Biggest Chargers busts by position

Discussion in 'San Diego Chargers and NFL Discussion' started by SonofaBolt, Jun 5, 2012.

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    SonofaBolt Go AJ! And take Norv with you.

    OK, how many of you clicked this thread, thinking this would be an avatar competition between swoop and Red?

    I posted a comment about Larry English stating that he would be the biggest linebacker bust in Chargers franchise history if he had another Buster Davis type season. That started me thinking about which Chargers (past and present) would qualify as the biggest Chargers position bust based upon their performance return relative to draft position, or free agents signed to big money contracts.


    OFFENSE

    QB: Really? Do I have to list him? :dick:

    RB: Chuck Muncie (Trade with New Orleans in 1980). I know, hallowed ground here, but Chuck cut his own career short when he snorted away his last seasons and was cut by the Chargers after missing a team flight to Seattle.

    WR: David Boston. (FA 2003) With all those physical tools and one of the most muscular WR's in league history, the Chargers signed Boston away from the Cardinals in 2003 and quickly found out why the Cards were willing to cut bait with a such a credentialed receiver. A head case, Boston's passion for the game was for whatever reason lukewarm... now, please don't ask why; no one quite knows the reason. ... But I think that the most likely reason of all... may have been that his heart was two sizes too small. One season with the Bolts and done.
    Runner up: Craig "Buster" Davis (1st round, 2007 - 30th overall). Talk about living down to a nickname! Never saw the field for any extended play, was never able to beat out undrafted free agent Malcom Floyd.

    TE: Rod Bernstine. (1st round 1987 - 24th overall) TE/RB tweener who couldn't grasp the TE position, despite sharing seasons with teammates Kellen Winslow, Pete Holohan, and Eric Sievers. Ended his career with the donkeys as a straight up style running back.

    OT: John Clay (Trade from raiders 1988). Though Clay never played a down for the Chargers, he qualifies as the biggest Chargers OT bust due to whom then GM Steve Ortmayer traded to get Clay (All Pro tackle Jim Lachey).
    Runner up: James Fitzpatrick (1st round, 1986 - 13th overall). His weight problems became evident early on after he was nicknamed "Fats-patrick" by his QB, Dan Fouts. Nuff said.

    OG: Toniu Fonoti (2nd round, 2002 - 39th overall). Personified the term "Road-Grader" for the first two seasons of his career, then ate his way off the Chargers and out of the league.

    CE: Jason Ball (UDFA 2002). Not really a bust in terms of money or draft position, but by the fact he had a chance to become the Charger's 3rd biggest UFDA find after Antonio Gates and Kris Dielman and out and out BLEW it. For three seasons Ball was a solid center for the Bolts, then his contract cane up and Ball grew a big head and priced himself off the team, and then burned his bridges by bad-mouthing the team and it's management.


    DEFENSE

    DT:

    DE: Marcellus Wiley (FA from Buffalo 2001). John Butler loved his former Bills and couldn't resist the chance to bring Wiley on board shortly after Butler arrived in San Diego as the Chargers first competent GM in several seasons. Wiley gave the Chargers one decent season and parts of a 2nd, but had his eyes on too many other distractions to last a 3rd season.
    Runner up: Marco Coleman (FA from Washington 1996). Highly touted former redskin, Coleman punched a clock and did little else in 3 seasons with the Chargers.

    SA: Richard Stanley (1st round 1991 - 9th overall). The Sheriff turned Deputy Dawg when Jerry Rice and Terrell Owens torched him (and Darren Carrington) in Super Bowl XXIX. If that wasn't bad enough, 49er RB Ricky Waters punished him with the ground game for good measure. And to think, rookie Rodney Harrison sat on the bench in that debacle.

    LB: Mike Guendling. (2nd round, 1984 - 33rd overall) Highly touted out of Northwestern, Guendling was to be the missing piece in the Chargers porous Air Coryell defense who, along with Billy Ray Smith, would give the Chargers their linebacking core for years. But Guendling tore his ACL and MCL in training camp and never played again. Along with Mossy Cade (see the next entry), the Chargers experienced one of their worst 1-2 draft selections in franchise history.
    Runner up: Chip Banks. (FA from Cleveland 1987), Chip never displayed any heart to play for the Chargers after signing a fat contract. A few games into the season, Chip decided to retire.

