The Chargers impressed by coming away with the “big W” in “big D” on Sunday. There were many bright spots, and some less assuring. I believe that Week 3 @ Arizona will be the real test of depth chart talent and will give us our final shot to tighten up our starting roster.
This is the way I’m seeing it.Quarterback – Rivers is unstoppable and there is no question about his leadership or talent. He makes smart decisions and should flourish with his favorite weapons back in the game this season. Bottom line, good luck stopping Rivers in 2011!
Running Back – Ryan Mathews was running hard on Sunday and you could tell that he wants to prove his worth. He was hitting the holes hard and as he gets more game reps he will become more comfortable back there and should produce great numbers. Mike Tolbert is an exceptional short yardage back, although he needs to work on his ball security a bit. (Not just based off his fumble in Dallas. I’m basing off 2010 as well.) We only averaged 3.5 YPC against Dallas this week while they averaged 5.5 YPC. Dallas is middle of the pack for rush defense and ranked 16th in the league last season. Overall I feel that if our backs stay healthy, we could be looking at a 1000+ yard season for Mathews and 500+ for Tolbert. Jordan Todman will add a whole new aspect to our run game and will be a viable replacement for Darren Sproles. He is short and shifty with great speed and great hands. He can run it up the gut or beat you to the sideline. He is one Rookie that teams should fear. Bottom line here is BALL SECURITY, BALL SECURITY, BALL SECURITY!
Wide Receiver – Vincent Jackson is unstoppable! Plain and simple. I don’t feel a tough match-up for him by any corner in the league. I mean, the guy put up solid numbers his past 3 outings against Nnamdi Asomugha (who is looked at largely as the best in the league along with Darrelle Revis). Malcolm Floyd is a solid target who can go up and fight for the ball. My point of view on Malcom is different from most others in the sense that I believe he makes as many spectacular catches as he has drops! The guy practices well, but I don’t feel he has that same gameday swagger that you need to succeed as a top NFL wideout. Patrick Crayton is an amazing slot receiver and adds a perfect 3rd down target for Rivers. He is awesome after the catch and can find beat defenders. Gates is the ultimate tight end dream target. He makes 1 hand snags like it’s “no big thing”, and is too speedy for linebackers and too big for defensive backs. Seyi Ajirotutu is my dark horse this season. This guy is one of my favorite guys to watch and he should have his opportunity to shine with Crayton and Floyd both banged up. In depth we have guys like Rookie Vincent Brown,Bryan Walters, Richard Goodman, Travon Patterson, Kelley Washington, Laurent Robinson, Marcus Cannon, and Cameron Kenney who are all viable depth chart options. Bottom line, our Wide Receiver core is stout to say the least.
Offensive Line – The offensive line for the Chargers has looked decent thus far through the preseason. We are definitely glad to have Marcus McNeil back for the 2011 season but it’s nice to know that we have some solid depth players in Tyronne Green, Brandyn Dombrowski, Scott Mruczkowski, as well as Rookies Steve Schilling and Bo Thran. Kris Dielman, Nick Hardwick, Louis Vasquez and Jeromey Clary look to hold down the fort as seasoned Vets. Bottom line, barring injury our line will be very solid and should assist our run game enough to return it to the elite level.
Just my take on our offense at the moment. What are your feelings and where do you think we need the most help offensively? Leave a comment with your reasoning for your vote because we LOVE all the input and opinions!