FanHouse A.j.Smith

On Saturday, around 6:30 PM ET, commissioner Roger Goodell made his way to the podium at Radio City Music Hall and announced that, with the 16th pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, the San Diego Chargers had selected Larry English, defensive end, out of Northern Illinios.

The pick was immediately met with skepticism; in the weeks leading up to the biggest offseason event on the NFL calendar, most mock drafts had the Chargers taking a running back. Georgia's Knowshon Moreno would have been an obvious choice, but the Broncos' impetuousness took him off the board at No. 12. Which meant that San Diego would have to settle on the second-best back on their board (assuming Moreno was first), or, perhaps, they had every intention of bolstering the defense all along.

With the draft approaching, we ignore projections and identify the dream scenario for each team in a series we call The Perfect Draft.

The San Diego Chargers were one of the earliest contenders to be drafting a running back in the 2009 NFL draft (and they probably would have had their pick, too, if not for those darned kids). But then Darren Sproles got tagged with the old franchiser and LaDainian Tomlinson worked out his feud with A.J. Smith, and, suddenly, the Chargers were back to the secretly-stacked squad that just needs a little defensive help.

Okay, "little" might be off -- it was the absence of Shawne Merriman last year that killed the defense as a whole; without Merriman in the middle of the D to create havoc, the secondary suffered and teams moved the ball almost at will against San Diego. In other words, you should see some defensive picks in this year's draft.

LaDainian Tomlinson and the San Diego Chargers have finally ended their offseason-long soap opera by agreeing on a three-year contract that restructures the running back's original deal.

While "LdT" will take some reductions in his 2010 and 2011 base-compensation numbers, he'll now make the same amount he was originally scheduled to earn in 2009: $6.75 million, which, not coincidentally, is $1.75 million more than Darren Sproles will earn if he signs the team's franchise tender.

It was rumored yesterday that Antonio Cromartie might be on his way out of San Diego, provided that the Chargers could land Drayton Florence, the man Cromartie replaced after Florence left for Jacksonville last year.

But Florence signed with the Bills late Tuesday evening, and A.J. Smith very quickly alerted the media that Cromartie would remain a Charger in 2009.

Antonio Cromartie may have taken a step back last year as the San Diego Chargers' defense struggled without Shawn Merriman to pressure the quarterback and stuff the run. But he's still a freakish athlete and the type of player you would expect the Chargers to hold onto tightly.

Of course, then word on the street (specifically the Bolts Blog) leaks that the team will look to trade Cromartie if/when Drayton Florence, recently released by the Jaguars, signs back in San Diego.

The Chargers franchised Darren Sproles on Wednesday, making him the smallest NFL player who didn't make his living kicking a football to ever receive such a distinction.* For now, he's set to make $6.6 million next season, although San Diego hopes to sign Sproles to a long-term deal.

Those negotiations, however, won't have any bearing on the organization's dealings with its other running back, LaDainian Tomlinson. Earlier this offseason, speculation had LdT playing elsewhere in '09, but it looks like he'll stay in San Diego -- he'll just need to take a pay cut.

Last week, Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson used the power of the internet to get his message out, telling fans that he has no intentions of leaving San Diego, and any decisions would be left up to the front office.

So naturally, general manager A.J. Smith responded to Tomlinson by ... mocking him. Hardly seems like the best way to assuage any concerns LdT might have about his future with the team, and that might explain why linebacker Shawne Merriman has seen fit to get involved.

It's not clear if Chargers general manager A.J. Smith is hip to the whole bloggin' revolution, but he's aware of running back LaDainian Tomlinson's recent post in which he proclaims that he has "NO intentions of leaving San Diego."

Quick backstory: there's speculation that the team could release or trade LdT because of his huge salary-cap hit and his recent struggles to stay healthy. And at this point, it's just that: a bunch of people with no say in the matter pontificating on what might happen this offseason.

Understandably, Tomlinson's not thrilled with the talk and decided to address them on his website. And via the San Diego Union-Tribune, Smith reacts:

As mentioned yesterday, the LaDainian Tomlinson trade rumors have been everything all at once. They've been alive, they've been ignored, they've been white hot, and they've been ridiculous. And now, they're suddenly nothing altogether.

At least that's the word from San Diego, where it appears that LdT and president Dean Spanos had a little chat. This discussion included -- mainly -- the fact that Tomlinson is not currently on the trading block. Insomuch, anyway, as there have been no discussions with any other teams about trading Tomlinson.