    CB: Mossy Cade. (1st round, 1984 - 6th overall) Cade refused to sign with the Chargers and his rights were traded the following season to the Green Bay Packers. After two seasons, Cade's career ended in 1987 after he was arrested (and convicted) for raping his aunt. This incident earned him the nickname "The Aunteater".
    Runner up: Sammy Davis (1st round 2003 - 30th overall). AJ's 1st ever, 1st round draft pick as GM. The Candy Man played up to his nickname, but just barely. Last seen in 2006 at Candlestick Park as a 49er, futilely flailing at Rivers' passes after barking before the game that he would embarrass his old team. Hmm, something about AJ Smith drafting players named Davis with the 30th overall pick...
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    Boltfan of Oz MVP

    Brian Still and Michael Ricks jump out for receiver (Ricks had to be the happiest guy in the world that he got to fail so miserably and have Leaf take all the blame...no one was even mad at him as he left town)

    bernstine kicked ass as a running back (position he played in college)...hard to call the man a bust

    I think the guys drafted high who got to stay on the team forever taking up a spot are bigger disappointments than the awesome contributions to the roster of guys like Muncie and Bernstine...guys like Bienemy, Mimms and Hester bother me much more.
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    munciesweep Well-Known Member

    FIRST ROUNDERS:


    Bob Rush, 1977 1st round draft pick, center University of Memphis.....117 games, (Chargers/Chiefs) 0 starts

    Bo Mathews, 1974 RB Colorado............... 1st round, 2nd overall pick ....6 seasons with Chargers (1974-1979) 1100 yrds.

    Marty Domres, QB, 1969 Columbia............1st round, 9th overall........4 seasons...6 starts, 5TD's 17 INT's....................

    Johnny Rodgers, 1973 RB/WR U of Nebraska.......Heisman trophy winner......1st round.....opts to play in Canada rather than for the Chargers. Returns to NFL in 1977-79.....sucks, badly. 17 Rec 234 yrds/ 4 rushing att 49 yrds.


    This list gets worse........................lol.............

    Mossy Cade, DB, Texas......... 1st round, 6th over all.........0 games appearances................Nicknamed "The Aunteater" after serving 3 years in prison for sexual assaulting his own Aunt.
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    munciesweep Well-Known Member

    Chuck Muncie 1st round, 3rd over-all. 9 seasons, 6700 yrds and 74 TD's.3 Pro Bowls.

    Played on 5 teams than mostly passed the ball. Not an over-all flop, really...............would you think?

    I loved a Muncie sweep with those great New Orleans guards and Wilkerson and White out pulling for him................then he fucked his life up good.

    But it's not how you start, it's how you finish.

    http://www.chuckmuncie.org/about.html
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    SonofaBolt Go AJ! And take Norv with you.

    Granted. And I love the way Chuck finally straightened out and got his life back on track. For me it was more of the huge disappointment (and betrayal) I felt after Chuck gave into his demons and gave up on football. And really all of the players I listed are from the top of my head and my memories or the disappointment felt when they didn't live up to their billing. I guess even Natrone Means and John Cappelletti could be considered bigger busts than Muncie given their production, it's just that I felt it more from Muncie than any other RB who played for the Chargers

    I kinda wash the whole roster from 1970-75 from memory because of all the drug scandals that proliferated on the team. (Hell, North Dallas Forty could have easily been about the 70's Chargers). Bob Rush? Guess I never considered him a flop because Macek was impossible to displace. Good call on Bo Mathews (forgot about him, but no surprise there).
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    Saxman New year, new hope...

    First off, a bust is ONLY defined by someone who was drafted by their original team, regardless of whether they were released, cut, traded or played themselves out of the league. Subsequent success is not to be regarded. Wes Welker, for example, is, to the Chargers, a non-factor, other than a player that MAYBE they should have kept. Free agents who went to San Diego, such as David Boston, are NOT busts, by the Chargers. They are, simply, bad Free Agent signings. Period.

    Ryan Leaf, Buster Davis, Jacob Hester, Larry English (why the FUCK are Hester and English still on the team?) are busts, among MANY others. They were drafted by the Chargers, given LOTS of money and had MANY chances to succeed, only to SUCK COMPLETE AND TOTAL ASS!

    That said, only one of these don't stand out as a bust to me, regardless of where he was drafted: Chuck Muncie.

