Danny Woodhead a pivotal player for the Chargers offense

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Danny Woodhead’s return to the Chargers lineup should give Philip Rivers the option that he needs in the passing game. 

One of the players that we will all be looking forward to having back on the field the most for the San Diego Chargers is Danny Woodhead. Woodhead provides so much stability for the team in the backfield and will give Philip Rivers that easy dump-off option to pick up some quick yards down the field.

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Woodhead is amazing at finding room in the running game through the piles of people and he is great at finding space in the passing game for Philip to hit him for positive gains. He hides behind the towering lineman in front of him and pops out for a quick dump off pass which can turn into an easy 7-to-8 yards.

Having Woodhead on the field makes Philip Rivers better. There is no doubt about it. Rivers needs a playerlike Woodhead in the backfield. Woodhead is good at protecting Philip, but his presence as a receiver in the passing game is an even larger asset to the team.

Rivers is at his best when he has that safety outlet in the backfield that he can trust. He had it for a number of years with Darren Sproles lining up back there. He had it with Ladainian Tomlinson lining up back there. That is what Danny Woodhead will bring back for this team. When all the options down the field are no longer there, Philip can just look for that safety net and toss it out to his little man that will keep picking up positive yards.

Without Woodhead for most of last season, Rivers kept looking for that option on the roster. He would look for Branden Oliver and Donald Brown to be that option for him, but they never had the chemistry that Woodhead quickly picked up with Philip. Hopefully a whole season of playing together will help build that chemistry between those backs, but the chemistry with Woodhead will be stepping back onto the field and should create matchup problems for defenses to deal with.

Woodhead is a handful. He might be one of the smallest players on the field, but his quick feet and that small stature make it hard for defenders to find him and keep up with him in the backfield. He has great hands and he knows where the open spots on the field are and will make people miss in the open field. I can only imagine how the Chargers will use all the running backs on this roster. I look forward to seeing Danny shimmy after picking up a big first down for the team. This season could be special with all these backs.

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