Should San Diego become the new Castaway Island?

Chargers fans and NFL fans in general have their eyes focused on March 10, the day when free agency begins. For once, the Chargers have an abundance of spending cash and gaping holes that need to be filled on offense and defense. We've become used to and applauded GM Tom Telesco for doing a lot with very little financially. Its is going to be very interesting to see what he does with a pocket full of Benjamins instead of a pocket full of pennies.

Still, with all the needs to be addressed, the need to save money while still getting great value will always be a priority. In this column i'm going to give you three intriguing options that may very well achieve those goals. One has been discussed increasingly as days go by and two have been off the radar this past season. All three have one thing in common, troubled pasts.

1. Justin Blackmon WR, Jacksonville.

 If you saw my mock draft last year, you noticed I had the Chargers trading a 4th round draft pick for Blackmons' rights. For those of you who've forgotten, Blackmon is a 6'1, 210 pound freak of nature out of Oklahoma State. A back-to-back winner in 2010 and 2011 of the Biletnikoff Award heralding college football's best wideout, Blackmon was the fifth overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.

Blackmon ran the 40-yard dash in 4.48 at the 2012 combine and his speed is only enhanced by exceptional leaping ability and physical, aggressive nature when going up for the ball. All those things made Blackmon a bigger target than he is stature-wise.

In his rookie season, he burst on the scene catching 64 balls for 865 yards and 5 touchdowns.  Blackmon's downfall has come off the field in the form of substance abuse. His second season was marred by suspensions from arrests for DUI and driving under the influence of marijuana. Blackmon only played four games in the 2013 season and has not played a game since.

Jacksonville is hoping to know Blackmon's status before the draft. He has to apply for reinstatement after his year-long suspension in the 2014-15 season and it looks like he has worn out his welcome. A change of scenery in a locker room filled with veteran leaders could be just what the doctor ordered. Blackmon turned 25 at the beginning of January. A season away has hopefully rekindled his desire to play and given him time to get his personal life in order.

Focused and reinvigorated, he would step in as a legitimate number one or two wide receiver. An incentive-laden two year contract would  give the Chargers a low-risk, high reward potential player at a thinning position. A mid to late round draft pick would still be sufficient to get him out of the Sunshine State.

2. Daryl Washington, ILB Arizona.

 Living in Phoenix, I have seen a lot of Washington and listened to his coaches and teammates sing his praises since he was drafted in 2010. Like Blackmon, the 28-year old Washington seems to have run out of lives in Arizona.

Let's count the offenses...

Washington was suspended for the entire 2014 season for violating the league's substance abuse policy, his second such offense. The first caused a four game suspension in 2013. In addition, he violated the league's personal conduct policy stemming from an aggravated assault conviction of his ex-girlfriend. After pleading guilty, he received one year supervised probation.

On the field, Washington was an exceptional and a disruptive force on the defensive side of the ball. He was one of the team captains, tasked with making sure the rest of the defense was in the right place and calling plays on defense. Despite missing four games in 2013 he was still third on the team with 81 tackles (59 solo), 3 sacks and 2 interceptions. He made the Pro Bowl in 2012 after amassing 134 tackles (107 solo), 9 sacks, 4 passes defensed, 2 forced fumbles and one interception.

Another big indicator he's played his last game in a Cardinals uniform, during the 2013 offseason Cardinals GM Steve Keim said: "It's completely unacceptable that Daryl has once again put us in this position." A player like Washington who is on the right side of 30, loaded with potential and spared a year of wear and tear on his body will come with a higher price tag but to get that kind of production from an inside linebacker helps everywhere else on defense. In four seasons he only missed one game aside from the games he missed due to suspension and durability is definitely a trait that has been seriously lacking in San Diego.

3. Adrian Peterson RB, Minnesota. 

This has been a name that has been popping up recently in connection with the Chargers. We all watched as the child abuse scandal unfolded before us last season. Peterson missed all but the first game of the season and after being removed from the Commissioners' exempt list was suspended the final six games of the season without pay. He was bought to trial for disciplining his 4-year old son with a switch, leaving behind lashes that were used for evidence.

