers to play on a stage like this. Look for Rivers to have a nice game as long as the line can protect him. With all of his weapons, he should have no trouble finding an open playmaker.

Tom Brady makes a weekly radio appearance on WEEI's "Dennis and Callahan Show." On the show, Brady mentioned he had a hard time sleeping last night. So instead of counting sheep, Brady decided he might just go over some game film on the Chargers instead.

Yea, the Patriots know what kind of team the Chargers are. They know about the many playmakers and Pro Bowlers on the roster. They know that even LT's backup, Michael Turner, can torch teams. So don't ask Coach Belichick about the Jets; his focus is solely on the match-up against the San Diego Chargers:

"Forget about the Jets. It doesn't mean anything right now," said Patriots coach Bill Belichick. "That game is in the books. It's done. It's time to move on, and believe me, we know what kind of challenge we have ahead of us. I think based on the body of work over a 16-game, regular-season schedule, they're the best team in the AFC. We're going to have to play our best game of the year against them."

Going back to last season when San Diego (9-7) were considered the 'best team to miss the playoffs,' the Chargers marched into Gillette Stadium and ended the Patriots 21-game home winning streak. The didn't just beat the Patriots, they dominated them. LaDainian Tomlinson had 134 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns, and the team won soundly, 41-17.

"They beat us up and down the field," said Patriots cornerback Asante Samuel. "It was kind of like an NFL team vs. a college team."

Of course its a different year and two different teams. The Patriots have to fly across the country and enter into Qualcomm Stadium, which has actually turned into quite a hostile environment. The fans have really shown amazing support of the team, and the Chargers are undefeated at home this year. Both teams like to run the ball, and play physical on offense and defense. Both are 3-4 style defenses, protect their smart quarterbacks, and have generally large players. Its likely to be the best game of the weekend, and could end up being a better game than the SuperBowl - as crazy as that sounds.

Theres no questioning the greatness that is Tom Brady. 11-1 in the playoffs? 2-time Super Bowl MVP? The guy plain wins in the post-season. A formidable opponent, for sure. But the defensive players on the Chargers are making it sound like he is the only guy on that offense.

Now I fully expect the Chargers to win the game, especially considering they have had a bye week and are playing at home in San Diego.

Free Safety Marlon McCree, the leader of the Chargers' secondary, had this to say:

"I think Tom is the person who makes their ship sail. As long as he's there, they're a Super Bowl caliber team. I've beaten the Patriots when I was with Carolina. San Diego beat the Patriots last year when they were on a (21-game home) winning streak. The thing that we haven't done is we haven't played Tom Brady in the postseason. He's a whole other animal. I told them that whatever we've done in the past is irrelevant because none of us have played them in the postseason. He's only got one loss in the postseason. He's another animal and we have to prepare for him."

Shawne Merriman expressed great respect for Brady as well:

"I don't know if I'm correct or not, but Brady is 12-1 in the playoffs? That's incredible. To come and play a team like that, a team that knows how to win, they're not too hyper about this situation because they've been down this road before. Obviously they have some different players then they had during the times they won, but the organization didn't change. It's still there. It's going to be a test for us to come out and play them hard for 60 minutes. That's what this game is going to be about. We can't play them three quarters and expect that the game is over in the fourth quarter because he can come back. We can't come out slow that first quarter and expect to play three quarters after that because the game might be over by then. We've got to come out and play 60 minutes of football."

I can understand the confidence the team has with being able to contain the Pats' offense, and yes Brady steers that offense. But there are other guys on that team. Tom Brady didn't take New England to the playoffs on his own.

But the Chargers led the NFL in sacks and getting pressure on Brady is going to be key in stopping that offense. Shawne Merriman will certainly be eager to collect his first career postseason sack, as well as his first sack on the almighty Tom Brady himself.

The man hits way more than he misses. Start with him trading Eli Manning for Philip Rivers and (essentially ) Shawne Merriman and Nate Kaeding. Rivers, Merriman, and Kaeding all made the Pro Bowl this season. This comes a year after AJ Smith drafted Shawne, who went on to earn DROY honors and a Pro Bowl berth. Merriman is the most dominant defensive player in the league (17 sacks?! SEVENTEEN!) and was snubbed in the Defensive Player of the Year award.

Philip Rivers would never had made the Pro Bowl if AJ Smith hadn't allowed Drew Brees to walk in free agency. That decision paid off with a 14-2 season and the top seed in the AFC. Rivers will be a superstar in this league and has commanded the respect and admiration of all around him.

I can't gloss over Smith's pick of Luis Castillo, who has established himself as one of the premier 3-4 Defensive Ends. Luis missed some time this year only playing in 10 games, but he has rare pass rushing abilities for the position he plays. Castillo racked up 7 sacks this season and had he been healthy, would likely have been in the Pro Bowl.

Vincent Jackson was a raw prospect from a Div II school but AJ Smith saw his potential as a pro. After a quiet rookie campaign (zero touchdowns), Jackson has broken out this season with six TDs and will continue his development into next year where he could be a 1000+ yard guy.

I mentioned Kaeding, a Pro Bowl kicker this year who is one of the league scoring leaders this season. The guy is just money, increasing his accuracy every year since his rookie season. He had a career season this year, missing only 3 FGs while booting all 58 extra points. His leg strength and hang-time clearly improved, going from 2 touchbacks his rookie season to 3 in his second season. But this year he shot all the way to 11 touchbacks and even had 5 tackles, the most in his career!

Lets not forget that every team passed up on Left Tackle Marcus McNeil last year, so when McNeil fell to the Chargers second round pick (50 overall), it was reported that Smith used all of about half a second to pull the trigger. Marcus is quickly becoming regarded as one of the best tackles in the league, and will likely become a perennial Pro Bowler. He was even in the mix for Offensive Rookie of the Year.

I could go on and on about all that GM AJ Smith has meant to this organization. The team is built to win now, and to remain competitive for years to come.

The 53-man roster includes 46 acquired during Smith's tenure and four others who have had long-term extensions initiated by Smith. The Chargers have 23 players under contract through at least 2009, including eight of their nine Pro Bowlers.

For a more personal look, read Kevin Acee's story about Smith's life outside of football

"When we'll get him out to dinner, away from football, we'll get him going, and he's really a character," Chargers President Dean Spanos said. "He has a funny side. Once you get through that seriousness and he's relaxed, he's really fun."