Add one more to the Bolt Beat staff writers

Hey all, my posts will be coming from the name ChargerFanPaul. I am the most recent addition to the Bolt Beat staff and am stoked on the opportunity to express some views and opinions of the franchise and get some quality feedback from my fellow “Bolt Brothers”.

What do I bring to the the table? A long history of playing football all the way from the pee-wee’s to the collegiate level, a lifetime of Charger fanhood, and a passion every day to expand my knowledge of the franchise from a current and historical standpoint. It all started when I was just a little kid when my grandpa showed up at my house and surprised me with my first jersey. It even came with pants and a helmet too! It was a Dan Fouts jersey and boy did I wear that #14 proud. Instantly I was hooked.

Currently I reside in the state of Washington where I am in the process of completing my degree in Exercise Science. Luckily enough, the Bolts played in Seattle last season and I got myself and my father both front row seats on the Chargers sideline. I was up front yelling at the top of my lungs while rocking a powder blue Ryan Mathews jersey, and needless to say I left my voicebox in the stadium that day. I could not believe my eyes as I watched our special teams crumble twice and allow Leon Washington to take it to the house. But on a brighter note I did get to see Philip Rivers throw for the franchise record of passing yards in a single game.

First off, I would just like to see who the fan favorite roster players are. I will give my top 3 on roster at this time and would love to hear opinions both supporting and opposing my views on them. Here goes nothing.

My top 3 players at the moment:

Eric Weddle – Safety : In my opinion one of the most underrated safety’s in the league right now. He has started all but 4 games in the past 4 seasons and has developed into one of the most pure safety’s in the NFL. To put it into perspective as to how active Weddle is on the field, the Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers free safety Nick Collins had 70 total tackles last year. In the 2010 season Weddle put up an astounding 96 total tackles (his highest was 127 in 2008).

Philip Rivers – QB : In the midst of a foolish holdout from his top deep threat WR’s, Rivers worked all year to develop a chemistry with loads of new targets. And to top that off his most reliable target Antonio Gates went down with injury mid way through the season. After a disappointing season record and missing the playoffs I believe people overlooked just how well Rivers played. He passed for the most yards in the NFL of any QB, had the 2nd highest passer rating, and the 3rd highest completion percentage. Sure he has a temper, but you know as soon as you see his face light up that he is ready to fire that ball to victory.

Ryan Mathews – RB : A lot of fans are down on Ryan Mathews for his injuries and games missed during his rookie campaign in which most thought he would earn the offensive R.O.Y. award. The way I see it, he has the ability, the motivation, and the passion to succeed in this league. He is one of the best players I have ever seen in the aspect of being able to stay upright, whether it be spinning out of a tackle or just bowling a defender over. He did have a serious fumbling issue in 2010, but after working on ball control in the off-season I think that he will prove his 1st round draft pick status in 2011. I am very anxious to see him develop and I know with 4.3 ypc while working through injury, he will be ready to light up both the stats and scoreboard for us this coming season!

Now its time. Critique, question, review, compliment, comment, or oppose my view on my favorite 3!

I am looking forward to hearing all the responses.

Much love, and always GO BOLTS.