The Donkey Days

Oct 28, 2012; Cleveland, OH, USA; San Diego Chargers guard Louis Vasquez (65) against the Cleveland Browns during the second quarter at Cleveland Browns Stadium. The Browns won 7-6. Mandatory Credit: Ron Schwane-USA TODAY Sports

Who is that lined up across from our San Diego Chargers? Yup, it’s a bunch of former San Diego Chargers. I will always respect these guys for the hard work and dedication they put into playing for the Bolts but this is also business and players switch teams all the time and now they are on the “wrong” side of the line. When it comes to winning, it’s all about the Chargers, so let’s put aside the sportsmanship aspect and get to work!

Louis Vasquez – Vasquez will have his hands full with a very familiar face in Corey Liuget. I have this running image of Liuget getting his hands on a quarterback and tossing him like a rag doll and then just standing there like that was too easy. Oh right, because that actually happened! Vasquez isn’t a bad Guard but he’s not the best. Putting two names like Vasquez and Liuget side by side, I would clearly vote for Liuget, he proved himself last season with 7 sacks and batting down 9 throws. Rumor has it he’s hungry for more and in his third season, we should expect nothing less from this big man. Edge: Liuget

Quentin Jammer – Jammer is keyed in to play safety for the Broncos, nevertheless it wouldn’t matter, DX, M80, Vincent Brown or Keenan Allen, take your pick. This will be no easy task for Jammer who is far past his prime and three of four of these players are young and fast and Jammer is not quite as familiar with. Jammer may have covered Floyd during practices in the past but he barely got to know the new faces. Another questionable area of concern for Jammer is whether he actually can play safety? We talked about his conversion in Chargers Park for year, but never committed to his transition to safety, perhaps there was a reason why? Edge: Everyone except Jammer

Shaun Phillips – Newly drafted DJ Fluker will likely be keeping an eye on Shaun Phillips during passing downs. Phillips is a sack artist but never elevated to elite status. He’ll play opposite to Von Miller which can make life easier on him, the last time the Chargers paired up Phillips with a balanced attack was when Shawne Merriman was still good. Since then, most of the attention was veered on Phillips. Unfortunately, for Phillips it’s not Jeromey Clary standing in his way, it’s the massive Fluker. Reports have speculated that Fluker had a tough time during OTAs. The first game against Denver isn’t going to happen until November 10th, this will give Fluker plenty of time to adjust to the tempo and prepare for the showdown with the one team that stands in our way from the AFC West crown. Edge: Phillips

Jacob Hester – Who will be watching Hester as he attempts to barrel through the defensive front for his running backs to make plays, Donald Butler, that’s who! Butler is an assassin and typically wakes up on the wrong side of the bed come Sunday mornings. This year especially Butler intends to make a huge name for himself, this is definitely a season worth watching as Butler may be on his way to his first pro-bowl. What Hester brings is a lot of power and agility in his game, the very skill sets which made him a special teams anchor and captain and the same reason Mike McCoy wanted him in Denver in the first place. Unfortunately for him, Butler is no joke, he’ll show no mercy and to make matters worse he now has a young, eager and energized partner in crime in Manti Te’o. Edge: Butler

Rank us at #21, predict that we’ll finish the season at 6-10, assume we finish third in the division, but it doesn’t look like Denver addressed the areas of our strengths with much firepower, rather, they filled in the holes with the guys we no longer had a place for. We’ll be ready for the fight! Time to go punch a Donkey in the face!!