The San Diego Chargers still are looked upon as the biggest draft losers in the history of the game for their lack of fortune in 1998.
The Indianapolis Colts had the No. 1 pick and the Chargers had the No. 2 pick. The Colts’ decision came down to taking Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning or Washington State quarterback Ryan Leaf. It was considered a coin flip. The Colts decided on Manning. The Chargers then jumped on Leaf.
We all know how that turned out.
Manning is a Super Bowl champion. He’s the face of a basketball-crazy state, and he is a future hall of famer. Leaf was a colossal bust. It seemed the selection of Leaf would forever hang over the Chargers’ heads.
Experience is a great teacher.
Three years after the Leaf debacle, the Chargers had the No. 1 pick. That time, they bypassed a top quarterback and traded with Atlanta to move to the No. 5 spot. The Falcons jumped on Virginia Tech’s Michael Vick. The Chargers then took TCU running back LaDainian Tomlinson. In the second round, they took QB Drew Brees.
For a few years, the Chargers were laughed at again. How could they bypass Vick? Football fans wanted to know if the Chargers ever would get it right at quarterback.
Now, of course, it looks brilliant. The Falcons are trying to reconstruct their franchise after the embarrassment of Vick’s guilty plea on felony dogfighting charges. Vick probably will never play for the Falcons again. He may never play football again.
This could have been the Chargers’ fiasco. Instead, they landed Tomlinson, the best running back in the game. San Diego also got good use out of Brees before he signed with New Orleans last year.
The Chargers couldn’t be happier.
Pressure on Crennel
Three years ago, Romeo Crennel was on top of the coaching world. He was the defensive coordinator for New England and waiting to land the best head coaching gig available.
Now he is fighting for his job in Cleveland. The Browns have won only 10 games in his two years.
A name that has been connected to the potential opening, should Crennel get fired, is former Steelers coach Bill Cowher. He likely will return to coaching in 2008 after taking this year off. Cleveland could be a logical landing spot for Cowher, who played in Cleveland and was an assistant coach there for four years.
Plummer wanted
The Buccaneers clearly have changed their tune since training camp opened regarding their desire to get Jake Plummer to play. Tampa Bay is going after $7 million from Plummer, and the relationship between the retired quarterback and the team he never played for likely is over before it began.
Bucs coach Jon Gruden kept trying to convince Plummer to play after Denver traded him to Tampa Bay on March 3, a day after Plummer decided to retire. Gruden called Plummer as late as July and had several of Plummer’s friends try to persuade him to play. According to Yahoo! Sports, Gruden even had country music star Kenny Chesney leave a message for Plummer. Chesney said he called the quarterback, who now is living in Idaho and preparing to get married, but Plummer never returned his call.
Those close to Plummer insist, even with the threat of losing millions, he will stay retired from football.
Around the league
The Broncos are one of several teams waiting to see how Simeon Rice’s shoulder heals. Those close to him say he is nearly ready. Still, the Broncos won’t break the bank to add Rice … There was speculation that Detroit was shopping defensive tackle Shaun Rogers during camp. Don’t be surprised if Rogers, a talented but oft-injured player, is playing elsewhere in 2008. … Former Houston linebacker Kailee Wong could get interest from teams wanting him to end his retirement. The Broncos could be among those teams.
Staff writer Bill Williamson can be reached at 303-954-1262 or bwilliamson@denverpost.com.
