Last Year:
In the first year of Marty-ball the Chargers were fairly average. Maybe inconsistent is a better word that describes a team that started the season with four consecutive wins, but also finished the season with four consecutive losses. Rookie Drew Brees was the Chargers new signal caller and he looked decent throughout the year but with an average team around him San Diego needed more from him. One player that looked above average all year long was Ladainian Tomlinson who used every defense he faced as a treadmill. He was one of the few bright spots on a team that finished 8 ? 8. It?s hard to tell whether the Chargers team that started 6 ? 1 or the team that finished 2 ? 7 will show up this year. Either way the playoffs may be too much to ask of this team.
What we Learned from Last Year:
I?ll break this team down real plainly. The Chargers defense did not perform that well last year which means that in this high octane division San Diego had to find a way to score lost of points. When Tomlinson touches the ball, there are no problems. He did everything he possibly could to help this team win last year, but like the Miami Dolphins, the Chargers had to get some points through the air. Drew Brees played good last year, but this team needs him to be a lot better than that. His 60.8 completion percentage is not what I?m complaining about, what the problem is, is his 17 ? 16 TD/INT ratio and his very average 76.9 QB rating. San Diego does sport one of the better offensive lines in the league, so Drew Brees can?t blame them. The only thing there is to muster up in his defense is that he is a young QB. If that is true, and he?s still developing, then that should be good news for SD. If not, then the Chargers are in trouble.
Drew Brees was drafted a couple of years back when the Chargers decided to trade down and pass Michael Vick to select Ladainian Tomlinson with the fifth pick overall. Then, with the first pick of the second round the Chargers thought that they were getting a solid starting QB in Drew Brees to secure their future. His career is still young, but he needs to do more for this offense. Maybe some of the blame can be laid with Marty and his ?run the ball first? mentality, but this team will continue to need to win games through the air which is something they struggled with last year.
What has Changed?:
The Chargers have cut loose a couple of ties on defense most notably Rodney Harrison and Junior Seau, two players that were cornerstones for them in years past. The original sentiment is that the defense should take a step back after losing these guys, but the reason they are not returning is because last year?s defense cannot get much worse. Starting with the defensive line on this team, they are not as bad as they seem. Raylee Johnson, Marcellus Wiley, Jason Fisk, and Jamal Williams make up a pretty good D-line, but the problem is that there is no depth behind these guys. If any of them miss time, the defense is in trouble. The linebackers were disappointing with Seau in the middle, and they don?t appear much better without him. A lot will be expected from Zeke Moreno and Ben Leber. The media attention is on this team?s secondary, and how dreadful it is. The defensive backs on this team are actually very talented but are very youthful and inexperienced. Quentin Jammer has played a year; the other starting corner Sammy Davis is a rookie. Behind them are Tay Cody who has one year?s experience and Drayton Florence who is also a rookie. The good news is that these guys all have a lot of upside but how steep is their learning curve? If they can catch on quickly, it will be a big boost for a team that has to face some prime passing offenses.
On offense this team scrapped Curtis Conway, and brought in David Boston. At first glance it looks like a good move, but if this team is going to be run first/conservative then it will minimize David Boston?s impact on this team. Boston is one of the best receivers in the league and he is very hard to tackle and defend with just one DB. An extra guy on him will simplify the running game for Ladainian Tomlinson.
The biggest dilemma this team faces is Marty Schottenheimer. I?m sure everyone who knows an inkling about football knows that Marty like to run the ball and play defense. Why it is so difficult to do with this team is because their defense is horrible. Shittenheimer sticks with his conservative play calling even though this team plays six games a year against fast striking and high scoring offenses. Pissenheimer continues to try to pound the ball no matter how big of a hole this team is in. At some point you?ve got to give it up. At what point do you start to pass the ball more than run it? When you?re down by 14? By 21? They need a new game plan. Running the ball when your team is in a whole doesn?t show a lot of confidence in your starting QB or anyone else on your offense besides your running back for that matter. People keep talking about how Marty Alzheimmer is going to change, and how they?ll try a new offense but the fact of the matter is that he is going to stick to his guns, and he is going to bring this team down. There is no system in the NFL that will consistently work. The best players, teams, and coaches are all ones that make adjustments each week and each year. The league has changed, and just because something worked a decade ago doesn?t mean it will continue to work in this era.
O/U 8.5:
Just like at the beginning of last year, the Chargers look like a team that has potential to be good in the years to come but in regards to this year they?ll need some luck. In the toughest division in the NFL, San Diego is the whipping boy and they would be lucky to get 3 wins in their division. Here?s the rest of their out of division schedule: Ravens, @Jaguars, @Browns, Dolphins, @Bears, Vikings, Bengals, @Lions, Packers, and @Steelers.
Fantasy Sleeper:
People will be hopping on the David Boston bandwagon right away thinking he will have a more productive role in a better situation in San Diego. I don?t think that will be the case. This team runs the ball first, and he may not get as many looks because of that. A quiet but semi-productive player is Stephen Alexander. Drew Brees found him with some consistency last year and Crappenheimmer likes to use tight-ends in his conservative play calling. With all the attention on David Boston and LT in the red-zone he should be able to sneak in a few more TD?s this year.
