Withrow answers Chargers call

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Friday, Oct 26, 2007
By Tom Shanahan, Chargers.com

NFL training camps in the summer of 2006 had been open for more than a week when the Chargers found veteran offensive lineman Cory Withrow sitting at home working on his resume.

At the time, Withrow was preparing for life after football. He had been released by the Minnesota Vikings at the end of the 2005 after six full seasons in the league and parts of two others on practice squads. Cory thought his football career was over.

Now fast-forward to mid-season, 2007.

On the Chargers’ first series of their Week 6 win over the Oakland Raiders, Pro Bowl center Nick Hardwick was injured. Enter Withrow, Hardwick’s backup. The offensive line didn’t miss a beat as LaDainian Tomlinson scored four touchdowns and rushed for 198 yards on the day.

And that leads to this question: With all the teams around the NFL that need help in the offensive line, how is that a player with Withrow’s ability and experience was sitting at home and available to a playoff contender such as the Chargers?

“That’s the mystery of our business,” Chargers General Manager A.J. Smith said.

Withrow may have felt like a forgotten man when NFL training camps opened without him, but Smith explained the Chargers are always tracking players such as Withrow when they’re active or released on the waiver wire.

They not only follow NFL players, they track players in the Canadian Football League and the Arena Football League.

“That’s what we do in the personnel department,” Smith said. “We have an emphasis on all the pro leagues – CFL and Arena league. We’re constantly studying players when they’re released so we’re ready if we need to make a move.”

The move is still paying off as Withrow will fill in for Hardwick for the next two or three games.

Withrow first came to the Chargers a week into the 2006 training camp when backup guard/center Scott Mruczkowski was injured. Chargers Executive Vice President of Football Operations Ed McGuire called Withrow with a job offer, and now both Mruczkowski and Withrow add depth to the Chargers’ offensive line.

“We believe the way to build a championship team is to get the best players you can and line them up three deep,” Smith said. “We like to get veteran people, and that’s what was attractive to us about Cory. He’s tough, competitive and darn good.

“He can step into a role. We’re excited to have him. You never know when someone goes down. Cory is a true professional that concentrates daily and works year-round. We’re comfortable with him because we know he’s going to be ready.”

Withrow played so well in a backup role last year, the Chargers extended his contract through 2009.

“He’s a big part of this team,” Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers said. “He and Nick work well together, and we know Cory is always going to be ready. That’s been kind of overlooked how good a job Cory did to come in and replace Nick. He has to be a quarterback of the offensive line and make all the calls.”

Despite his experience, Withrow said he was nervous when he entered the game. But veteran offensive lineman Roman Oben helped assure him on the sidelines as he went into the game and Rivers loosened him up in the huddle.

“The anxiety level was pretty high,” Withrow said. “Nick’s a great player and I knew everybody was counting on me, but that’s why I prepare all week. I didn’t want to let 52 other guys down. A lot of guys are counting on you when you’re a backup and that’s the approach I take to always be ready.”

Withrow says when he’s on the sidelines, he’s mentally thinking what calls he would make for the blocking patterns for a couple of reasons. One is he’s up to date with the Chargers’ game plan and the opponents’ defensive plan. The other is he “tries to be another set of eyes for Nick” to relay what he sees to Hardwick.

“Cory works hard and I knew he would be ready,” Hardwick said. “He’s in all of our meetings and he probably watches more film than me. It’s not an easy job to be told to grab your helmet and be ready in 10 seconds.”

Withrow, always thinking ahead, got a little extra time to get ready. He told Hardwick to stay down while he practiced some snaps with Rivers, including shotgun snaps. Withrow’s first snap was in shotgun formation, with Rivers hitting Buster Davis for an 18-yard gain to Oakland’s five-yard line.

“The first thing is to get the snap up, because you don’t want to fumble a snap,” Withrow said. “Philip helped me a lot. He reminded me every time out of the huddle, ‘Get the snap up.’ That helped.”

Two summers ago, Withrow was sitting at home wondering if his career was finished. Now he’s a valuable member of the Chargers’ offensive line.

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