Still no Eric Weddle at OTAs for Chargers
Eric D. Williams, ESPN Staff Writer
SAN DIEGO -- With just six more workouts on the grass at Chargers Park, Eric Weddle remains a no-show for offseason work.
If safety Eric Weddle fails to show for mandatory minicamp next week, he could be fined up to $70,000. John Leyba/The Denver Post/Getty Images
The 30-year-old veteran safety is skipping workouts due to frustration with the San Diego Chargers' front office because of the team's unwillingness to participate in negotiations in a contract extension.
The workouts are voluntary, so Weddle isn't losing any money. However, if he does not show up for mandatory minicamp beginning next week, Weddle could be fined up to $70,000.
Defensive lineman Corey Liuget believes Weddle will show up at some point.
"He's one of our leaders," Liuget said. "I just can't wait to have him back out here because we definitely need him on our defense. He's a guy that we're looking forward to returning, and I'm pretty sure that he'll be here pretty soon."
Secondary playing fast: Cornerback Jason Verrett batted down a couple balls during team drills and continues to look impressive in his return from season-ending shoulder surgery. With the Chargers working on red zone and two-minute drills offensively, Philip Rivers was in compete-mode, holding a running conversation with safety Jimmy Wilson, who also played fast and with some swagger on Monday. "I like seeing our guys right now -- we're athletic in the back end," Chargers defensive coordinator John Pagano said about his defensive backfield. "We're athletic in the back end, with speed and guys playing the ball in the air. I know it's just drills outside, but you can see their speed and how they're flipping their hips and moving. You like to see that athleticism that they are showing right now."
Denzel Perryman practices: After sitting out the first few days of organized team activities due to a hamstring injury, Perryman returned to on-field work with the rest of the defense on Monday. Perryman worked with the second unit, and looked fine moving around during individual drills. He'll have to play a little bit of catchup in terms of picking up the installations, but should quickly get up to speed.
Torrence Allen flashes: One young player who continues to make flash plays is Allen. The receiver out of West Texas A&M runs smooth routes and is a natural hands catcher. He also showed plenty of speed in getting behind the defense a couple times during team drills on Monday. Allen spent all of last season on the practice squad for San Diego as an undrafted rookie free agent, but has a chance to compete for a spot on the back end of the roster. At 6-0 and 183 pounds, Allen still needs to gain a few more pounds in order take the constant pounding in the NFL.
Chris Watt works with starters: Watt apparently had been relegated to the second unit while nursing an unspecified injury. However, on Monday he worked at center with the starters for the first time in practices visible to reporters. Orlando Franklin said it was good to get some reps with Watt on one side and King Dunlap on the other. San Diego's projected offensive line remains Dunlap at left tackle, Franklin at left guard, Watt at center, Johnnie Troutman at right guard and D.J. Fluker at right tackle, with Chris Hairston and Joe Barksdale battling it out for swing tackle. Of course, a lot can change before San Diego's season opener against Detroit on Sept. 13.
Odds and ends: Rookie outside linebacker Kyle Emanuel continues to impress working with the second unit, showing a surprising ability to comfortably drop in coverage for someone who did so little of it in college. ... WR Austin Pettis made a nice catch on a deep ball in team drills. ... Craig Mager played some slot defender in team drills on Monday. ... TE Kyle Miller has flashed, making a couple nice catches over the middle in team drills. ... Liuget said rookie Darius Philon reminds him of himself coming out as a rookie out of the University of Illinois in 2011, with a similar build and playing style. ... Chargers head coach Mike McCoy said it's important that his team makes the most of the final six days of work on the field before offseason work is completed on June 18. McCoy said the main thing over the next two weeks is for the younger players to gain an understanding of the organization's expectations and how things work so they are in a position to compete for a job on the final 53-man roster once training camp opens in late July. "If you fall behind now it's tough to catch up," McCoy said. "So we're throwing a lot at them."
Eric D. Williams, ESPN Staff Writer
SAN DIEGO -- With just six more workouts on the grass at Chargers Park, Eric Weddle remains a no-show for offseason work.
If safety Eric Weddle fails to show for mandatory minicamp next week, he could be fined up to $70,000. John Leyba/The Denver Post/Getty Images
The 30-year-old veteran safety is skipping workouts due to frustration with the San Diego Chargers' front office because of the team's unwillingness to participate in negotiations in a contract extension.
The workouts are voluntary, so Weddle isn't losing any money. However, if he does not show up for mandatory minicamp beginning next week, Weddle could be fined up to $70,000.
Defensive lineman Corey Liuget believes Weddle will show up at some point.
"He's one of our leaders," Liuget said. "I just can't wait to have him back out here because we definitely need him on our defense. He's a guy that we're looking forward to returning, and I'm pretty sure that he'll be here pretty soon."
Secondary playing fast: Cornerback Jason Verrett batted down a couple balls during team drills and continues to look impressive in his return from season-ending shoulder surgery. With the Chargers working on red zone and two-minute drills offensively, Philip Rivers was in compete-mode, holding a running conversation with safety Jimmy Wilson, who also played fast and with some swagger on Monday. "I like seeing our guys right now -- we're athletic in the back end," Chargers defensive coordinator John Pagano said about his defensive backfield. "We're athletic in the back end, with speed and guys playing the ball in the air. I know it's just drills outside, but you can see their speed and how they're flipping their hips and moving. You like to see that athleticism that they are showing right now."
Denzel Perryman practices: After sitting out the first few days of organized team activities due to a hamstring injury, Perryman returned to on-field work with the rest of the defense on Monday. Perryman worked with the second unit, and looked fine moving around during individual drills. He'll have to play a little bit of catchup in terms of picking up the installations, but should quickly get up to speed.
Torrence Allen flashes: One young player who continues to make flash plays is Allen. The receiver out of West Texas A&M runs smooth routes and is a natural hands catcher. He also showed plenty of speed in getting behind the defense a couple times during team drills on Monday. Allen spent all of last season on the practice squad for San Diego as an undrafted rookie free agent, but has a chance to compete for a spot on the back end of the roster. At 6-0 and 183 pounds, Allen still needs to gain a few more pounds in order take the constant pounding in the NFL.
Chris Watt works with starters: Watt apparently had been relegated to the second unit while nursing an unspecified injury. However, on Monday he worked at center with the starters for the first time in practices visible to reporters. Orlando Franklin said it was good to get some reps with Watt on one side and King Dunlap on the other. San Diego's projected offensive line remains Dunlap at left tackle, Franklin at left guard, Watt at center, Johnnie Troutman at right guard and D.J. Fluker at right tackle, with Chris Hairston and Joe Barksdale battling it out for swing tackle. Of course, a lot can change before San Diego's season opener against Detroit on Sept. 13.
Odds and ends: Rookie outside linebacker Kyle Emanuel continues to impress working with the second unit, showing a surprising ability to comfortably drop in coverage for someone who did so little of it in college. ... WR Austin Pettis made a nice catch on a deep ball in team drills. ... Craig Mager played some slot defender in team drills on Monday. ... TE Kyle Miller has flashed, making a couple nice catches over the middle in team drills. ... Liuget said rookie Darius Philon reminds him of himself coming out as a rookie out of the University of Illinois in 2011, with a similar build and playing style. ... Chargers head coach Mike McCoy said it's important that his team makes the most of the final six days of work on the field before offseason work is completed on June 18. McCoy said the main thing over the next two weeks is for the younger players to gain an understanding of the organization's expectations and how things work so they are in a position to compete for a job on the final 53-man roster once training camp opens in late July. "If you fall behind now it's tough to catch up," McCoy said. "So we're throwing a lot at them."
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