NFL Team Previews: San Diego Chargers
Boy, was last season rough for general manager Tom Telesco, head coach Mike McCoy and the rest of the San Diego Chargers community. This team wound up selecting way higher in the NFL draft than expected, and now sit looking up at the rest of the division heading into the season. Some people see Denver, Kansas City and Oakland and say that the Chargers have no shot, but these people may be forgetting all of the injuries last year, or the fact that Philip Rivers is still there. In my opinion, there is hope, just not good odds.
DRAFT RECAP
I don't know why the Chargers are holding out on signing the third overall pick, DE Joey Bosa. C'mon, give him his money, and let him become the best player on your defense by the end of the season. Due to the trades ahead of them, San Diego had the de facto number one pick, and selected the de facto best player in the draft. Just sign the kid! They then brought in TE Antonio Gates' replacement, TE Hunter Henry from Arkansas. Henry was a borderline first round selection, and widely considered the best tight end in the draft. I also like the selection of ILB Joshua Perry from Ohio State, and he should get a solid amount of snaps behind Denzel Perryman and Manti Te'o.
FREE AGENCY
The big signing was NT Brandon Mebane from the Seattle Seahawks. The additions of Mebane and Bosa immediately give the Chargers a drastically better defensive line, and overall defense as well. Mebane was one of the many Pro Bowlers from the "Legion of Boom". They also added to the secondary, bringing in CB Casey Hayward from Green Bay and S Dwight Lowery from Indianapolis. Being a guy who has watched every Packer's game since Casey Hayward came into the league, I don't know how this guy was the 29th best corner in the NFL last season. Nobody else in Wisconsin knows either, which is why the Packers let him walk. He's a nice player, but if I'm the Chargers, I'm glad he's only the nickel back. Lowery is a nice player too, but the guy he's replacing is better. Finally, the Chargers brought in WR Travis Benjamin from Cleveland, and he almost had 1000 yards in the football abyss that is Northeast Ohio. If he did that there, look out if he has a real quarterback.
PLAYERS LOST
The team and especially the fans are going to miss S Eric Weddle, who moved on with the team to sign with the Baltimore Ravens. He probably will retire as a Charger, but for now, looking at the depth chart and not seeing him is weird. The former future Antonio Gates replacement, TE Ladarius Green, signed a contract to replace Heath Miller in Pittsburgh. The Chargers also lost a couple of nice role players on defense, in DE Kendall Reyes and CB Patrick Robinson, but they were replaced by better players and losing them shouldn't have a tremendous negative effect on the team.
STRONGEST POSITION
I think the pass rush is a real strength for this team, and probably one of the most underrated in the country. OLB Jeremiah Attaochu and Melvin Ingram, along with the additions of Joey Bosa and Brandon Mebane, quietly make up a very strong pass-rushing core. The Chargers are also deep in pass catchers, with not only four reliable wide receivers, but two tight ends and RB Danny Woodhead give Philip Rivers more than enough weapons to throw to (it's weird that I say that, looking at what happened last season).
WEAKEST POSITION
The Chargers have some small weaknesses, but the biggest weakness is the injury report. Pretty much every receiver except Dontrelle Inman missed time last season, including Antonio Gates. RB Melvin Gordon and Brandon Oliver also missed time. RT Joe Barksdale is the only starting offensive lineman to not miss a game last year. Defensively, Corey Liuget, Sean Lissemore, Manti Te'o, and Brandon Flowers (among others) all missed time. The injury bug is the biggest reason the Chargers were so bad, and when you take away essentially everybody but your quarterback, you don't really have a chance.
FIVE MOST IMPORTANT PLAYERS TO THE CHARGERS SUCCESS
QB Philip Rivers, RB Melvin Gordon, DE Joey Bosa, OLB Melvin Ingram, CB Jason Verrett
Obviously, this is Philip Rivers' team and he needs to continue to carry the offense. However, a big part of the problem last year outside of injuries was the lack of success on the ground, starting with then-rookie RB Melvin Gordon. For the Heisman runner-up to get a measly 641 yards and no touchdowns, it is almost Ron Dayne-esque. Gordon should have a better year, and he needs to to provide a balance to this offense. DE Joey Bosa needs to be signed, or there is a gaping hole at defensive end. OLB Melvin Ingram has quietly become a great pass rusher, recording 10.5 sacks last season and leading the team, and CB Jason Verrett has quietly become a very good cornerback. It seems to me that every good thing in San Diego is rather unknown, which may be what they need to surprise the league.
PREDICTION
I like what they are doing, and thought that last season was a fluke, but they have to prove me right first. They aren't 4-12 bad anymore by any means, and they don't need to prove that to anybody. But they do need to find a way to be better than 8-8 in the toughest division in football, and that's something I don't think they can do. They have an outside chance, but 8-8 is a more likely scenario.
