If you missed Elsten’s appearance on Sportswrap Sunday night with Derek Torgeson on NBC 7/39 in San Diego, here’s your chance to see the replay:

Mathews Is an Upgrade over L.T.:

Phillies vs. Padres: Playoff Preview Gone Wrong

Seven thoughts on the seventh day…

1) Small tweaks are starting to add up to a defensive problem for the Padres.  I’m not worried about their current three-game losing streak.  Heck, by the time you read this column, their Sunday magic may have already put a winning touch to the weekend.  But I am worried about how this team’s defense is shaping up for the playoffs.

Losing Tony Gwynn to a broken hamate bone has turned out to be a bigger blow than expected to the Padres’ mojo.  While Chris Denorfia has been swinging an almost ridiculously hot bat during the summer, he is clearly not the equal of Gwynn defensively.  Gwynn’s speed and range were Gold Glove-caliber, while Deno is average at best and leaves his feet too much, turning hits into triples.

Miguel Tejada has hit well, played with passion and seemingly over-achieved defensively at shortstop.  What was supposed to be a major issue for the Padres has been a pleasant surprise so far.  But Saturday’s 3-1 loss to Philly contained a play I’ve been waiting to see for a while.

In the fifth with a runner at second base and one out, Tejada was challenged defensively…to his left.  He had made a couple of nice plays in the hole to his right so far, but I hadn’t seen him make a rangy play to his left.  Shane Victorino hit a ground ball up the middle which I’m convinced Everth Cabrera would have caught…probably Jerry Hairston Jr. as well pre-shin splints.  Tejada dove and couldn’t get it, and the Phillies were on the board.

It’s just one play.  But while Tejada’s solid positioning and strong arm have served him well so far at shortstop, you can’t escape the fact that his range is limited.  Baseball saw this two years ago, so the Padres might as well keep their eyes open.  David Eckstein is a similar player at second base.  He’ll make the play on everything he catches, but some balls are going to get through.

Center field, shortstop, second base…the most important defensive positions on the diamond, and right now the Padres are average at best.  Hairston had defended well at both short and second this year, but his range had seemingly decreased in recent weeks as well.  Now Jerry’s out of the lineup for some time defensively, meaning it’s Tejada or nada at shortstop, and Eck all the way at second base.  Keep an eye on this as the season continues into October.

Note: in Sunday’s starting lineup, Will Venable is starting in center, as Chris Denorfia has a sore back.  I’d like to see Bud Black try out Venable more in center in the coming weeks.  If you’re not going to have Gwynn’s services available, Venable has the most range of the remaining Padres outfielders.

Six more thoughts, including a Chargers/Saints review and an unbelievable story from Del Mar, after the jump:

2)

Along the same lines, defense will prevent the Giants from making a run at the Padres.  San Francisco came into the season with a team very similar to San Diego.  Great pitching, solid defense in the outfield, and very questionable hitting.  Giants’ GM Brian Sabean and Padres’ GM Jed Hoyer each had to decide how to approach their respective team’s struggling lineups.

He's "Pat the Bat" but his glove ain't all that

Sabean made the choice to revamp from the outside, and each move he’s made has crippled the Giants’ defense.  Pat Burrell is a DH in left field, and Jose Guillen is one of the worst defensive outfielders around in terms of range.  Around the infield, there are no standouts and a couple of louts (I’m looking at you, Kung Fu Panda).

Any wonder this team just played a 12-11 game at home, where they committed five errors?  Combined with the struggles of their starting pitchers (and of course, the problems are inter-related) and you’ve got a team which is collapsing on multiple fronts.

3) Things I liked from the Chargers game on Friday night:

• Ryan Mathews (again)
• Ball-control offense
• Run defense (mostly)

The combination of Cam Thomas and Vaughn Martin give the Chargers legit beef on the defensive line.  If Ron Rivera can manage the substitution patterns he wants to get the right matchups on the field, the Bolts could be better up front than anticipated.  I expect lots of teams to do what the Saints did on Friday, which was to go hurry-up and try to limit San Diego’s ability to substitute.

