Chargers Have Questions and Time to Answer Them

Here's a sign that the Chargers are living right: they enter the 2010 season with more questions than they've had in years, yet are in almost no danger of losing the AFC West title or missing the playoffs, since the division is so bad (see previous post). How's that for a comfort level? If GM AJ Smith didn't have the holdouts to deal with, I'd say his blood pressure would be just about normal for a guy his age.

Seriously, playoff prospects would be very iffy for a team in any other division in the NFL with the number of questions that face the Chargers. Thankfully, for the fans, there is plenty of time to find answers before the post-season starts. I've heard talk show hosts saying the Bolts will be 6-0 by the time they host New England on Oct. 24. They could be, though I think 5-1 will be more likely. Still, thanks to the weakness of their opponents, they will have come close to clinching the AFC West by then. Funny.

My list of ??? follows:

-- How will the new-look offense fare? The front office thinks RB Ryan Mathews will be an upgrade over LaDainian Tomlinson, so look for coach Norv Turner to call a lot more running plays. Also, with Vincent Jackson reduced to playing catch at Mission Beach, don't look for as many deep pass routes. Will this work for these guys?

-- The offensive line is healthy across the board, something you couldn't say last year entering the season, and of course, things got much worse in the first half of the opener in Oakland. But are they better? Was it the run blocking or LT? And can they protect QB Philip Rivers? Part of the equation for fewer deep balls will be worries whether tackles Jeromey Clary and Brandyn Dombrowski can keep the passer upright.

-- Can C Nick Hardwick make it through the season? He's played all 16 games only once, in 2006, and managed only three in 2009.

-- Is Mathews a 20-carry per game kind of a guy who they want to make dominant, or will he split carries with Darren Sproles, Mike Tolbert and Jacob Hester? Maybe he's a 12-carry and three-swing pass player? We'll see.

-- Will Rivers have the same kind of trust in his teammates as he had in previous years, in terms of their ability to perform their functions? Will he know that Buster Davis will run the route correctly? Can he count on Mathews to pick up the blitzing linebacker? If not, will Mathews departure to the sideline signal to the opposing defensive coordinator that a pass is coming?

-- A lot of people have been down on young LB Larry English, but he's played only one season. Is 2010 when he blossoms when filling in for Shawne Merriman or are the questions about him legitimate?

-- Will Merriman prove to be a contributor or a distraction?

-- LB Shaun Phillips is the guy whose had a chance to prove himself, over six years, but his sack totals have declined the past three seasons and other numbers are down, as well. Did he thrive only in Merriman's shadow? Should active backup Antwan Applewhite play more downs?

-- Staying on the time to prove himself front, how about FS Eric Weddle? Or DE Luis Castillo?

-- Is CB Antoine Cason ready for full-time duty after mainly being a nickel back?

-- Will the Make-Shift work again at nose tackle without Jamal Williams?

Thems a lotta questions. We should start to make some tentative judgments by the end of the month.

Prediction time: I think we have a situation a lot like last year where the Chargers will be pretty good but will get pushed around by physical ball clubs. Unless nearly all the above questions are answered in a positive way over the next three months, the 2010 version of the Bolts will probably have a sparkling regular-season record but be a one-and-done playoff team.

Like I wrote above, I expect a 5-1 start up to the point when New England comes to town, and that's when things get dicey. The Patriots aren't what they used to be but will be better than the opponents faced by the Chargers up to that point. If nothing else, it signals a change in caliber of opposition that will either toughen them for the post-season or batter them into submission.

I see 9-7, and still easily winning the division, as the worst-case scenario. If everything works out, they could go 13-3 again. Unfortunately, I think it is more likely they lose a first playoff game than make the Super Bowl.

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It is way too early for a must-win game, but one should start to look good by the second game of a college season. San Diego State posted a 47-0 rout of over-matched Nicholls State last Saturday but didn't look ready for a Division 1 opponent. Now they have one, on the road, at New Mexico State, which will throw a solid defense against the Aztecs. College teams make their biggest jumps from Week One to Week Two. Let's hope SDSU makes its jump from a trampoline.