Retiring Right Away

QB Kyle Boller in a preseason game with the Oakland Raiders
against the Dallas Cowboys.

The San Diego Chargers found themselves in a little pickle once backup QB Charlie Whitehurst strained his MCL in the first day of training camp. The Chargers immediately took care of their pickle, by signing QB Kyle Boller. After one day of practicing in the Chargers’ training camp, Boller surprisingly and abruptly retired from football. He informed coach Norv Turner that he did not want to continue playing football, leaving the Chargers with two quarterbacks again.

QB Philip Rivers, the clear starter, and undrafted QB Jarrett Lee of LSU are the only remaining quarterbacks on the roster, a major concern for Turner. The Chargers will once again be looking to sign a backup quarterback. The thought of Lee being the quarterback if Rivers gets hurt definitely should scare Turner and Chargers’ fans. Lee only played for LSU once incumbent starter QB Jordan Jefferson was suspended for an off-campus incident.

Lee lost his job again when he struggled in LSU’s first matchup against Alabama. When Jefferson struggled against Alabama in the BCS National Championship Game, most people thought coach Les Miles would bring in Lee to give the team a spark. Miles never brought Lee in the game, and LSU was shutout. Rivers has been pretty durable, even playing in the 2007 AFC Championship Game a several days after having his knee operated on after tearing his ACL.

However, the Chargers are trying to get back to the level of football that had them as championship contenders for several years. They will have to compete with the Denver Broncos in the AFC West, who won the division last year. They have acquired future Hall of Famer QB Peyton Manning and are expected to be much better than what they were last season. Without a decent backup quarterback, an injury to Rivers can be disastrous for the Chargers. The Indianapolis Colts, Manning’s former team, knows this too well.

Boller was an on and off starter for the Baltimore Ravens, the team that drafted him back in 2003. He was one of the string of quarterback the Ravens had who struggled to be a consistent starter before QB Joe Flacco was drafted. Boller never panned out to be the quarterback he was expected to be as a first-round pick. Only Boller knows what he wants to do after retirement. Whatever that is, he’ll probably be better at it than he was at football.