Mathews is going to make this offense so much better, it’s not even funny.  We’ll have another Chargers video up later tonight on this subject, but his 3rd-and-1 sweep for 16 yards is just another on the list of “wow” moments the rookie has already provided in preseason.

His biggest contribution, though, will come in the natural fight and desire he brings to gain those extra couple of yards.  L.T. used to fight for yards like that when he came into the NFL, but time (and thousands upon thousands of hits) led Tomlinson to seek the safety of the sideline or the ground on contact.  I’m sure a veteran running back calls it “being smart”.

Mathews doesn’t know better yet, and that will give the Chargers offense those 3rd-and-3’s which were once 3rd-and-6.

4) Things I didn’t like from the Chargers game on Friday night:

• Stupid penalties (again)
• Pass rush (as usual)
• Cason on the corner

Can this Chargers team be a championship-level defense?  I believe Eric Weddle when he says the defensive secondary is playing together in a way they haven’t seen in years.  I believe what I see up front, even while knowing there are no obvious stars in the group.  But the linebacking corps looks like the same old group of rascals that could cost the Bolts a big game.

Is Shaun Phillips determined to lead the league in dumb personal fouls?  Will Shawne Merriman ever actually play, or will he remain in injury limbo for the rest of his Chargers career?  Seems like Lights Out is more like Light Flickering, he’s never quite in or out and it’s starting to annoy me.  I thought Larry English was supposed to replace that flickering bulb anyhow.

Kevin Burnett has looked terrific in preseason, and Stephen Cooper seems like himself,  but there are questions remaining unanswered right now in the linebacking corps, and the Shaun/Shawne portion of the locker room is where the biggest question marks are directed.

Meanwhile, Drew Brees had all the time in the world to throw on Friday, but I can’t necessarily blame that on the Chargers.  After all, there are three Pro Bowlers on a Saints offensive line which returns all five starters, and Brees is a master of quick release and fast-break offense.

Still, somebody better touch the darn QB if the Chargers want to get to the promised land.  Haven’t seen much of it so far outside of safety/corner blitzes.

Last but not least, is Antonie Cason going to hold up to the pressure?  Norv Turner was complimentary toward Cason during Saturday’s press conference, explaining away the touchdown that went through his hands as a mistake he’ll correct.

Maybe he will.  But mistakes on the corner usually lead to six points, and Cason has made enough mistakes during his time in San Diego to make you wonder if he’ll be a persistent target for opposing quarterbacks.

5) My first high school Top-10 list of the year looks like this:

1. Cathedral Catholic
2. Vista
3. Oceanside
4. Eastlake
5. Helix
6. Mission Bay
7. Point Loma
8. SF Christian
9. Ramona
10. Escondido

Hey, what do I know?  None of these teams have taken the field yet, so I’m going on a respected source’s say-so, along with spreading around the ‘dap to some of the top programs around the county.

Cathedral Catholic is the closest thing I’ve seen to Mater Dei or Concord De La Salle in San Diego County, so they go to the top until proven otherwise.  Vista is supposed to be even better than last year’s talented team, and while Oceanside lost a ton (thankfully, much of the talent going to Brady Hoke and SDSU), the Pirates are a “reload not rebuild” type of program.

Teams like Mission Bay and Escondido will have a lot to prove with superstars Dillon Baxter and Ricky Seale moving on to college, while it looks like Eastlake has more than enough to withstand Tony Jefferson’s departure to Oklahoma.

I left La Costa Canyon off my Top-10 list because with head coach Darrin Brown having left along with a lot of senior talent, I need to see them succeed before they earn a ranking.  My eyes are still on you though, Mavericks.

We’ll be back out covering the Friday Night Lights like no one else on 619Sports.Net this fall.  If you are (or you happen to know) a college upperclassmen or above and would like to join our prep football reporting crew, please drop me a line at craig@619sports.net with your qualifications.

6) Will our local college quarterbacks be allowed to stay upright this season?  It could determine the fate of both SDSU and USD.

A visit to Toreros practice last Thursday  (where we taped a number of video interviews you’ll see in the coming week) revealed a USD team with some great skill players on offense.  I think Sam Scudellari can have a big year throwing to John McGough, Godfrey Smith and tight end Patrick Doyle.