    Muncie, coming to San Diego by way of New Orleans, played on a pass-oriented team. I seem to recall that he delivered in the run game when it counted. Outside of Charger Land, NOBODY remembers Chuck Muncie EXCEPT for his John Jefferson-style glasses. He was traded from New Orleans for the Chargers' Second Round pick (which wound up being Pittsburgh LB Rickey Jackson, who, ironically, won a Super Bowl ring in 1995 against Muncie's former Chargers as a member of the San Francisco 49'ers). You can't call a former Charger a bust having three Pro Bowl appearances and three All Pro nods,, two of them sporting Lightning Bolts in the "Air Coryell" Offense or a spot on the San Diego Chargers 50th Anniversary Team. Hall Of Famer? No? Bust? No...

    FYI: it was Stanley Richard, NOT Richard Stanley. Also, not a bust. ANYONE who can return an interception 99 yards for a touchdown to give the Chargers a lead on the way to a remarkable, 37-34, come-from-behind win over the Broncos IN DENVER (remember the game delayed due to lightning? I HAVE IT!) to open the 1994 season can NEVER be a bust!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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    L'Niño Storm East Coast Bolt Brotha

    I also think you expanded the definition too wide John.

    Bad free-agent signings are often just as much bad luck as they are anything else. You can't know....even if you think it might be the case with injury-prone players....that a guy who actually has proven himself in the league is going to fall off the way they do at times. (I'm gonna forgive you for putting Muncie on your list....it was emotionally driven and we're all a little antsy with so many question marks going into this season)

    I think a Bust has to be a guy you picked either high (1st or 2nd rd), or gave up a lot to select, and invested in rather heavily that didn't work out in the league at all.

    That said....even if it wasn't a great list of Charger Busts.......that was a great list of Charger pain over the years!
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    SonofaBolt Go AJ! And take Norv with you.

    Well, like I stated: I wrote it upon a fan's perspective based upon what the team gave up in terms of money, trades, or draft position/picks, correlated the minimal returns of the players listed. This thread was never about the numbers, it's about failed expectations, which is why I didn't bother listing any career stats.

    To me, giving a ton of cash to a free agent and outbidding other teams for a player's services who then fails to perform is just as valid a bust as any 1st or 2nd round draft pick who fails to deliver on a similar premise of potential. C'mon, what Chargers fan wasn't excited all to hell when San Diego pulled the trigger on the David Boston signing? And who wasn't shocked and disappointed when Muncie was released and then failed to catch on with another team following an awesome run with the Chargers?

    I knew when I wrote this a few folks would chime in to agree, but I knew more would respond to disagree over some of the players I mentioned, especially Muncie. And Muncie is the player who I really mulled over the most, but in all honesty I can't think of another Chargers running back who evoked the same level of disappointment. I was alternately angry at Muncie, GM Johnnie Sanders, even Coach Coryell for what happened the 2nd week of 1983. I really felt Chuck could have given the Chargers another 2 productive seasons and maybe Air Coryell might have had another shot at the Super Bowl in 83 or 84.
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    L'Niño Storm East Coast Bolt Brotha


    Muncie disagreement aside....

    I see how you're getting there John....it's just that if we make the definition as wide as you have it....especially as it pertains to "failed expectations".....many players can be called "busts" that just weren't under the right circumstances.

    The wrong coach, wrong system, wrong mental attitude, and a number of other factors might make a player not pan out the way a particular organization might hope and might have them calling said player a "bust" under your definition. I recall when I joined in '04 that there were some willing to call Brees a "bust" back then....simply because he didn't meet the expectations of many fans....even if his play was closer to average than most "busts" ever produced!

    I just think we make the category too broad if we include all the guys that could be on the list based on expectations.

    I don't know....it's your list....just as painful regardless of semantics!!!
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    munciesweep Well-Known Member

    I had the chance to chat with him alot...(we had the same pharmacist) and he told me , in 1982 that his body was just about done taking hits and he wasnt the same player then that he was in 1978....let alone 1980.

    Even if he stayed clean, he was just about done physically. He told us that that last Steelers playoff game in 1982 had taken it's toll on his knees. If you get a chance to re-watch that great game, you can see him barely get up off that old stadiums turf and concrete.

    That's 100% a true story.

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