NFL Team-By-Team Previews - San Diego Chargers

2008 Recap
Record: 8-8 (1st AFC West)

Best Game: Week 17 vs. Denver - 52-21
The Chargers had some big wins - 30-10 over New England and 48-29 over the Jets among them - but none were bigger than the hurting they put on Denver in the last week of the season, a game which decided the AFC West, when the winner would get a home playoff game and the loser's season would be over. The Chargers ran for 289 yards and 4 TDs, including 3 by LaDainian Tomlinson. The defense picked off Jay Cutler twice and help Denver under 100 yards rushing. The win capped a 4 game win streak to end the season for San Diego, propelling them to the playoffs.

Worst Game: Week 7 @ Buffalo - 14-23
Despite going 8-8, the Chargers had no blowout losses in 2008 - in fact, they didn't lose a single regular season game by 10 or more points. Their worst game, however, was probably a week 7 loss to the lowly Buffalo Bills, who did not beat a winning team all season and only managed 7 wins by having teams like Oakland, Kansas City, and St. Louis on their schedule. The Chargers were outgained by over 100 yards, and lost the turnover battle 3 to 0, dropping to 3-4 on the season.

MVP: QB Phillip Rivers
Rivers had his best season as a pro, setting personal bests and leading the league in TD passes, QB Rating, and yards per attempt. He also threw for over 4000 yards for the first time in his career, and completed over 65% of his passes, another personal best. Despite putting up the fewest rushing TDs since their 5-11 2001 season and a pass defense that ranked near the bottom of the league, Rivers led them to the playoffs on the strength of his arm.

The Offseason

Significant Losses:
-OG Mike Goff (UFA) - Goff played for 5 seasons with the Chargers and started every game over that span.
-DE Igor Olshansky (UFA) - The 13 game starter in 2008 recorded 20 tackles and 2 sacks, and has since signed with Dallas.
-LB Matt Wilhelm (Cut) - The Chargers cut Wilhelm, who recorded 97 tackles over 14 games in 2007, shortly before training camp opened.

Significant Additions:
-LB Kevin Burnett (UFA) - Burnett may not be the biggest name, but he's the only player of note that the Chargers have added this offseason. In 4 season with the Cowboys, Burnett has recorded 146 tackles, 4 sacks, and 1 interception which he returned for a TD.

Draft Picks:
Round 1, Pick 16: DE Larry English -- Northern Illinois
Round 3, Pick 14: OG Louis Vasquez -- Texas Tech
Round 4, Pick 13: DT Vaughn Martin -- Western Ontario
Round 4, Pick 33: OG Tyronne Green -- Auburn
Round 4, Pick 34: RB Gartrell Johnson -- Colorado State
Round 5, Pick 12: CB Brandon Hughes -- Oregon State
Round 6, Pick 16: S Kevin Ellison -- USC
Round 7, Pick 15: WR Demetrius Byrd -- LSU

Grade: B+
The Chargers didn't make a big splash with their draft, but they did draft intelligently. Larry English is essentially an insurance policy if Merriman doesn't come back full strength. Vasquez can help replace Goff, and Martin, who is athletic for a 330 pounder, fits their 3-4 scheme well. More so than their early round picks, I loved the Chargers picks late in the draft. Johnson is a hard nosed runner, if a bit slow, and would compliment Sproles well if Tomlinson continues to decline this season and the Chargers let him go. Hughes is undersized, but he is athletic and fast enough to develop into a decent player. Byrd, a receiver with outstanding athletic ability, was injured in a serious car accident shortly before the draft, but the Chargers used their seventh round pick in the hopes that his recovery goes well and he turns out to be a steal.

Training Camp Report
-Chargers training camp is closed to the public because of ongoing construction as they repair a broken water line that caused a sinkhole where fans would normally be watching practice from.
-The Chargers have signed all their draft picks with the exception of seventh round pick Demetrius Byrd, who's condition they continue to monitor.
-Darren Sproles continues to be the primary returner.
-In a rather well-publicized incident, Antonio Cromartie was fined $2,500 for complaining about the food at training camp on Twitter, and suggesting that it may be the reason the Chargers haven't won the Super Bowl. Well, Antonio, I think that your 31st ranked pass defense might have something to do with it.
-Rookie RB Gartrell Johnson has impressed so far, to the point where he may beat veteran Michael Bennett out for a spot on the roster.

2009 Outlook

Best Case Scenario:
Tomlinson shows everyone that he's still got some gas left in the tank, and he and Sproles are the best RB duo in the NFL. Rivers has another pro bowl season. The secondary, which has plenty of talent in guys like Jammer and Cromartie, returns to 2007 levels, when they picked off the most passes in the NFL. Shawne Merriman comes back healthy, and DT Jamal Williams plays younger than his age. The Chargers roll through an AFC West full of teams that are rebuilding (Chiefs), stagnant (Broncos), or just plain bad (Raiders) and go 13-3 on their way to their first Super Bowl birth since the mid-90s.

Worst Case Scenario:
Tomlinson is running on fumes, and Darren Sproles isn't enough to counteract another sub-4 YPC year by the starter. Rivers still plays well, but opposing defenses, not afraid of the running game anymore, key on the pass. Jamal Williams is just plain old and Shawne Merriman isn't what he used to be, and their rookie counterparts are unable to replace what Merriman and Williams were in 2007, though not for lack of effort. The secondary continues to get toasted, and the Chargers are taken advantage of by a Chiefs team led my Matt Cassel. The Chargers finish at 8-8 again, but this time fail to make the playoffs in second place in the AFC West.

Prediction: 11-5, 1st AFC West