The question is, will Scud have time to fire?  Four new starters on the offensive line could lead to Scudellari running for his life.  At the practice I witnessed, it was tough for Sam to get off anything short of a quick pass or bubble screen without getting hit.

Same question goes for the boys at Montezuma Mesa as they get ready for the opener against Nicholls State next Saturday.  Lindley, with time to operate, should have a career year throwing to Vincent Brown, DeMarco Sampson and Alston Umuolo.  Ronnie Hillman’s injection of speed into the running game will keep defenses from pinning their ears back.

But there’s a lot of inexperience up front for SDSU and I wonder when conference play starts if Lindley will be under duress.  Ryan hasn’t shown great accuracy or touch on quick, short passes in his Aztecs career, the best remedy for a pass rush.  He’s been a guy who needs a pocket to work from so he can aim downfield.

Hopefully, Lindley’s improved on those underneath passes.  Otherwise, keeping him clean will be a difficult and demanding task.

7) Overheard on the felt this week…the story of a lucky day at the races.  You can’t believe everything (or even many things) you hear at a poker table.  But this man’s story I believe, and the Del Mar Racetrack results back up his account of fortune turning on a scratch and a scramble.

On Wednesday, the 6th race at Del Mar was a $15,000 purse claiming race for three year olds and upwards, fillies and mares.  Our hero (we’ll call him Mike) was dragged out to the racetrack with his buddies.  Mike is not a horse player, not even close.  His previous trips to the track have been fun but never profitable.

As the sixth race rolled around, Mike was drinking beers with his buddies and making small bets (saving his money for the poker table).  He filled out a $2 exacta ticket, putting the 8 horse (Celebration) together with a couple of medium longshots, the 5 horse (Entabeni) and the 10 horse (Tribul Witch).

As the horses were being loaded into the starting gate, the 8 horse spooked and bucked, bolting early.  He was scratched, and so was Mike’s trifecta.

Except, Mike’s trifecta didn’t have to be scratched…but it did have to be changed.  It was announced over the track public address system that the betting windows would re-open for 3 minutes so players could take out the 8-horse and replace him with another entrant.

Mike, busy chatting with a friend, frittered away at least a minute of his three-minute window.  He wasn’t even sure if it was worth it, but decided last second to go ahead and change his ticket.  By this time, he had to wait for two other people in front of him at the betting window.

As Mike reached the window, he told the cashier “take out the 8 horse and replace him with the 1″, handing him the proper trifecta betting form.  The 1-horse (Too Pink) happened to be a 46-1 longshot.

“It’s too late,” said the cashier, “the time’s up”.

“Run the ticket”, said Mike.

The cashier obliged, and voila!  A betting slip popped out of the computer, meaning the bet was in on time and valid.

“Wow, that must have gotten in at the literal last second,” said the cashier, “because my screen said there were 0 minutes remaining.”

Mike settled back in to watch the race…and was promptly on his feet and screaming as Too Pink hit the wire first, followed by Tribul Witch and Entabeni.

The $2 exacta ticket, originally a loser, then switched at the last possible second for a winner, paid $7,008.00.

Now that’s what I call being lucky.  Hope you have a very fortunate week as well!

While the Chargers lost in New Orleans 36-21, the first-team offense played well and head coach Norv Turner came away pleased with the progress of his team. 619Sports.Net’s Craig Elsten reports from Chargers Park:

Are the San Diego Chargers a soft football team? The “finesse” label has been thrown around San Diego ever since Norv Turner came to town, and the team’s rushing totals dropped toward the bottom of the NFL. On defense, the Chargers have struggled at times to attack the quarterback, and have fallen victim to “playing catch” in an underneath zone.

Ron Rivera has spent the summer instilling a new, attacking mentality into the Chargers defense, while QB Philip Rivers says the just-concluded training camp was the most physical he has seen. 619 Sports reports from Chargers Park:

NFL.com Chargers.com

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Nooooooo, Philip, noooo!!! He got up? Nice tackle!

I just pray (and so does Dean, A.J., Norv, and every clear-thinking Chargers fan) that Philip Rivers never has another chance to attempt a preseason tackle, as he did Saturday night, forestalling a Dallas touchdown.

