San Diego Chargers Going Against NFL Trends
By Erik Lambert
May 8, 2014; New York, NY, USA; Jason Verrett (TCU) poses for a photo with commissioner Roger Goodell after being selected as the number twenty-five overall pick in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft to the San Diego Chargers at Radio City Music Hall. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
No one can ever accuse the San Diego Chargers for daring to be different. How has the franchise challenged the NFL trends for 2014?
Jason Verrett and Brandon Flowers additions will challenge “big” corner myth
The bottom line throughout the NFL off-season for San Diego was simple. They needed better corners. So in the 1st round of the draft they selected TCU standout Jason Verrett, considered the most able corner in entire class. Then they gained a stroke of good luck by landing discarded Pro Bowler Brandon Flowers in free agency. On paper in looks like a boon for the Bolts defense, until one looks a little closer at the stats. Not the production ones. The physical ones. Both Verrett and Flowers share something in common. They are each 5’10 or under. Considering the trend of the past decade on offense and defense is to get bigger on the outside, these two additions clearly go against the norm. The Chargers are basically saying that if a cornerback is good enough talent-wise, their height should not matter as much.
Tim Jennings among top examples of trend beaters
A lot of experts would say what the San Diego Chargers have done is not a wise thing to do. What will Flowers and Verrett do when they go up against the 6’3″ Demaryius Thomas in Denver or the 6’3″ Rod Streater in Oakland? All a quarterback has to do is put the ball a little higher and it’s basically just pitch and catch at that point. That isn’t necessarily the case. Size is good and all but there have been multiple examples both recently and throughout NFL history to counteract the “big” corner argument. A modern argument is Chicago Bears two-time Pro Bowler Tim Jennings. At 5’8″ he would seem to have no business playing on the outside. Yet in the past two seasons alone he has 13 interceptions. Or perhaps one can look to the Pro Football Hall of Fame where Washington Redskins corner Darrell Green resides at just 5’8″.
The San Diego Chargers know times will come when big receivers win their matchups because of their size. However, in the NFL it takes more than a few inches of height to win games. Jason Verrett and Brandon Flower have top tier ability that can be put to great use if the team gives them that chance.