From now until the start of the season, I'm going to make a Training Camp Preview thread for each of the 32 NFL teams. I'll cover projected rosters, biggest question marks, biggest position battle, draft recap, team strengths, and a 2009 projection for each team. Hopefully these threads can start some conversation about each team, and get all of our football juices going.
Next up....San Diego Chargers
2009 San Diego Chargers Projected Roster
QB- Philip Rivers, Billy Volek
RB- LaDainian Tomlinson, Darren Sproles, Gartrell Johnson
FB- Jacob Hester, Mike Tolbert
WR- Vincent Jackson, Legedu Naanee, Kassim Osgood
LT- Marcus McNeill, L.J. Shelton
LG- Kris Dielman, Scott Mruczkowski
C- Nick Hardwick, Tyronne Green
RG- Louis Vasquez, Kynan Forney
RT- Jeromey Clary, Corey Clark
TE- Antonio Gates, Brandon Manumaleuna
WR- Chris Chambers, Malcolm Floyd, Craig Davis
DE- Luis Castillo, Vaughn Martin
NT- Jamal Williams, Ian Scott
DE- Jacques Cesaire, Ryon Bingham
OLB- Shawne Merriman, Jyles Tucker
ILB- Tim Dobbins, Kevin Burnett
ILB- Stephen Cooper, Brandon Siler
OLB- Shaun Phillips, Larry English
CB- Antonio Cromartie, Antoine Cason
SS- Clinton Hart, Kevin Ellison
FS- Eric Weddle, Stephen Gregory
CB- Quentin Jammer, Cletis Gordon
K- Nate Kaeding
P- Mike Scifres
KR- Darren Sproles
PR- Darren Sproles
LS- David Binn
The Chargers return 23 starting players out of 26 positions, and have one of the league's most talented rosters. However, that talent hasn't yet translated into greatness. After going 14-2 in 2006, the Chargers have seen their win total decrease in each of the past two years, and have had awfully slow starts to each of the last two seasons. In 2007, they started 5-5, but rallied to win their last 6 and finish 11-5. In 2008, the Chargers started off 4-8, rallying to win their last 4 and win a tiebreaker to take their third straight division title. If the Chargers start off slow again in 2009, they are going to have trouble capturing their 4th straight AFC West title.
Biggest Question Mark
While the Chargers return a large majority of their roster, their biggest question mark centers around two players who have been centerpieces to the Chargers in the past. LaDainian Tomlinson has reached the dreaded RB age of 30, and has finished the last two seasons on the injury list. Shawne Merriman, the teams best defender, is recovery from major knee surgery, and questions surround whether or not he's going to have the same explosiveness and speed that made him one of the most feared pass rushers in the NFL. The Chargers are banking on both LT and Merriman to return to their 2006-2008 form if they wish to compete for a Super Bowl title. If LT and Merriman do not return to form, the Chargers will struggle to even win the AFC West. Early reports from Training Camp indicate that both players are feeling great and are expecting big things in 2009, but until the season starts, no one will really know how both players are.
Team Strengths
In years past, the Chargers biggest strength was always spelled out in two letters- LT. However, going into 2009, the Chargers no longer are dependent on LT to be their best player. While their Super Bowl hopes rest partially on the shoulders of LT, the main guy in SD is 6th year QB Philip Rivers. In 2008, Rivers really broke through in the NFL, leading all NFL QBs in Passer Rating and tied for the NFL lead in TDs. Rivers is not only the best offensive player on the Chargers, but he's also the team's leader. Rivers has taken over the locker room, and is only improving as he continues to learn Norv Turner's offense.
On defense, the Chargers are hoping their biggest strength is going to come from one of their biggest weaknesses in 2008- their pass rush. With Merriman returning, and the Chargers spending their top pick on a pass rushing specialist, the Chargers are hoping that DCoordinator Ron Rivera can draw up some interesting blitzes. With three pass rushers on the field at the same time, the Chargers are counting on English, Merriman and Phillips to provide the secondary with some much needed relief. The secondary was overworked in 2008, and a big reason for that was the lack of pressure the Chargers got on opposing QBs. If the Chargers go another year without being able to pressure QBs, the Chargers defense will continue to fall to the bottom of the pack on defense.
Biggest Position Battle
The Chargers are lucky to return so many starters, a testament to the job that AJ Smith does at locking up his own players. They have very few position battles, although Turner and Smith are both saying that no one is guaranteed a starting job anymore. In 2008, the Chargers had a very tough time rushing the ball along the right side of their OLine. While Jeromey Clary and Mike Goff did a decent job in pass protection, they did a terrible job in run blocking. Mike Goff left as a Free Agent, and the Chargers are hoping that either former Pro Bowl alternate Kynan Forney or 3rd round pick Louis Vasquez can fix the leak on the right side of the line. The Chargers, who failed to address the OT position at all during the 2009 offseason, are hoping that improvement from the RG position will lead to improvement from Jeromey Clary, although they do feel that 2nd year player, Corey Clark can push for Clary's job. Whether LT returns to his All Pro form is directly correlated with how well the right side of the Chargers line blocks for him. If Forney or Vasquez can provide improvement in the running game, the Chargers are going to have a much easier time doing what they want to do on offense- pound the rock.
Draft Recap
1st Round- DE/OLB, Larry English
English was drafted to be a pass rush specialist in 2009, and possibly the successor to Shawne Merriman in 2010 and beyond.
3rd Round- OG, Louis Vasquez
The Chargers consider Vasquez a steal in the 3rd round, and hope that he will be the solution to their problems along the right side of their line.
4th Round- DE/DT, Vaughn Martin
While Martin is a very raw prospect coming out of Canada, the Chargers think they found a hidden gem who will take over for J. Williams soon.
4th Round- G/C, Tyronne Green
Green was drafted to provide much needed depth along the interior of the OLine, and will be given the backup job behind Hardwick right away.
4th Round- RB, Gartrell Johnson
Early reports from TC indicate that Johnson is running really well, and could potentially be the Chargers partial successor to LT.
5th Round- CB, Brandon Hughes
Hughes finds himself in a tough spot, as the Chargers have a deep secondary. Hughes will struggle to make the roster, or an impact as a rookie.
6th Round- S, Kevin Ellison
Ellison had a terrible 40 time at the Combine, but the Chargers are expecting him to come in and immediately compete for the starting SS job.
7th Round- WR, Demetrius Byrd
While the Chargers knew Byrd was a year away from playing, they felt they were getting a huge steal on a former 3rd round projected player.
After minicamps, the Chargers came away feeling like they have 3 rookies that will have big impacts in their rookie seasons. English, Ellison and Vasquez are all expected to see significant playing time in 2009, and all could push for starting jobs. Martin and Byrd are both developmental players, but the Chargers are enamored with their upside. Hughes, Green and Johnson are all expected to be key role players throughout their tenure with the Chargers.
Projected 2009 Finish
10-6; 1st place in AFC West
Did You Know...
The Chargers are the only team in the NFL to make the Divisional Round of the playoffs the past three seasons?
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