Because he’ll do the same dang thing. Short of a tranquilizer rifle on the sideline, there’s not a thing Norv can do about it. It’s what makes Rivers great. It’s what could also end his career, but that’s the deal with the devil he made when he got that arm and drive.

If he started blinking and bailing, he would cease to be Philip. It’s a common trait in the greats. They must be true to their competitive nature or the greatness will disappear.

An acquaintance of mine once told me of the time he visited the home of a certain high profile athlete. Gave him the grand tour. He said everything was a competition with this athlete, 100% percent of the time, in every room of the house. Never relaxed. Outside they played tennis and basketball. In the den it was pool. In the garage it was ping-pong. In the living room it was chess. In the kitchen it was egg toss.

Really? Egg toss?

I asked the guy if the tour included the bedroom, and the conversation suddenly became quite awkward. You know, like when you ask a really meek guy what it was like in federal prison. Okay, maybe I was reading something into it, but you get the point.

To be great is to be relentless and to be relentless is to lead a relentless life.

A former NFL player once told me his way of psyching up for Sunday was to imagine his assignment across the line abducting his mother and doing the unspeakable all week long. Game day became frenzy, mentally and physically. It made him better at his job, but just imagine the flip side after football, exorcising several seasons worth of that imprinting.

I doubt Rivers employs that particular self-motivation, but I’ll bet he’s seen the likes of it. We mortals just can’t imagine. To relate our high school and rec league experience is folly. These guys are driven in ways we’ll never know.

That competitive spirit is why Brett Favre will play another season. Favre has admitted what makes him great is also his greatest weakness. Writing checks the body might not be able to cash. It’s why Jordan stained his legacy and Muhammad Ali stained his brain.

Hubris is blind.

John Elway the exceptional guy who quit on top: Super Bowl MVP. But even he knew his tank was on “E” when he did it. Ask L.T. about leaving on his own terms.

Most pros just wind up getting cut, something we mortals found out a long, long time ago.

Nice tackle Philip. You were in the moment. In our hearts, including yours I’m sure, we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Other than maintaining possession, of course…

The San Diego Chargers wrap up the training camp portion of their preseason today, and then begin preparations for the New Orleans Saints and their first road game of the season this Saturday. As usual, head coach Norv Turner and quarterback Philip Rivers met with the media today to discuss last weekend’s game and the week ahead.

While the outcry continues for the Chargers to make a move and re-sign Marcus McNeill, Turner and the Bolts are determined to prop up McNeill’s replacement, Brandyn Dombrowski. According to Norv, the Chargers are in great shape with Brandyn on the blind side:

(due to NFL online restrictions, this video had to be taken out of the public archive after 24 hours. Check out our Chargers team page for our latest video from Chargers Park!)

The starter has played the position for just a few incidental snaps in a regular season game, pro or college. The backup hasn’t played it for any snaps. The third-stringer played the position some in college, but only once in a starting role.

Is the position significant? Kind of. So much so, in fact, they made a big-time movie about it last year in Hollywood. Won a bunch of awards. People loved it.

Don’t know if the Chargers loved the movie, “The Blind Side,” but it does seem that they are quite happy with their own. Blind side, that is.

Really?

Why aren’t they losing sleep over the fact that a rookie fourth-stringer Ryan Otterson — who got beaten cleanly on the Dallas Cowboys game-winning safety Saturday night — is the only player currently on the roster who has ever started a string of meaningful pro or college games at left tackle?

Erstwhile starter Marcus McNeill is still holding out and doesn’t figure to be back any time soon — if at all this year. Veteran Tra Thomas, signed to replace McNeill, abruptly announced his retirement Saturday afternoon.

And Philip Rivers somehow is calmly counting sheep despite the fact that his season could end every time he drops back to pass? And Coach Norv Turner isn’t panicked over the fact that if Rivers’ season ends, so to does the Chargers’ season? And General Manager A.J. Smith isn’t searching every nook and cranny around the league to beef up the position?

As it stands right now, undrafted lineman Brandyn Dombrowski out of  San Diego State (pictured, above) holds the key to the success of the 2010 Charger season in his inexperienced hands. Dombrowski was practically a revelation last season, stepping in on opening night for the injured Louis Vasquez, and stepping in later in the season for right tackle Jeromey Clary. He did a fantastic job by all accounts.

