When the Chargers start this season with a 4-4 record, don't panic. The history of last season says this team knows how to recover from early troubles to trample through the competition when it counts, and it will happen this year, too.
I still hold to my contention that the Bolts are deficient on both lines. I feel better about the health of NT Jamal Williams and DE Luis Castillo, but who knows how long the good fortune will last. I am happy with the development of rookie G Louis Vasquez, but his status as a first-year player means rough times are ahead for him. He's going to make tremendous plays -- like the block in Atlanta -- but will likely be prone to horrendous breakdowns. He's a rookie, 'nuff said. I do prefer him over fading veteran Mike Goff, who was beaten badly in Kansas City during the preseason, and journeyman Kynan Forney, who has no upside. Vasquez might pay off big down the line, which I like.
The good teams on the Chargers schedules will mostly beat them because they will have better lines, simple as that. But that's only six times. The Chargers will still remain potent offensively, even if the least knowledgeable fan in the stadium knows they'll be running left on 3rd and short.
After that 4-4 start, I see them winning three straight before concluding the season 3-2. That gives us 10-6 with an AFC West title by two games minimum, possibly more. They won't be threatened for a playoff berth. The record probably puts them in a game at home with a wildcard team, which they might beat. But they'll go no farther.
That, in this year of people hoping for a Super Bowl, makes me a pessimist. I see it as being a realist.
Players Whose Performances Will Make a Difference, Good or Bad, So Watch Them: LT Marcus McNeill, RT Jeromey Clary, CB Antonio Cromartie, ILB Kevin Burnett.
Breakout Years: FS Eric Weddle, WR Malcolm Floyd -- you read it here first. Chris Chambers will get hurt and Floyd will make some spectacular grabs in his place.
Opponents I Fear: Baltimore, Miami, Pittsburgh, New York Giants, Philadelphia, Dallas, Tennessee. Duh, but I think they beat a couple of these teams.
AFC West: 5-1 with the loss at Kansas City.
---
The collapse of the San Diego State football program can be measured against 1-AA, now FCS schools, from the rout of Tony Romo's Eastern Illinois team early this decade to the sputtering and unfulfilling wins over Eastern Washington and Samford to the recent Chuck Long contributions of losses to Cal Poly.
Big schools schedule a division down to get a guaranteed win for bowl qualification purposes, and to decide the game by halftime so players deep down the depth chart can get quality snaps.
Saturday's visit to SDSU by Southern Utah will be an interesting test of where the Aztecs program is right now. The Thunderbirds have a Division 1 transfer at QB, a large and experienced offensive line and an NFL prospect at safety. They have just enough talent to make this thing interesting if the hosts are unprepared or under-talented.
If the game is a rout decided at halftime, then I think you can say that coach Brady Hoke and his great staff are getting things back on track, particularly in light of the many good things that happened at UCLA last week. If SDSU struggles, then you can probably abandon those slim hopes of a minor bowl berth.
Look to see:
1. Whether QB Ryan Lindley and his receivers are back on the same page, particularly when he is pressured.
2. Whether the offensive line can push open some running lanes.
3. Whether the defense can pursue with proper angles in order to tackle ball-carriers quickly and avoid the major gaps in the field that opened in the first half last week.
My bet is it will be a contest for about 20 minutes, then the Aztecs depth of talent will take over for a comfortable victory. But we'll be left with questions about this team's true level -- questions that might be answered the following week with a visit to lowly Idaho in the dangerous Kibbie Dome.
No comments:
Post a Comment