In the first year of Marty-ball the Chargers were fairly average. Maybe inconsistent is a better word that describes a team that started the season with four consecutive wins, but also finished the season with four consecutive losses. Rookie Drew Brees was the Chargers new signal caller and he looked decent throughout the year but with an average team around him San Diego needed more from him. One player that looked above average all year long was Ladainian Tomlinson who used every defense he faced as a treadmill. He was one of the few bright spots on a team that finished 8 ? 8. It?s hard to tell whether the Chargers team that started 6 ? 1 or the team that finished 2 ? 7 will show up this year. Either way the playoffs may be too much to ask of this team.
What we Learned from Last Year:
I?ll break this team down real plainly. The Chargers defense did not perform that well last year which means that in this high octane division San Diego had to find a way to score lost of points. When Tomlinson touches the ball, there are no problems. He did everything he possibly could to help this team win last year, but like the Miami Dolphins, the Chargers had to get some points through the air. Drew Brees played good last year, but this team needs him to be a lot better than that. His 60.8 completion percentage is not what I?m complaining about, what the problem is, is his 17 ? 16 TD/INT ratio and his very average 76.9 QB rating. San Diego does sport one of the better offensive lines in the league, so Drew Brees can?t blame them. The only thing there is to muster up in his defense is that he is a young QB. If that is true, and he?s still developing, then that should be good news for SD. If not, then the Chargers are in trouble.
Drew Brees was drafted a couple of years back when the Chargers decided to trade down and pass Michael Vick to select Ladainian Tomlinson with the fifth pick overall. Then, with the first pick of the second round the Chargers thought that they were getting a solid starting QB in Drew Brees to secure their future. His career is still young, but he needs to do more for this offense. Maybe some of the blame can be laid with Marty and his ?run the ball first? mentality, but this team will continue to need to win games through the air which is something they struggled with last year.
What has Changed?:
The Chargers have cut loose a couple of ties on defense most notably Rodney Harrison and Junior Seau, two players that were cornerstones for them in years past. The original sentiment is that the defense should take a step back after losing these guys, but the reason they are not returning is because last year?s defense cannot get much worse. Starting with the defensive line on this team, they are not as bad as they seem. Raylee Johnson, Marcellus Wiley, Jason Fisk, and Jamal Williams make up a pretty good D-line, but the problem is that there is no depth behind these guys. If any of them miss time, the defense is in trouble. The linebackers were disappointing with Seau in the middle, and they don?t appear much better without him. A lot will be expected from Zeke Moreno and Ben Leber. The media attention is on this team?s secondary, and how dreadful it is. The defensive backs on this team are actually very talented but are very youthful and inexperienced. Quentin Jammer has played a year; the other starting corner Sammy Davis is a rookie. Behind them are Tay Cody who has one year?s experience and Drayton Florence who is also a rookie. The good news is that these guys all have a lot of upside but how steep is their learning curve? If they can catch on quickly, it will be a big boost for a team that has to face some prime passing offenses.
On offense this team scrapped Curtis Conway, and brought in David Boston. At first glance it looks like a good move, but if this team is going to be run first/conservative then it will minimize David Boston?s impact on this team. Boston is one of the best receivers in the league and he is very hard to tackle and defend with just one DB. An extra guy on him will simplify the running game for Ladainian Tomlinson.
The biggest dilemma this team faces is Marty Schottenheimer. I?m sure everyone who knows an inkling about football knows that Marty like to run the ball and play defense. Why it is so difficult to do with this team is because their defense is horrible. Shittenheimer sticks with his conservative play calling even though this team plays six games a year against fast striking and high scoring offenses. Pissenheimer continues to try to pound the ball no matter how big of a hole this team is in. At some point you?ve got to give it up. At what point do you start to pass the ball more than run it? When you?re down by 14? By 21? They need a new game plan. Running the ball when your team is in a whole doesn?t show a lot of confidence in your starting QB or anyone else on your offense besides your running back for that matter. People keep talking about how Marty Alzheimmer is going to change, and how they?ll try a new offense but the fact of the matter is that he is going to stick to his guns, and he is going to bring this team down. There is no system in the NFL that will consistently work. The best players, teams, and coaches are all ones that make adjustments each week and each year. The league has changed, and just because something worked a decade ago doesn?t mean it will continue to work in this era.
O/U 8.5:
Just like at the beginning of last year, the Chargers look like a team that has potential to be good in the years to come but in regards to this year they?ll need some luck. In the toughest division in the NFL, San Diego is the whipping boy and they would be lucky to get 3 wins in their division. Here?s the rest of their out of division schedule: Ravens, @Jaguars, @Browns, Dolphins, @Bears, Vikings, Bengals, @Lions, Packers, and @Steelers.
Fantasy Sleeper:
People will be hopping on the David Boston bandwagon right away thinking he will have a more productive role in a better situation in San Diego. I don?t think that will be the case. This team runs the ball first, and he may not get as many looks because of that. A quiet but semi-productive player is Stephen Alexander. Drew Brees found him with some consistency last year and Crappenheimmer likes to use tight-ends in his conservative play calling. With all the attention on David Boston and LT in the red-zone he should be able to sneak in a few more TD?s this year.
