The Chargers had their own deadline, just so there was no confusion, no one’s saying they didn’t have enough time. Not that it mattered. Vincent Jackson and Marcus McNeill were committed to their cause through June 14 and also committed through June 15. While it was generally accepted that NFL teams had the right to replace the original tenders with lower amounts if their restricted free agents did not sign by 9 p.m. PDT Monday, General Manager A.J. Smith was waiting by the phone an extra 24 hours before deciding, for all intents and purposes, to consider two of his Pro Bowlers scratches for the majority of the 2010 season. “We lost a couple of great players today, and it hurts,†Smith said in response to a question about the Chargers being better with Jackson and McNeill. “We are trying to build a championship team, and losing the services of both Vincent and Marcus just made that more difficult — but not impossible. In due time, Coach (Norv) Turner will name two new starters. We will rally as a team, compete and try to win as many games as we can.†Source: San Diego Union-Tribune