There hasn't exactly been a groundswell of support for Peterson among the front office in Minnesota. The team seems to be looking to rebuild without him, leaning on the talents of 2014 first round draft pick, QB Teddy Bridgewater. After compiling a respectable 7-9 2014 campaign without AP, Minnesota seems to be headed in the right direction.

As the league's highest paid running back, Peterson is scheduled to make 12.75 million this season and is still under contract for the next three years. He will also count 15.4 million against the Vikings salary cap which is another reason they look to be ready to cut ties with their star player.

After entering a no contest plea to misdemeanor reckless assault, Peterson received two years probation, 4000 in fines and 80 hours community service. He will be able to apply for reinstatement on April 15.

By adding Peterson, the Chargers would instantly become a Super Bowl favorite in the AFC. His signing would be akin to Peyton Manning coming to Denver. With a franchise quarterback leading what was the 10th ranked passing attack in the league last season already in place, a dominant feature back would put the Chargers over the top.

The last of the dominant every down running backs, Peterson is the anti-Mathews. In seven full seasons he only missed 8 games, half of those came from missing the final four games of the season after tearing his ACL in 2011. He then returned and ran for an astonishing 2,097 yards and 12 touchdowns en route to winning the NFL MVP award in 2012. A punishing runner, he has the ability to catch out of the backfield, elude and break tackles and possesses phenomenal breakaway speed.

Peterson will be 30 by the time the season starts but he has essentially had a full season off to heal his body. We've seen what he can do coming back from a devastating injury in record time, what will he be able to do returning completely fresh and determined to reestablish himself as the top back in the league? Defenses will have to jam the box with an extra defender (which still has minimal effect against AP) to contain him and that will leave the Chargers receivers and tight ends in favorable one-on-one matchups. A three year contract for Peterson will give Philip Rivers, Antonio Gates, Malcom Floyd, Eric Weddle and the longtime Chargers their greatest shot at a deserved Super Bowl championship since the Tomlinson era.

Chemistry is very important in a locker room. The question now is will Telesco give these three players serious consideration if and when they become available? We know the GM is big on high character, team-oriented players and he leans toward younger, high potential, multi-dimensional players. Was that because that's truly his philosophy or because of the pennies in his pocket, that was the road he was forced to travel?

Keep in mind Telesco did offer a contract last offseason to veteran wide receiver Steve Smith (who's had his fair share of on and off the field incidents) last year and would have got him if Baltimore didn't have the team that exiled him, Carolina, on their schedule. The revenge factor was too great for Smith to pass up and he went on to a great season in Baltimore.

These players have endangered themselves and people around them through drug and alcohol abuse and domestic violence and that should not be taken lightly. Their past transgressions should serve as a cautionary tale to the rest of us. They have had a year or longer to get their lives back in order and (hopefully) come back to the game ready to perform and endear themselves to their new teammates, coaches and fan base. A change of scenery, a chance to play on a playoff-caliber team in a low media intensity city like San Diego and opportunity to start rebuilding their image will provide plenty of motivation and that will only benefit the Chargers. These players are game changers and that is what the bolts sorely need.

Morality is a slippery slope. These players have (or are soon to be) castoff from their teams because their behavior has become too big a distraction to keep them around. Who hasn't made mistakes and been motivated to come through it better than you were before? We're known as the land of opportunity. People come here from around the globe searching for a new start. In the end, we're not considering these players to be the heads of our household, we're considering these players to be standout components that will get us what we crave as Chargers fans: A Super Bowl championship.

My name is The Greg One, and I approve these players.

 

Bolt Up!!

 

#TelescoMagic

Dear NFL: Leave Marshawn Alone

During the two weeks leading to the Super Bowl here in Phoenix the focus of all things statewide was the Super Bowl. Media, celebrities and athletes overran the capital city and a visitors had no shortage of NFL-related spectacles to enjoy no matter wherever in the valley they were.

