Bolts From The Blue
The Chargers have two strong candidates for the center position on the Chargers All Quarter Century Team: Nick Hardwick or Corey Linsley?
The Chargers haven’t enjoyed a ton of talented centers this century. In all honesty, we know this one will be a competition between Nick Hardwick (the long-time starter) and Corey Linsley (the only All-Pro this century). Both are very deserving and I’m very excited to see which one wins this poll!
Let’s go ahead and dive in!
Hardwick was drafted by the Chargers in the third round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He started immediately for the Bolts as a rookie, earning 14 that first year. Through the rest of the way, Hardwick started every single game he appeared in, notching 136 starts by the time he recovered following the 2014 season.
In 2006, Hardwick earned his first and only Pro Bowl appearance for the work he did to help LaDainian Tomlinson set the all-time single-season touchdown record. In 2009, he was also named to the San Diego Chargers 50th Anniversary Team.
Linsley joined the Chargers as a free agent in 2021 after seven years with the Green Bay Packers. He had just earned First-Team All- Pro honors in his final season with Green Bay an parlayed that into a massive contract with the Bolts.
In his first season in Los Angeles, Linsley was named a Second-Team All-Pro and earned a ticket to his first and only Pro Bowl of his career. His time in LA and his career were cut short due to a heart condition that emerged three games into the 2023 season, but no one can deny the impact he had with the Chargers in those three shorts years. In all, eded his time with the Bolts with 33 starts.
