So Long, San Diego | Los Angeles Chargers

[artoodeetoo]

PLACEHOLDER FOR BANNER

Platform: Madden 17 (PS4)
Sliders: TBA
Rosters: End of 2016 Active Rosters (EA)
Difficulty: All-Pro

Synopsis: Going to run with a new team and new coach. I'll be taking over the Chargers as they move to Los Angeles, and Antonio Gates has retired. I've simmed the 2016 season with the home/away feature to get a nearly 100% accurate result for the 2016 season (and draft order), minus the two tied games this year. This iteration of Madden will begin with the 2017 draft, and an accompanying article to preview.

The draft could be markedly different -- what if San Francisco takes Mitch Trubisky, instead of trading back? Could Myles Garrett not go #1, and if so, how far will he fall?

In addition, I'm debuting a new, condensed layout with this franchise gleaned from resources here and elsewhere. My Patriots work was getting bogged down with extra posts and I want to shorten the length of time between games.

Thanks for reading

[artoodeetoo]

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Team RosterSchedule/ResultsNFL StandingsStatistics

FREE-AGENCY RECAP

artoodeetoo, Chargers Daily | April 24, 2017

(Photo: NFL.com)

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CARSON, Calif. – The Chargers have been silent in the open free agent market in the past few weeks, with former Rams and Panthers center Brian Folkerts signing a two-year deal worth about $8M in the first week of April. However, that doesn't mean that the Chargers are waving the white flag as of yet.

"We plan on staying active in free agency even after the draft," said general manager Tom Telesco during Monday's conference call with the media. "We don't expect to fill all of the needs through the draft, but we'll be keeping our eyes peeled afterwards. It's just a prudent strategy to try and fill in any gaps in the roster."

Their biggest moves this offseason have largely been re-signings, as they brought back receiver Dontrelle Inman, running back Branden Oliver, defensive tackles Tenny Palepoi and Damion Square, and tight ends Jeff Cumberland and Asante Cleveland on one-year, 'prove-it' type of deals. Safety Jahleel Addae re-signed for four years soon after the season ended.

Cleveland and Cumberland were brought back in part due to their blocking prowess, as head coach Anthony Lynn wants to control the line of scrimmage. With an offensive line in flux, bringing them back was one of the best ways to complement the running game, which was also bolstered with signing former Eagles scatback and punt returner Kenjon Barner, who will compete for the same roles in Los Angeles.

"You'll see a lot of one attached, two attached sets in the offense going forward," he said. "There really isn't anyone out there that's affordable that can give us a downfield threat without sacrificing the ability to help us out in the ground game."

Los Angeles put in a serious bid on free agent Martellus Bennett, who eventually signed with Jacksonville in late March on a four-year contract after winning a Super Bowl with New England last year. Second-year tight end Hunter Henry caught forty-seven passes last year for 462 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie, missing three games due to injury. He'll be expected to take on a bigger role in the wake of Antonio Gates' sudden retirement.

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Last edited by artoodeetoo; 05-07-2017 at 11:37 AM.

[artoodeetoo]

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2017 CHARGERS DRAFT PREVIEW

artoodeetoo, Chargers Daily | April 26, 2017

(Photo: The Associated Press)

RECENT HEADLINES

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Inman signs one-year pledge

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Coaches work out top OT's

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Gates to present team's second-round pick in Philly

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Rivers 'would welcome' new QB

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CARSON, Calif. – On the eve of his first draft as the Chargers' head coach, Anthony Lynn talked to a group of reporters outside the team's locker room about the team's draft plans, and his thoughts about how his fledgling tenure has transpired to this point.

"We're 0-0, that's really all that can be said," he stated, matter-of-factly. "I think the work that we've done this offseason won't really be graded until the season's end. I can see that people that talk about this stuff for a living have said we've done a good job, but it's all posturing and speculating until then. We still have a lot of work to do, so I'm not getting too comfortable yet. Ever since I was brought in, we've been working non-stop on this draft class; tomorrow night is a culmination of that."

It's unclear who they will take with the sixth selection tomorrow night, as the staff has not tipped their hand in any direction. Most mocks have them taking wide receiver Corey Davis with the sixth pick, but wide receiver is not necessarily a huge need in this class as they re-signed veteran Dontrelle Inman several weeks ago, and return Keenan Allen, Tyrell Williams, and Travis Benjamin. However, they don't have a true left tackle on the roster; and they have brought in both Garett Bolles and Ryan Ramczyk, the top two tackles in this draft, for workouts in the past week.

Here are the three positions (plus one surprise) that the Chargers should address in some way or fashion over the next three days:

OFFENSIVE LINE: There's no question that this is the number-one thing that has kept both head coach Anthony Lynn and GM Tom Telesco up at night as they take over the fortunes of the franchise. This is an immediate position of need as they largely struck out in free agency aside from signing center Brian Folkerts to a two-year deal; moving Matt Slauson to guard in the process. Both of the tackles currently on the roster, Joe Barksdale and Chris Hairston, are better suited for right tackle and they desperately need to keep Philip Rivers as upright as possible. However, the signing of Folkerts improves two positions, as Slauson is a natural guard and Folkerts fits the mold of the ideal Anthony Lynn center -- a tough, mauling pivot; and they got him for a pretty good price. However, the top linemen in the draft do not come without risk -- Garett Bolles (Utah) and Ryan Ramczyk (Wisconsin) are early-entrants that while they've played a lot of football, are primarily right-tackle types, which the Chargers already have.

TIGHT END: The sudden retirement of Antonio Gates came as a surprise; but that's why they grabbed Hunter Henry last year, which takes most of the sting out of the loss. Jeff Cumberland and Asante Cleveland are blocking-types, which means that the Chargers may consider drafting another young tight end to complement Henry, who is not a great blocker at this point. The Chargers are reportedly enamored with Ashland tight end Adam Shaheen (as most teams are), but they are a team to particularly watch out for. Shaheen is a big target at six-foot-seven, but has the size and strength to immediately impact the running game as a blocker.

QUARTERBACK: It's enticing to think they could grab Mitch Trubisky, DeShaun Watson, or Patrick Mahomes with the seventh pick; but Philip Rivers is the starter for at least another year, and there are much more pressing needs (see #1 above). That said, after DeShone Kizer, the quarterbacks drop off considerably, as others like Davis Webb, Josh Dobbs, and C.J. Beathard are late second to early third-day selections. The 2018 crop of quarterbacks figures to be a little more favorable at this point, but it's important that the Chargers not ignore the position in the draft, even if they wait until Day 3. Kellen Clemens is a nice stopgap as a backup, but both quarterbacks on the roster are well north of thirty, and they need to start considering replacements.

SURPRISE POSITION: I'll say safety. Now, they re-signed strong safety Jahleel Addae which was a good move. But free safety is a different matter -- Dwight Lowery is 31 this season, and long-time Charger Darrell Stuckey is 30. Both Jamal Adams of LSU and Michigan's Jabrill Peppers have been linked to the Chargers recently, and both have been to Los Angeles for private workouts in recent days. The thought around the Chargers' brass is that they'll try to squeeze one more decent season out of Lowery and Stuckey, but if they're in a position to grab either one of them, they would make the move.