Quentin Jammer
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| Quentin Jammer | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | June 19, 1979 |
| Place of birth | Angleton, Texas |
| Position(s) | Cornerback |
| College | Texas |
| NFL Draft | 2002 / Round 1/ Pick 5 |
| Statistics | |
| Team(s) | |
| 2002 -Present | San Diego Chargers |
Quentin "The Shadow" Jammer (born June 19, 1979 in Angleton, Texas) is an American football player who currently plays cornerback for the San Diego Chargers of the NFL. His nicknames are "The Hammer", "Log Jammer" and "P.I".
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[edit] High school career
Quentin Jammer attended Angleton High School in Angleton, Texas. In football, he was a two-time All-District safety, cornerback and quarterback, and as a senior, was the District Defensive MVP. He also won three letters in track and field, and participated in the long jump, 100 meter dash, and the 200 meter dash.
[edit] College career
Quentin Jammer played for The University of Texas Longhorn football team from 1997 to 2001. As a senior, he was named to the first-team All-American squad and received first-team selections to the All-Big 12 Conference squads his junior and senior years. He was named co-MVP his senior year and recorded seven interceptions (tied school record) as well as 195 tackles throughout his entire career.
[edit] NFL career
Jammer was drafted 5th overall by the Chargers in the 2002 NFL draft. After a brief holdout to start the 2002 season, he started at cornerback and has held that position ever since then, never missing a start in the process. Coming into the NFL, Jammer was touted as being a physical player and a big hitter, rather than a pure speed cover cornerback. But in the NFL, his aggressiveness often gets him into trouble, and he regularly draws pass interference calls. Jammer led the NFL in pass interferences calls in 2004 with eight.
Jammer has also been criticized for his lack of interceptions.[1] In 62 career games leading up to the 2006 season, Jammer had only recorded six interceptions, including just two total in the 2004 and 2005 seasons. When the Chargers extended Jammer's contract during the 2006 offseason, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union Tribune wrote that "... he is widely considered by Chargers fans to be among the team's weak links, mostly for the fact he has just six career interceptions."[2] His reputation as a big hitter has been unfulfilled, as to date he has only recorded one forced fumble in the NFL.
During Jammer's tenure, the Chargers have regularly finished at or near the bottom of the league in terms of pass defense. During the past four seasons, they have finished in the bottom five every year except for 2003. This has led many Charger fans to become frustrated with Jammer, as due to his high draft position he has become a symbol for the Chargers' failure to assemble a solid secondary. In recent years, supporters of Jammer noted that the Chargers had a poor pass defense not because of Jammer, but because of their anemic pass rush. But in 2005, the Chargers had one of the top front 7s in the NFL, featuring Pro Bowler and NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award winner Shawne Merriman and Pro Bowler Jamal Williams. Despite this fearsome pass rush, the Chargers still finished 28th in the league in pass defense.[3]
The 2006 offseason saw an overhaul of the Chargers' secondary after many disappointing years. The team signed former Carolina Panthers safety Marlon McCree as a free agent, and they spent a first round draft choice on cornerback Antonio Cromartie. McCree's veteran presence had an immediate impact on the secondary, including Jammer, who surpassed his 2005 interception total in only the third game of the season.
