First season in Los Angeles won’t mean first Super Bowl win for Chargers
By Anthony Totri
A new city, a new season and a new coaching staff has fans mixed on the upcoming season for the Los Angeles Chargers. Some have said the changes have shown the lack of loyalty in the Spanos family. Others have stated the plentiful transitions could be exactly what the team needs. It’s time to put both of those theories to rest.
The new kids in L.A. won’t be the laughing stock of the league, nor will they be the next coming of the New England Patriots.
Now comes the difficult question, what will this year be for the Chargers?
To put it simply, this is going to be a contending team, just not for the Super Bowl. With teams like the Patriots, Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers still reigning supreme to the majority of the NFL, the Chargers stand little chance of winning the first championship in franchise history.
However, this team has a chance at recapturing the AFC West title, boasting a league-award winner and being the team in Los Angeles with the most wins.
Why the Chargers will win the AFC West?
The hype surrounding the Oakland Raiders is real, but that doesn’t mean the Bolts will just roll over.
A team with depth at wide receiver, ferocious pass rushers and a veteran quarterback always has a chance at surprising fans. That’s exactly what the Chargers will do this season.
If Keenan Allen and Tyrell Williams remain healthy for the majority of the year, the team has one of the league’s best route runners in Allen, and a deep threat with Williams.
Not to mention the team’s first-round pick Mike Williams will likely make an appearance in 2017.
With all of these weapons the best quarterback in franchise history will have his way with opposing secondaries. Fans should have confidence in knowing there is no team with enough depth in its defensive backfield to cover all the Bolts’ pass catchers.
Despite a rejuvenated offense, the defense is what will really send shock waves across the league.
The pass-rushing duo of Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa has the potential to be a top-three combination in 2017.
Few teammates have the speed, athleticism and talent to pressure quarterbacks the way Ingram and Bosa do. The two of them will make an already above average secondary look elite.
2017 Defensive Player of the Year: Joey Bosa
Man oh man was the outrage plentiful when GM Tom Telesco took Bosa with the No. 3 pick in the 2016 draft. Analysts were saying he didn’t fit in with the scheme. People were saying he lacked the athleticism.
However, Bosa came out last season and took the league by storm.
He led all rookie pass rushers in the majority of relevant statistics. The most important being sacks. Not to mention his high-quality play led to Ingram having his best season.
Although there is heavy competition for Defensive Player of the Year, with Bosa’s motor, ability to get to the quarterback and improve his teammates play, people should start putting their money on the former Ohio State Buckeye.
The new kids on the block will take over
If the Chargers succeed at accomplishing the previous two arguments, then there is a good chance they will be the best team in LA.
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Be real here, the Los Angeles Rams are a young team with little experience. Now a franchise does have to start somewhere in a rebuild, but it typically isn’t with hiring the youngest coach in the history of the NFL.
That’s just not how it’s done.
With that being said, the Chargers are young as well, and it’s not like their coach is high profile. However, the players on this team are proven athletes.
Fans know what guys like Philip Rivers, Melvin Gordon, Bosa and others can do. Those guys preform at a high level and with a fresh start in Los Angeles it’s hard not to pick the Chargers as the favorites for the team with the most wins in L.A.