Castillo thrilled with new deal

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Wednesday, Jul 23, 2008
By Casey Pearce, Chargers.com

Chargers defensive end Luis Castillo admitted that he’s rarely at a loss for words, but Tuesday morning’s events had the fourth-year pro struggling to find adjectives to properly describe just how happy he was to sign a new seven-year contract with the Chargers.

“Three years ago, all I looked for was an opportunity,” Castillo said not long after inking his new deal. “A chance to come in this league and play and prove the kind of player I was. Standing here three years later committed to San Diego for seven more, it’s an unbelievable feeling.”

Castillo appeared a bit emotional as he thanked Chargers President Dean Spanos, General Manager A.J. Smith, Assistant GM/Executive VP of Football Operations Ed McGuire and his agent Mike McCartney for their work in getting the deal done.

He then cited many reasons why he’s thankful that he’ll get to continue to wear lightning bolts.

“I love this town. I love the fans here. I love this team,” Castillo said. “I look around the core group of players in this locker room and you see so many incredibly talented young players. To know that you’re part of a team that’s going to work to keep them together, that’s going to work to give us the best opportunity to have a winning team for years to come, it’s an unbelievable feeling.”

In three professional seasons, Castillo has posted 13 sacks, including a career-high seven in 2006. Although he weighs nearly 300 pounds, he’s highly lauded for his athleticism and quickness. Tuesday morning he spoke of both team and individual goals he’d like to see achieved, specifically winning a Super Bowl and earning Pro Bowl honors.

Ironically, many believe the latter would have already happened were it not for a pair of injuries. In 2006, Castillo posted a career-high seven sacks despite playing in just 10 games due to an ankle injury. He was named a second-alternate to the Pro Bowl that season.

Last fall, he was having another strong campaign before again injuring his ankle midway through the season. Castillo returned in late December and finished strong, recording two sacks in the postseason.

Castillo described the injuries as “freak” occurrences and spoke of how hard he’s worked this offseason to get himself ready for another opportunity this fall.

“You look at the two injuries I’ve had the last two years, they’re two freak injuries that really had nothing to do with each other,” Castillo said. “Two years in a row, for the first time in my career all of a sudden I miss six games. It’s devastating. It’s incredibly disappointing.

“At the same time, they’re things that happen in a game of this nature. You accept it, you move on. All you can do is go out and train and get ready so that when you have that opportunity to step back on that field, you know you’re doing it to the best of your abilities.”

Chargers Head Coach Norv Turner praised Castillo Tuesday for the offseason the fourth-year pro has had and spoke of how grateful he is to have the Northwestern University grad around for the next several years.

“It’s tells you what our organization is about,” Turner said. “We’re committed to keeping the guys that have been productive. Luis is an outstanding football player. It’ll make me sleep better each night.”

Andy Lyons, Getty Images North America

Luis Castillo had plenty of reasons to be happy Tuesday afternoon.

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