Beat Up Bolts
It should have been a ‘Victory Monday’ celebration at the Fortress, Chargers Park. Instead it was glum, downcast, and a day full of cloudy emotions.
The Bolts beat Buffalo to move into a lst place tie with Denver, but at the cost of the very popular-very productive running back Danny Woodhead, placed on the season ending IR list with a fractured fibula-just above the shin, and ankle ligament damage. Then last night came word linebacker Manti Te’o re-fractured his ailing foot, the third foot injury in 14-months for the starting inside backer.
The Chargers can survive the loss of the linebacker, but they have work to do to overcome the running back setbacks.
So Woodhead, the road runner outside catch and run back, is gone. He goes down a week after Ryan Mathews, their heavy duty bulldozer of a back went down, leaving the Bolts in a real quandary, of who to add to the roster.
Donald Brown will remain the lead back, but he is not a 30-touch a game guy. Behind him are the kids, Branden Oliver and Marion Grice, both rookies, with limited experience in preseason games, and for Oliver an odd carry or two on Sunday.
There are running backs out there, but none like Woodhead. Who is like him, aside from Darren Sproles.
LaMichael James, who never really got much playing time with the 49ers, and talked his way off the team, is probably the closest clone to the departed #39.
Mikel Leshoure, ex-Detroit Lion, has the same traits, but has had issues off the field and injuries.
Of the young veterans out there, Evan Royster, a bit of power runner, had good games with the Redskins over a couple of years. Bryce Brown showed promise run and catch with the Eagles, but then got hurt. Ex-Cowboys speedster Felix Jones is out there, but he gets hurt and can never stay on the field. The same too for former Arizona Cardinal high draft pick Ryan Williams.
Of the old veterans, ex-Raider-ex-Bear Michael Bush can do lots of things. Power inside guy, good blocker, can catch it, can run it up inside. Ex-Patriot and Bengal Ben Jarvis-Green-Ellis is available, but there may be an injury factor with him. He hasn’t made any visits since cutdown day.
It’s a tough call for GM Tom Telesco. They’d like explosiveness in that role, but they’d like toughness too, and they really need experience.
The schedule gives San Diego a break. The awful Jacksonville Jaguars come in, then the rebuilding Jets, the hapless Raiders, and then Kansas City. The Chargers have time to make a choice, because they do have Grice and Oliver, familiar with the system, but they need to make the right choice going forward, because they will need a trustworthy guy for 13-games.
I’d pick Bush or Green Ellis before anyone else. Better safe with size and experience, than sorry with youth, mistakes and fumbles.
Please follow and like us:
Comments RSS Feed