But the situation he’s stepping into now is far different. Left tackle is a whole different animal, if for no other reason than the fact that if Dombrowski gets beat, Rivers can’t see the finely-tuned, muscles-bulging, face-grinning athlete who will be bearing down on him.

Most teams attack the quarterback from the blind side for this reason. You can’t evade what you can’t see. Nobody in the NFL can argue the fact that in order to have a successful passing attack, you must construct a solid wall around your quarterback’s back side.

Dombrowski very well may prove capable. Heck, the guy who now lines up next to him, Pro Bowl guard Kris Diehlman, was undrafted out of college as well. And McNeill was once an unproven rookie fresh out of college, too.

But the difference is that those guys at least had experience playing the positions they eventually mastered as pros. Dombrowski, as good as he has been playing elsewhere along the line, simply can’t be bringing that same depth of knowledge to his new (crucial) spot.

In the second quarter of Saturday night’s game, the Cowboys ran a simple stunt from Rivers’ blind side, with rush linebacker DeMarcus Ware cutting to the inside while defense end Stephen Bowen looped around him to the outside.

Dombrowski stayed nicely with Ware, but Bowen broke around the edge cleanly and put Rivers down on the turf. The sack was nullified by a Dallas penalty downfield, but the play appeared to expose the lack of experience along the Bolts front left wall. Perhaps Dombrowski was simply executing his particular assignment on the play, and the free rusher was somebody’s else’s responsibility.

Regardless, the point is that a simple stunt is not the only tactic defenses will use to test Dombrowski’s lack of reps once the regular season gets underway. Will the Chargers have to use running backs to help block more often than usual this year? Will they be able to call as many seven-step drops for Rivers as they would like to?

Time will tell. One thing we don’t have to wait for is this knowledge: if Dombrowski were to get injured, then what? Backup Tyronne Green came to Auburn as a defensive tackle, then switched to the offensive line where he never played anything other than center and guard. Rookies Nic Richmond (TCU, where he was mostly a backup and started exactly once at left tackle) and Otterson (Wyoming) are the only other current options.

Don’t know about you, but that leaves me with a rather uneasy feeling. If the Chargers don’t have that same uneasy feeling…well, then maybe they’re just turning a blind eye to the blind side.

– Ello

619Sports.Net’s Craig Elsten and Chris Ello are on the field at Qualcomm Stadium to break down a 16-14 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, and the team’s precarious situation at left tackle. With Tra Thomas announcing his retirement prior to the game and Marcus McNeill nowhere to be found, can San Diego survive with Dombrowski and friends?

Philip Rivers has had some remarkable moments in a Chargers uniform.  The AFC Championship, playing without an ACL.  The fourth-quarter comeback in Tampa Bay, with a playoff berth on the line.  Crucial scoring drives against the Giants and Cowboys down the stretch.

And now…an open-field tackle in a preseason game?

Sure, it may not make the all-time Rivers highlight reel, but San Diego’s quarterback again revealed why he is the undisputed leader of the Chargers, a man willing to do anything to help his team win.  Even in a game that doesn’t matter.  His touchdown-saving tackle of Dallas safety Barry Church was the highlight of a rather mundane 16-14 exhibition loss to Dallas on Saturday night at Qualcomm Stadium.

“It was just the competitor in me,” said Rivers.

Head coach Norv Turner put it simply: “Would you expect anything else?”

Tracking back nearly 70 yards after a Darren Sproles fumble thwarted a potential go-ahead touchdown drive, Rivers shrugged off a downfield block and slammed down Dallas safety Barry Church at the Cowboys’ 8-yard line, denying a TD return.

“I don’t know how you let him score,” said Rivers, “They’re keeping score.”

Even when the Cowboys scored three plays later on a 9-yard pass from Tony Romo to Miles Austin, the thought of San Diego’s franchise quarterback turning into an ersatz free safety brought equal parts gasps and cheers out of the sellout crowd in attendance.

“We were fired up,” said safety Eric Weddle, “the whole defense was so pumped up after that play.”

