The-Hogs.net - Washington Football Discussion, Redskins to Commanders Era

Steps in the Right Direction...Only Not Enough Steps

It is the beginning of a new season in the NFL. Every team starts off the season with the same record. As Carolina demonstrated, a horribly bad team can rise to the ranks of Super Bowl contender rather quickly, assuming that the team makes prudent off-season moves. So, in essence, every team has a legitimate shot at winning it all...except for the San Diego Chargers.

San Diego went into the 2004 draft with glaring needs at offensive tackle, defensive line, and wide receiver: two of which were neglected until the later rounds. Sure, the Chargers pulled off the trade of the century (note: it is very early in this century) to acquire Philip Rivers, but their offensive line is either aged, young, horrible, or all three. And, their wide receiver core is pathetic at best.


But, Oben is a band-aid for a gaping wound. Are Roman Oben and Shane Olivea (right tackle) all that much better than Damion McIntosh and Vaughn Parker? No. Leander Jordan and Carlos Joseph, a seventh round draft pick, will be the back-ups; neither of them will ever, nor should ever, be a starter. In short, San Diego needed to use an early round draft pick to solidify this position for the future, and they did not.

Moving inside to the guards, Mike Goff was a crucial signing since "perennial back-up / bust" Toniu Fonoti seems to have gained even more weight this off-season. Kris Dielman, David Brandt, and Courtney Van Buren seem to be like pinch-hitters: the coaching staff plugs one of them in wherever there appears to be a hole.

At center, Jason Ball is a stud...but he is holding out. Since, the Chargers drafted Nick Hardwick, Cory Raymer became expendable. Looks like Hardwick might be starting...but probably not. I predict that Ball and the Chargers will get a deal done before the first game of the season. If not, the Chargers are prepared to move on without him.

Back to the need at wide receiver. The Chargers thought they had their "franchise player" in David Boston, but he was more of a distraction than he was worth; hence, he was traded for next to nothing. Tim Dwight was demoted to the third receiver...two years too late. The wide receiver who catches my eye is Eric Parker; he is a former rookie free-agent who has outplayed the former round two pick, Reche Caldwell. Speaking of Caldwell, Reche will most likely lose his starting job to Kassim Osgood by the end of the season. Obviously, in infusion of talent was needed at this position. Alas....

Maybe the tight ends are better than the wide-outs, but then again, maybe not. Antonio Gates is a gem in the rough, found as a rookie free-agent a few years ago. Justin Peelle and rookie Ryan Krause are nothing special. In short, to whom is Philip River going to throw the football?

Speaking of throwing the football, I was a Brees fan. Brees was productive in college, yet not in the NFL. In his defense, he played behind a horrific offensive line in San Diego. But, what is done is done, and Philip Rivers is the starter...with the same piece-meal offensive line. Considering how well this offensive line protects, all I can say is, "Hey Phil. Watch your back." Really though, Rivers is the player who Marty Schottenheimer (head coach) wanted all along, and Marty got his man. So, I am happy for him.

The most glaring positive on the Chargers is LaDainian Tomlinson (aka LT). The guy is bar-none, hands-down, without question the best running back, and maybe the best overall player, in the entire NFL. I love to watch this kid run. The only problem is that San Diego runs LT way too much. I worry that in a few years, LT will go the way of Earl Campbell (i.e. run himself into retirement). If Marty is smart, he will rest LT on third downs and use Jesse Chatman or rookie Michael Turner instead.

Since we are discussing the positives with San Diego, we should mention Donnie Edwards. San Diego is switching to a 3-4 defense, and Donnie will be racking up his tackles from one of the inside linebacker spots. Newly acquired Randall Godfrey will be the other inside backer, although he is not as athletically gifted as Donnie. On the outside, Ben Leber has proven to be better than average. The Chargers signed free-agent Steve Foley for veteran experience (but maybe should have waited Jason Gildon, who was released by Pittsburgh). Chances are that Shaun Philips will not see the field this season, but he is the eventual replacement for Foley.

In the 3-4, the linebackers are nothing without a good defensive line, and San Diego added a few good players through the draft: defensive ends Igor Olshansky and Dave Ball.

Adrian Dingle currently starts opposite Olshansky, but by the end of the season, Ball will be pushing Dingle for his starting role. Once Olshanky and Ball see the field, nobody will even remember the names Raylee Johnson or Marcellus Wiley. At defensive tackle, Jamal Williams is good, when healthy. The operative word being healthy. Jason Fisk can play either defensive end or defensive tackle, if need be.

We finally arrive at my favorite unit of the Chargers: the secondary. In my opinion, this is very strong unit. At the corners, Quentin "Uni-Brow" Jammer and Sammy "The Candyman" Davis are solid. Last year they got torched some, but I believe that they will "come into their own" this season. Drayton Florence and Jamal Fletcher (from Miami) give the Chargers quality depth at the cornerback position.

At the safety spots, you have Terrence "Kill" Kiel and Jerry "I Need a Nickname" Wilson. They are not as athletic as the starting corners, but they are better than average. Hanik Milligan is a respectable back-up.

One of the biggest problems for San Diego has been kick-offs and field goals; I guess it was a mistake to let John Carney go. Regardless, the Chargers drafted the strong-legged Nick Kaeding. Speaking of letting players go, San Diego released Darren Bennett. Is this another mistake (like Carney)? Or, will Mike Scifres make people forget Bennett?

SUMMATION: San Diego has far too many holes. Their offensive line, wide receivers, and tight ends are average at best, meaning that Philip Rivers will have no time to throw and nobody to receive his passes. Looks like another year of LT running left, LT running right, and LT catching screen passes.

The defense has some good players, especially in the secondary, but many of them are young. Additionally, the entire defense is switching to the 3-4, which means that even the veterans will be learning as they go. In short, the defensive line and linebackers could not stop the run last year, and they did not improve all that much. The secondary will be a year older and a year better, but without a pass-rush from the defensive line, any secondary can be exposed.

I think San Diego will be drafting in the top ten of the 2005 draft, but they have some solid players in place, but they are a year away from contending. If the Chargers have a good draft next year, could we be seeing "LT: Super Bowl MVP" T-shirts being sold? Anything is possible.