Chargers gambled on what-ifs, and it didn’t work

The Chargers chose to play the what-if game to win this season. It didn’t work.

The Chargers figured a few what-if scenarios would play out in their favor this season. Some of them include:

• What if all three offensive line spots improved (LG, RG, RT)?
• What if Trevor Williams returns healthy?
• What if Jerry Tillery can become the answer to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots?
• What if the team’s lack of health on defense was just a one-year fluke?
• What if Trent Scott can hold his own while Russell Okung recovers?
• What if Melvin Gordon’s return sparks the team, and the offense picks up right where it left off in 2018?

Here are the answers to each question, in order: They didn’t, he didn’t, he isn’t (for now), it wasn’t, he can’t, and boy did it not.

The Chargers took the same dangerous dosage of optimism all fans of the team ingested this offseason.

Sam Tevi will improve, you’ll see.

They don’t need a corner, Trevor Williams was top-15 in 2017.

Players X, Y, and Z will return from injury and play great.

That’s our approach as hopeful fans, but wishing for the best and not preparing for the worst is not what a professional football organization should do.

Yes, this has been one of the most injury-riddled seasons Chargers fans have ever seen from their team. There’s no doubt this team will continue to lack an identity and rhythm while half of their starters stand on the sidelines. Most can forgive Scott because he was never supposed to be there, and even watched a left tackle be taken in the draft to replace him in the coming years. There’s only so much fans can blame Telesco for the lack of depth when the reserve players and their backups are all starters by Week 7.

The biggest issue is the gamble overall, and the assumption everything would fall into place as it did in 2018. Because so far, unfortunately, it has not.