Tied 7-7 at the half, the backups decided this game, as Jonathan Crompton’s sack and fumble was recovered for a safety late in the fourth quarter, giving the Cowboys the two-point win.

The second units each scored a touchdown in the third and early fourth quarters before the third-stringers and players soon to be cut took the field for the deciding moments.

Rivers’ tackle was the highlight of a first half dominated throughout by the Chargers.  San Diego had 13 first downs to just three for Dallas, outgained the Cowboys 205-48, and held the ball for 23:03 out of 30 possible minutes.  Two turnovers, each deep in Cowboys territory, denied the Chargers a better performance on the scoreboard.
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The first, a Rivers interception on an under-thrown ball, came one play after a sack.  The second saw Darren Sproles get the ball punched out of his grasp from behind while trying to score from inside the 10-yard line, leading to Church’s scoop and scamper, and Rivers channeling Chuck Bednarik.

“There was some good and bad,” said Rivers, “We got in the end zone once.  I thought we ran the ball well again.  You don’t want to turn the ball over.”

The Chargers first-teamers put on an impressive performance in the game’s opening quarter, with a pair of long drives on offense and some solid pressure defensively.  Philip Rivers’ 1-yard touchdown sneak capped a 40 yard scoring drive for the game’s opening touchdown.  San Diego once again featured their rookie running back Ryan Mathews, who carried 12 times for 53 yards in the first half and added a 13-yard screen reception.

Listen to Chargers rookie RB Ryan Mathews, who spoke to 619Sports.net after Saturday night’s game:

Download audio file (Mathews.mp3)

“I thought it went great,” said Turner of the team’s opening quarter, “I liked our physical approach and I liked our attitude.  Obviously we have to take care of the ball.”

San Diego marched the game’s opening drive 67 yards to the Dallas 13-yard line, with Rivers (11-for-15, 125 yards, INT) hitting Darren Sproles on a 24-yard screen pass.  Rivers also converted third down passes to Malcom Floyd and Legedu Naanee.  However, a sack was followed by Rivers underthrowing Naanee in the right flat, with Cowboys cornerback Terence Newman snaring an interception at the Dallas 11 to end the drive.

Cowboys QB Tony Romo (4-for-11, 30 yards, TD/INT) immediately answered the favor, with some serious help from Chargers defensive pressure.  A third down blitz up the middle by Stephen Cooper on Dallas’ opening drive forced Romo into a shaky pass down the middle, intercepted by Eric Weddle to set up the Bolts at the Cowboys’ 40 yard line.

San Diego converted on an 11-play scoring drive, with Mathews touching the ball 6 times for 33 yards.  The Chargers desperately tried to get Mathews his first NFL touchdown, but after a pair of goal-line runs were stopped cold, Rivers nudged it in on a QB sneak to put San Diego on the board.

After a pair of three-and-out drives by Dallas, San Diego controlled the ball for almost eight minutes in the second quarter, driving from their six-yard line to the Dallas 13.  Mixing run and pass efficiently, the Chargers were poised to score on a 3rd and 3 screen pass from the Cowboys’ 18.  Darren Sproles took the sneak screen and cut up the middle, before seeing the ball punched out from behind by Dallas linebacker Bradie James.

After a quiet start to the third quarter, San Diego benefited from a hookup courtesy of the newest member of the Mountain West Conference, Fresno State.  Billy Volek (FSU class of 2000) found a wide open Seyi Ajirotutu (class of 2010) for a 56-yard rainbow up the numbers on the right side of the field.  Ajirotutu took the ball to the Cowboys 4-yard line, where reserve running back Marcus Mason punched it in to put the Chargers on top 14-7.

The Cowboys answered back to open the fourth quarter, as Dallas reserve QB Jon Kitna hit backup tight end Martellus Bennett on a 19-yard scoring strike, tying the game at 14.

The Chargers seemingly emerged from the game without any added injury concerns.  Shawne Merriman sat out the game for precautionary reasons.  Ryan Mathews was sidelined for one series with a bloody nose but was fine after the game.

