As the Chargers’ 2009 season teetered on becoming irrelevant, some changes were made on defense and among those alterations, after the Broncos dropped the Chargers to 2-3 in a game in which cornerback Antonie Cason and others could have played better, Cason lost his job covering the slot to Steve Gregory and believed he didn’t do enough wrong to merit a demotion and feels he never got a valid explanation of why he lost his job and steamed the rest of the season. The coaches were taken aback by his reaction, the Chargers spent a first-round draft pick on Cason in large part due to his maturity, and they believed he did not show it when he lost his job. “How would you have handled it,†is all Cason would say, his accompanying glare making it clear no apology would be forthcoming. Despite whatever public proclamations are made, be assured that the relationship between Cason and his coaches remains frayed and there may yet, with success going forward, be total reconciliation, but there will likely remain stretch marks. Source: San Diego Union-Tribune
"Taken aback by his reaction", what reaction? He didn't say anything to anybody about his demotion, because it wasn't really a popular issue by local media, Rivera made up stories while Cason continued to play under the conditions his coaches gave him. He wasn't given a chance in camp nor pre-season. Cason was on the sidelines back then. I went to the practices and saw Gregory in the starting line-up before they went to full pads. RIvera has a history of finding a scapegoat, he did it in Chicago with Ricky Manning jr, and he admits he doesn't like the 3-4, He gets the goat of guys and screams at them on the sidelines, as we saw him doing to Cooper during the Baltimore game, whom ironically didn't start the last playoff game against the Jets, being replaced by Siler, off a hunch, started all 16 regular season games last year. The safety getting cut after the 3rd game of the year was a tell-tale sign that Rivera was trying to make this his designed defensive unit, but without cause other than from a power perspective he chose Cason and a few others to make his early point on. Cason's numbers from a nickel guy in his rookie campaign were fairly astounding, only to get better with more experience, but not if Rivera could say anything about it, because Cason was not an established veteran, a rookie, Thorpe award winner, and All Pac 10, All American, Playboy and Kodak, 2 picks, 1 for a td and 4th on the team in tackles with 59 solo in his rookie year. His game speaks for itself. It measures up solidly against any other nickel guy in the league only to get better with more reps and experience, but Rivera had other ideas since the other D-Coordinator got canned midway through 08'