One of the biggest events of the week happened Tuesday as media day took place at the US Airways Center, home of the Phoenix Suns. The floor of the arena was reminiscent of an NCAA National Championship where the student sections storm the court and swallows the team amidst the celebration. The floor was a mass of credential wearing humanity pushing and shoving to get close enough to get their recorders in a player's face.

At media day, the throngs gather around the podiums of the biggest named stars hoping to get good sound bytes. Similar to Mardi Gras, some dress in ridiculous costume in order to catch the attention of a star and make themselves known, however ignominiously.

Why then, is anyone gathered around the podium of Marshawn Lynch?

We get the fact that he is the arguably, the biggest name on the Seahawks marquee. Lynch and Russell Wilson are 1 and 1A, in either order. Marshawn was fourth in the league in rushing, only 57 yards shy of making it to #2. There's no question he is the most punishing runner in the league. A great quote from Lynch could move a lot of newspapers or at least get a lot of clicks on your website. There's just one problem.

Marshawn Lynch is not interested in talking to the media. At all. Not even a little bit.

We remember last season when Deion Sanders found Lynch lurking behind a backdrop in the corner of the venue. Even the charismatic, widely respected Primetime wasn't able to get much response from the enigmatic Lynch. He did get the catchphrase of the season though.

...I'm just 'bout that action, Boss.

It's been no secret for many season now that sticking a microphone in Lynch's face is pointless. He rarely talks to the beat writers for his own team, what makes the league think he's going to talk to the rest of the media circus?

Lynch has accumulated over 100,000 in fines this season for refusing to speak to the press. He has added more to the fine toteboard for taunting as a result of crotch grabbing as he scored touchdowns. It's clear to the rest of us, Lynch says all he wants ON the field, not off of it.

NFL players are mandated to speak to the media in their contracts. They signed it knowing that fact. Marshawn seems completely comfortable taking the fines and being left alone. The fines are likely tax-deductible anyway.

At Media Day Tuesday, Lynch sat at his podium and repeated the same phrase 29 times.

I'm just here so I don't get fined...

Five minutes later he was gone. Even though they knew he wouldn't say anything different, his podium was surrounded by media. On the second day of their mandated three days of media sessions, Lynch carried the theme over today too with a new line...

You know why I'm here....

This doesn't translate to a t-shirt very well, does it? No merchandising opportunities here. Still, he was the object of everyone's attention when all he wanted was to be left alone. Five minutes later he was gone.

On day three he did speak more than one sentence. He used his five minutes to rant on why the assembled throng continues to come to him when they know he has nothing to say to them. Great point.

These Lynch/media confrontations are painful to watch.  It's akin to the school nerd trying to get a date with the homecoming queen. He walks up to try to utter something resembling a greeting and in the midst of his stammering she stares at him like he is growing three heads. It's as uncomfortable as a separated couple that still lives together. It's like trying to hold an intelligent conversation with a Raiders fan. Time to face it media...

He's just not that into you.

Why go someplace where you're not wanted? In the interest of solving the problem i've posed, I offer the media and the league these solutions.

1. Leave Marshawn alone. Give him time to miss you. Perhaps if you play hard to get he'll actually come to you.

2. Restructure his contract. Marshawn is a free agent now and while the Seahawks are (allegedly) looking to extend him for another couple years, now is the time to solve this problem. Just as easily as the 'must speak to media' obligation is included in his contract, it can also be omitted in negotiations. Lynch will be happy to stay and the media knows he is a virtual 'no fly zone' in the locker room.

3. Fine him at the beginning of the year. If the rule can't be taken out of the contract, fine Lynch the equivalent of whatever it will cost in fines to absolve him of speaking to the media for the entirety of the season. The NFL will donate half to a charity of their choice, Lynch chooses the charity of his choice for the other half. This will result in good PR in the form of helping the disadvantaged and will show the league is sympathetic to its players to the casual fan even though we diehard fans knows its the farthest thing from the truth.

This way, everyone can move on and do more productive things with their time. The media can move on to interviewing people who will actually talk. Lynch can hide out in the locker room scarfing Skittles. The league can focus on the much bigger matters at hand than an athlete who doesn't want a close up for a change instead of bullying him to say nothing for five minutes.