The Chargers went 9-7 in 2010. They started off very poorly and then made a run that came up short. Yet, down the stretch, experts and analysts were calling San Diego the best team in the AFC West. Why? They led the league in offense and defense. They gained the most offensive yards, 395.6/game, and gave up the fewest yards on defense, 271.6/game.
The offense should be fine for next season. Philip Rivers is still a terrific quarterback and no one is blaming him for the Chargers’ disappointing record, nor should they.
The biggest problem was the special teams. They gave up too many big plays, and as a result their special teams coordinator has been fired. Now they have a new one, Rich Bisaccia, who will need to figure out which players should not be on his unit and which ones he needs to pull in.
Defense will also be an issue since they lost their defensive coordinator, too. With Ron Rivera taking John Fox’s job in Carolina, Greg Manusky will step in and try to keep that unit successful. But rarely does a coordinator step in and do as well as a successful predecessor, especially on defense.
San Diego will, as always, be competitive in the AFC North. They have not had a losing season under Norv Turner and they were even giving Kansas City a run for its money down the stretch. But to get to the postseason next year they will need their defense to be in the top 10 in the league again.
No comments:
Post a Comment