Yeah, the title is from the Imagine Dragons song. I've been doing this for almost thirty years now. You can only use so many Dead references. Plus, the Herbert meme has a Doors quote so that's still kinda cool.
I know it's been since late February that I've posted. That was right after we hired Harbaugh. So much has happened since then, but the shine hasn't come off that yet. What's amazing about the Chargers winning the race for the most coveted coach on the market is that HE wanted US. Maybe it was his relationship with the Spanoses, much to the haters' disgust. However, he wanted to coach the Chargers.
If you watch the clip of Harbaugh and Roman at the RV park, you'll be as amazed as I. I don't know if Roman will unlock Justin Herbert like we all hope, but you've gotta love his comradery with Harbaugh. Listen to our coach talk about Jim Rockford, Joe Dirt, and sleeping under a tin roof in a rain storm...it's genius.
Of course, the draft is less than a week away. I think one of the reasons I haven't posted since February is that I really don't get into the draft. Let me clarify that, FAITHFUL READER. I think the draft is super important. Suffering through 10 years of Tom Telesco have reminded all of us of how hitting on your picks is. It's amazing that all the people (some Chargers fans) who wondered how we could root against our own team once it was clear they weren't going anywhere are now talking about "draft capital," "stick and pick," blah blah.
They do understand how and why we have the 5th pick, right? I don't play fantasy football, obviously and don't get into pretending to be a GM. I find it super boring. I don't care about mock drafts. As I've said before, I've been asked twice to participate in a Bleacher Report draft and I picked Troy Polamalu and Cameron Jordan, respectively. Those would have been good picks for the Chargers in those years, but what do I know. I also thought Ryan Leaf would be good even though Andre Wadsworth wouldn't have done much more for us.
At the time we were all rooting for KC to take that last game to give us the best pick, Marvin Harrison, Jr. was all the rage. If Matt Prater makes a kick, we have the #4 pick right now. Of course, if the Eagles don't suck we have the #6 pick. Who knows what Harbaugh and Hortiz are really thinking. It's clear that Harbaugh especially has his schtick with the media and keeps certain matters to himself. His love of the R/V is clearly not one of them. I don't know if they see Harrsion, Nabers, or even the kid from Washington as can't miss prospects. Especially after jettisoning Keenan and Mike, we need new and fast receivers. I have no doubt they plan to draft some. If they can get enough for the pick, they trade back and still get a receiver. I really don't think they plan to pass on all these receivers unless they get something in return from a trade. I don't know Joe Alt, but don't think losing all those games with Staley and Giff is worth some Notre Dame tackle.
As for Keenan, it's amazing he still hasn't posted some thank you to the team or fans. I am sure he was truly stunned and hurt. I didn't expect the Chargers to trade him. Was he a "Harbaugh guy?" Popper mentioned that Keenan's admission that part of the reason he didn't come back from injury was because we were out of it wouldn't endear him, but Hayden Hurst said the same thing about his time with the Panthers.
I love Keenan. You could argue that Herbert zeroed in on him often at the expense of the offense but I don't know if that was something Harbaugh and Hortiz really considered. They offered Mack and Bosa paycuts and they both took them. Keenan wouldn't consider it. I don't know if they expected that outcome. He clearly found it to be insulting and they shipped him out. When Harbaugh said no one had it better than Keenan in Chicago, that was clearly an example of him reverting back to his schtick. At this point, I'm ok with Keenan being gone. I one million percent don't expect our receiving group (I can't say "room") to be Palmer, Johnston, Guyton and Doss.
How many Michigan guys will Harbaugh draft? I think hyping up McCarthy is good for us and hate the rumors that he would choose JJ over Herb. I believe Harbaugh loves Herbert as much as everyone says and that he came to LA to coach him. We wanted the Spanoses to get real people in the building (that term I will use) and they have. Ben Herbert, Minter, etc all seem very legit.
The other reasons I haven't been able to post is that Sarah is going to college, Aaron just had his bar mitzvah, and my Cheap Trick book is set for publication in September. I will definitely post after the draft next week and more frequently as the season approaches. You can hold me to that.
Until next time...
JIC,
RLW