Versatility remains Bingham's specialty
Kevin Acee (Contact)
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Ryon Bingham knows it sounds trite when he says he'll do anything to play. But he also knows he's the employee here.
“I get paid to do what they want,” Bingham said Thursday. “If I got to do what I want, I'd be a running back or a linebacker.”
In offseason coaching sessions that began this week, the 6-foot-3, 303-pound Bingham is playing at end and nose tackle, the same sort of utility man he's been his entire career.
“I'd like to think I have a shot at starting,” Bingham said, referring to the right defensive end spot that was left vacant when Igor Olshansky departed as a free agent. “But I'm just here to do what the team needs.”
Fact is, Bingham is the frontrunner to replace Olshansky at the beginning of the season. But in the coaching sessions, which run off and on over the next few weeks, the Chargers spend little time working on their base defense. And nose tackle Jamal Williams is being held out to rest his knees.
So Bingham is, in his words, “flipping around everywhere.” It's what he did last year, when he played about 30 snaps a game. And he likely will keep moving around, as a long season takes its toll in the form of fatigue and injuries.
Where Bingham plays will depend on his performance as well as how quickly rookie Vaughn Martin emerges.
“His versatility is his strength,” coach Norv Turner said. “But he'll be in the mix to compete for that job once camp opens.”
Looking good
Through a month of their conditioning program, a weekend minicamp and now the just-completed first week of offseason coaching sessions, Turner is delighted.
“This is the best offseason program I've ever been around,” he said. “It's because of where our guys are in terms of their maturity level as players. They have a great understanding of what they have to get done.”
One player not at this week's sessions was linebacker Shawne Merriman.
Merriman, who has been around the complex more this year than in past offseasons, was in Europe on a sort of working vacation and was returning home Thursday. He said he will be at the complex when the sessions resume June 1 and will attend the rest of the offseason program.
Turner declined comment on how he felt about Merriman's absence.
Merriman would have been working on the side as he has not been medically cleared to practice following knee surgery in September. And missing four May practices likely will have little tangible effect on the three-time Pro Bowler's season. But this certainly falls into the category of the team's decision makers believing Merriman places too high an emphasis on off-the-field activities.
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