Cottrell pleased with rule change

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Wednesday, Apr 02, 2008
By Casey Pearce, Chargers.com

When Ted Cottrell learned that NFL owners voted Tuesday to allow one defensive player to wear a radio in his helmet, the Chargers’ defensive coordinator had one simple response.

“I just started clapping,” Cottrell said. “I’m extremely happy about it.”

The measure was voted on the last two year’s at the NFL owners meetings and failed by just two votes (22-10) last spring. On Tuesday, the measure passed by a count of 25-7. The Chargers voted in favor of the proposal.

“It was made easy for the quarterbacks years ago,” Cottrell said, speaking of a rule passed in 1994 to allow quarterbacks to wear a similar communication device in their helmets. “We didn’t have that luxury on defense. You want things to be on a level playing field and the offense had that distinct advantage in communication. The defense was always a couple of steps behind the offense.”

Cottrell sees the change as a plus for several reasons. One, he can now simply voice the defensive play call into a player rather than taking the time to signal and then wait for the player to decipher the call.

“The signal caller is going to get the call and get it out to the rest of the defense a lot quicker,” Cottrell said. “That will give the guys a few more seconds to think about their assignments and get lined up. It’s going to be so much easier to communicate.”

It will also make the preparation more efficient for both coaches and players during the week. In the past, coaches have been forced to come up with intricate and different hand signals throughout the year to keep opponents for learning the signs. That meant players had to learn a new set of signs throughout the year.

“You would have to change it every other week,” Cottrell said. “The players, especially when you changed your signals, their thought processes were slowed down on their assignment because they’d have to make sure they were getting the right call. Now in practice they can work on their assignments more productively because they don’t have to worry about the new signals. They can get out of the huddle and go play.”

With the change, defensive coaches now will have the ability to put radio speakers in two helmets, but only one of those helmets will be allowed on the field on a given play. Cottrell said that linebacker Stephen Cooper will be the player who primarily wears the device for the Chargers.

“Normally it will be an every-down player, which for us is Coop,” Cottrell said. “He stays in on third down a lot. He’ll definitely be the guy wearing it for us.”

The new rule will not eliminate all hand signals, but they’ll be complimented by the spoken word of the coordinator.

“You’re still going to have to have some communication after you give the signal in case they want to make an audible check,” Cottrell said. “It’s like on offense when you see the quarterback make a set of adjusted signals with his hands. We’ll still use hand calls for those situations. With the radio in the helmet, it’s going to make it a lot easier to get started without signaling it in. I’m really happy they made the change.”

Bonus time

Chargers offensive tackle Jeromey Clary received some good news Tuesday. Thanks to the NFL’s “Performance-Based Pay” system that awards lower-salaried players for playing time, Clary will receive a $253,015 check in coming weeks.

Performance-Based Pay was created as part of the NFL’s 2002 Collective Bargaining Agreement extension with the NFL Players Association. The system creates a fund used as a supplemental form of player compensation based on a comparison of playing time to salary. This program will stay in place through the remaining years of the CBA in which a Salary Cap exists. The fund increases by a fixed amount of five percent each year.

Clary made the Chargers’ roster last September as a reserve, but ended up starting nine regular-season games at right tackle, including the final eight. He also started all three playoff games for the Bolts and enters the 2008 offseason atop the depth chart at the position.

Osgood honored

Chargers wide receiver Kassim Osgood is one of 12 NFL players selected by CBS’s James Brown and the NFL Players Association to receiver a “JB Award” for his contributions to the community.

One player from each NFL team was nominated, and Brown personally selected 15 winners. They’ll be honored at the NFL PLAYERS Gala, an annual awards presentation benefiting Special Olympics District of Columbia.

“I am privileged to once again join efforts with the NFLPA and NFL PLAYERS in their annual tradition of honoring NFL players for their off-the-field achievements,” said Brown. “It is a great honor to be involved in an event that brings together positive role models and makes a difference in the lives of the men, women and children of Special Olympics D.C.”

Osgood will be recognized at a banquet scheduled for Friday evening.

Judge Shawne

Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman will serve as one of nine celebrity judges for the 2008 Miss USA pageant.

Joining Merriman on the celebrity panel are Heather Mills, contestant on season four of "Dancing With the Stars"; actor/comedian Rob Schneider; Joey Fatone, host of "The Singing Bee"; Kristian Alfonso, entrepreneur and star of NBC’s "Days of our Lives"; Olympic gold-medal swimmer Amanda Beard; Christian Siriano, this season’s winner of Bravo’s hit show "Project Runway"; celebrity hairstylist Ken Paves; Kelly Carlson, star of "Nip/Tuck"; and Vanity Fair celebrity journalist George Wayne.

The pageant will air on NBC on Friday, April 11 (9-11 p.m. PT).

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