Another Day Equals More Injuries And New Additions To Chargers Roster
By Danny Cox
The San Diego Chargers are coming off of their biggest win of the season after defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers 34-23. Actually, it was one of the biggest upsets this past week because the Steelers are fighting for the playoffs and the Chargers have slowly watched their season collapse into obscurity.
Nonetheless, the Chargers went out there with injuries all over the place and new players needing to step up and they were ready to play. Even though the roster may have looked like a grab bag, San Diego banded together and did what needed to be done. All it took was getting used to some new faces, new players, and new positions so that they could work as one cohesive unit.
This week, they'll have to do it all over again.
Four more roster moves took place on Wednesday, and that means the Chargers will have to adjust positions and game plans all over again. That isn't something they're not used to though. Especially this year.
Defensive lineman Vaughn Martin landed on injured reserve (IR) after suffering a right groin injury during pregame of this past Sunday's game against the Steelers. Before heading to IR, Martin had racked up 27 tackles and one sack for the Chargers.
Perhaps the bigger loss though is that of safety Darrell Stuckey who also landed on IR on Wednesday. The Chargers safety is just getting over a left hamstring injury from a few weeks ago, but now he injured his right hamstring against the Steelers. Stuckey is not only a safety, but also the special teams captain. He had 10 tackles, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery before getting hurt.
With two players heading to injured reserve, that means that there are two open roster spots to fill. San Diego went ahead and did just that at the same time of shelving two of their players for the season.
San Diego firstly signed linebacker Gary Guyton to a contract. Guyton spent the first four years of his career with the New England Patriots and racked up some good numbers. During those years, Guyton had 229 tackles, five sacks, three fumble recoveries, and three interceptions.
"They called my agent a couple days ago and told him they wanted me to be in San Diego," Guyton said with a smile. "It feels good to be a San Diego Charger. I'm happy to be here. It's a good group of guys. I knew a bunch of guys before I came here, like Ronnie (Brown), Aubrayo Franklin, Takeo Spikes and a bunch more. So it feels good to join them and be here."
Secondly, the Chargers re-signed running back Curtis Brinkley to the team. He was released back on Nov. 28, 2012, in order to make room for Michael Spurlock. Before being waived though, Brinkley played in seven games, rushing 29 times for a total of 60 yards. He did pull in nine receptions for 63 yards as well. This will be Brinkley's fourth season in San Diego.
One other minor move is the re-signing of rookie defensive end Logan Harrell to the practice squad. He replaces waived wide receiver Kashif Moore.
In order to have any sense of continuity and chemistry out on the field, the Chargers have got to do all they can to prevent more injuries. It's quite amazing that any of the players currently on the team have played with each other at all before.
For more Local Football Bloggers and the latest Chargers news, see CBS Sports Los Angeles.
Danny Cox knows a little something about the NFL, whether it means letting you know what penalty will come from the flag just thrown on the field or quickly spouting off who the Chicago Bears drafted in the first round of the 1987 draft (Jim Harbaugh). He plans on bringing you the best news, previews, recaps, and anything else that may come along with the exciting world of the National Football League. His work can be found on Examiner.com.