The biggest roster story came before kickoff, when veteran left tackle Tra Thomas announced his retirement.  Combined with Tyronne Green sitting out the game to nurse a minor injury, San Diego’s depth at left tackle was exposed late in the game, with 4th stringer Ryan Otterson allowing the game deciding sack and fumble.

This story will be updated later with video and audio from the Chargers locker room and the field.

When we last met I had offered you some water. I hope it was refreshing and enough to sustain you until the publication of Using Eastern Philosophy to Win the War of Attrition: PART II.

Feel free to go back for another drink of the cold stuff… it couldn’t hurt. Now where were we… ah, yes… Antonio Cromartie.

The embattled Cromartie needs to experience a paradigm shift in every aspect of his life. He needs to get his mind right and his priorities strait. Accomplish those tasks and he will achieve the stardom he deserves.

But how does he attain such a personal zenith, simultaneously ensuring the Chargers receive a higher draft-pick in 2011?

I arranged an audience with the renowned Japanese scholar Dr. M. Clark Sugata to discern a prescription for the 26 year-old cornerback’s soul. In my sit-down with the learned Dr. Sugata, he hinted that an amalgam of Confucianism, Zen Buddhism and other far eastern philosophies might just cure what ails the young Cromartie.

Disclaimer to the readers of 619 Sports:

I’ve always found eastern studies to be fascinating but in all honesty their spiritual values are far too esoteric for my western mind to comprehend. I just can’t wrap my mind around the ideas of enlightenment and nirvana… way too abstract.

Because of this admitted difficulty I’ve relied on Dr. Sugata to educate me in such a way that I can relay a cogent message of spiritual health to Antonio Cromartie via his agent Gary Wichard.

I provided Dr. Sugata with a litany of Cromartie’s issues, ranging from his lack of discipline (see: children created and champagne bottles busted) to his inherent lack of commitment while playing the physical game of gridiron football (see: badly missed tackles). After a lengthy discussion with Dr. Sugata a particular concept began to resonate with me. It was Chen Zhen, Dr. Sugata’s interpreter, who translated the following:

“The man of whom you speak has lost his honor. When the Japanese equivalent lost his honor it was of the utmost importance to regain it. A man’s honor is everything and it is what he should strive to maintain.”

Buddha vs. Baby Daddy

While the concepts of Buddhism, enlightenment and nirvana were foreign to my way of viewing spirituality, I found in Dr. Sugata’s emphasis on honor a moral code to which I could relate. The ethic of honor was where Cromartie needed restoration.

Cromartie’s poor personal choices coupled with a complete lack of physicality on the field made me want to continue my inquiry with Dr. Sugata.

What could an individual like Cromartie do to regain the necessary honor one needs to attain success? The answer to this question could have an adverse impact by aiding the Jets… but this is all about the war of attrition and consequently, a necessary gamble in order to continue stockpiling talent next year.

I asked Dr. Sugata how Cromartie could achieve such momentous personal growth and his interpreter Zhen explained it was through the act of seppuku.

I understood this action to be akin to the spiritual cleansing of meditation with its emphasis on ritual and the requirements of determination and discipline to see the task through to completion. This seemed like a foolproof way for a person like Antonio Cromartie to regain the honor he had lost over the previous two seasons in San Diego.

Could it be that simple? While I’ve often spoke ill of Cromartie in the past, he is a human being, and human beings have proven over the course of time to be capable of immeasurable feats of redemption. I want this for Antonio Cromartie… as a fellow human being… and sheepishly as a fan of the San Diego Chargers… who understands the importance of winning the war of attrition

So… Antonio Cromartie… I say to you… spend an afternoon in deep thought in the seated lotus position and give in to seppuku* for your sake and that of your former employer. Without Darrelle Revis on the opposite corner you will need any alternative method that become available… far eastern philosophy and practices could be your salvation.

*I’ve used my burgeoning relationship with former agent and current Padres owner, Jeffrey Moorad, to gain access to Cro’s agent, Gary Wichard. This influence will likely lead to an audience with Dr. Sugata and with that meeting in mind, I truly cannot wait to see Cro’ hit the field this September. I’ve got butterflies…

Avenger-in-Chief is a weekly humor contributor to 619Sports.Net.  Check out all his musings on his blog, AvengingJackMurphy.com.