Scouting Report
5 - San Diego Chargers Bobby Beathard has his golden-armed
quarterback, beefed-up line and a big back, but
who's going to catch Ryan Leaf's passes?
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Jones had 73 catches in his first two years, but at
5' 8", 175 pounds, he's hardly an imposing
presence.
(Peter Read Miller)
| Having descended
from the Super Bowl to the dregs of the NFL in only three
years, the Chargers put their world in Ryan Leaf's hands.
They traded three draft picks and two players to snag Leaf
with the second selection of the 1998 draft, signed him to
a five-year
contract that could be worth up to $31.25 million and gave him the
starting quarterback's job before training camp was two
weeks old.
In an effort to protect their investment, the Chargers
dispensed with last season's feeble offensive line, signing
three free agents and changing the positions of two
holdovers. To take some more pressure off their young
quarterback, San Diego paid big
money to sign free-agent running back Natrone Means, whom
the club had released two years earlier because it didn't
like his attitude or his contract
demands.
Then, following a spring minicamp, the Chargers did
something truly confounding, even by their
twisted standards: On June 3 they traded their only
proven receiver, Tony Martin, to the Falcons for a second-round
draft choice in
1999.
Over the last three seasons Martin averaged 79 catches,
1,100 yards and nine touchdown receptions. The
less-than-fearsome
fivesome left in his wake—Charlie Jones, Latario Rachal,
Mikhael Ricks, Webster Slaughter and Bryan
Still—combined for 56 receptions, 747 yards and one TD
in '97. Around the league, people began to wonder where
general manager Bobby Beathard and coach Kevin
Gilbride were stashing their peyote. Many Chargers were
equally baffled. "We were blown away," says one
veteran. "We've seen some strange s--- here the past
few years, and this was right up
there."
In the wake of a 4-12 season, the Chargers felt they could
afford to take risks. "At our minicamp Tony was
continuing to struggle against bump-and-run coverage, as he
did last season," Gilbride says. "Our other
receivers looked better than he did—it's
as simple as that. Maybe the sum of the group we've got is
superior to the individual
parts."
Privately, coaching and front-office sources say Martin's
effort tailed off as the Chargers went south last year.
(Some players dispute this, including another veteran who
says, "All I know is, he was our MVP in '96.")
The organization's higher-ups were
also put off by Martin's decision not to participate in an
off-season workout program, and they felt his trade value
would drop if they kept him around much longer.
The likely candidate to emerge as a consistent big-play
threat is Ricks, a rookie out of Stephen F. Austin who is
as raw and physically imposing as the man who'll be
throwing him the ball. Beathard, who has made a career out
of mortgaging the future on
draft day—often successfully, though less so in recent
years—dug deep into his pockets to nab Ricks, a
6'5", 237-pounder with two knee surgeries in his medical
history. Left without a '99 first-rounder as a result of
the Leaf trade,
Beathard got Ricks with the 59th selection in the draft by
dealing San Diego's first-round pick in 2000 to the
Buccaneers.
On a team known for harboring undersized receivers, Ricks
stood out from the start, impressing coaches with
exceptional catches in practice. A projected starter, he
will have to learn on the fly. With Leaf's faith in his
ability to throw the ball to
tight spots and Ricks's belief that he can pull down anything
in his vicinity, the potential for high-risk passes is
immense. "Ryan and I have talked about our chance to
develop something special," Ricks says. "We're
looking to be a tandem like Montana and
Rice."
| Schedule |
| Sept. | 6 | BUFFALO |
| 13 | at Tennessee |
| 20 | at Kansas City |
| 27 | N.Y. GIANTS |
| Oct. | 4 | at Indianapolis |
| 11 | at Oakland |
| 18 | PHILADELPHIA |
| 25 | SEATTLE |
| Nov. | 1 | OPEN DATE |
| 8 | at Denver |
| 15 | BALTIMORE |
| 22 | KANSAS CITY |
| 29 | DENVER |
| Dec. | 6 | at Washington |
| 13 | at Seattle |
| 20 | OAKLAND |
| 27 | at Arizona |
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The rest of the receivers aren't in a position to emulate
future Hall of Famers. The other projected starter is the
5'11" Still, a second-round pick in '96 (Beathard traded
a '97 first-rounder to the Bucs to get him) who has yet to
catch a touchdown pass or convince his superiors of his
toughness. Slaughter, a 12-year veteran and two-time Pro
Bowl selection who is
attempting to revive his career after sitting out the '97
season, is fighting for the third receiver spot. He'll be
pushed for playing time by the
5' 8" Jones and the
5' 11" Rachal, a pair of young speedsters from Fresno
State. Michael Haynes, a deep threat who has played 10
seasons with the Falcons and the Saints, was a late
pickup.
The Chargers, so promising during their 1994 Super Bowl
season, have fallen fast and hard. The defense, which
revolves around All-Pro linebacker Junior Seau, has little
depth. The club's major free-agent signings came on the
offensive line—left tackle
John Jackson, late of the Steelers; left guard Aaron Taylor
(Packers); and center Roman Fortin (Falcons). Raleigh
McKenzie moves from center to right guard, and Vaughn
Parker goes from left to right tackle. They'll try to
spring holes for Means and give
Leaf a fighting chance to get the ball to his mostly no-name
receivers.
"Nobody knows who the hell these guys are," says
offensive coordinator Mike Sheppard. "Hopefully,
they'll sneak up on some people."
—Michael Silver
By the Numbers | Inside Slant | Lineup
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