2012 San Diego Chargers
I’m sick of the San Diego Chargers. The fact that they have not even participated in a single Super Bowl in the past decade, in the Brees/Rivers/Tomlinson/Gates era, is appalling. They have so much talent every year, and all the idiot “experts” on various networks all talk about how “this is going to be the Chargers’ year!” Stop. It will never be their year. Their window has not only closed, but it is bolted shut. I feel sorry for Philip Rivers, who deserves better than this. The fact that Norv Turner still has a job as the Chargers head coach is dumbfounding. He has not made any progress in the past few years; he’s actually regressed! The stat that still gets me is how a couple of years ago, San Diego finished first in the NFL in offense AND defense (by yardage) and still managed to NOT EVEN MAKE THE PLAYOFFS. How do you even do that?!?! Last year, the Chargers started and ended the season by winning four out of five games. So in the first five and last five games of the season, they were 8-2. Did they win the division? No. Because they took a nap after their bye week and lost all six of those remaining games in the middle of the season, to finish 8-8 and miss the playoffs. I’m doing my bold prediction early: The San Diego Chargers will not make the playoffs once again and Norv Turner will finally be fired, and a parade shall be held by Charger fans to celebrate the end of their captivity. I’m going to fly through this preview so I can get away from this constant, astounding mediocrity. It’s even worse than the Raiders. At least Oakland is just continuously dumb, so you don’t get your hopes up. San Diego always has talent, so you always think that they will be a competent team, and then they find some ludicrous way to stay out of the postseason, leaving everyone scratching their heads, thinking “how do the Chargers keep snatching defeat from the jaws of victory?”
Offense
There is no question that this offense will be explosive. Philip Rivers is a Pro Bowl quarterback who throws a nasty deep ball and is usually deadly accurate. He obviously struggled last season, throwing 20 interceptions, but I don’t think there is any way that happens again. Vincent Jackson is gone, which means that the outside deep threats now take the forms of Malcom Floyd and former Saint Robert Meachem. There is big play potential here. The wild card is Antonio Gates, a former all-world tight end who has been hurt for multiple seasons now. Reports are that he’s healthy, and if he is, Gates still has enough left in the tank for one or two more great seasons. Think potentially 70 catches for 900 yards and 9 touchdowns, which would keep him in top five tight end territory. Then there is the running game, which is spearheaded by former first round pick Ryan Mathews. Mathews is a great talent, who can put up top five RB numbers when he is healthy, but he seems determined to defeat Darren McFadden in the “most constantly injured running back in the NFL” award. He even went so far as to get his collarbone broken all of two seconds into preseason! I gave McFadden till Week 8 before the injury bug kicked in, but Mathews has his eyes set on this award, so I’m banking on him getting hurt in Week 5. In New Orleans against the Saints. People seem to mysteriously get injured against that defense.
Defense
This unit has a good amount of talent on it. Enough to put them possibly into the middle of the pack of the NFL, a rank which isn’t glamorous but could be a lot worse. They have savvy veterans like Shaun Phillips and Quentin Jammer alongside young blood in Corey Liuget and Antoine Cason. This group seems like it can be very forceful in 2012. So, naturally, they will probably be really solid and then give up late scores that cost them a game or two, which won’t be important enough to blame them for a lost season but definitely enough to make an impact. Because with San Diego, what could possibly go right?
Schedule
It seems like the Chargers should be good enough to beat plenty of teams on their schedule, but they won’t, because at some point they are going to go into cruise control and lose a few games before people really know what’s happening. I think the only reason Norv Turner still has his job is because even though they have greatly underachieved, no one else has run away from the pack, and since 8-8 and 9-7 can make the playoffs, the Chargers are always in the hunt to win the division crown. They just can’t get over the hump. Will this season turn out for the better? I think you already know my answer.
Week 1: L at OAK
Week 2: W vs TEN
Week 3: W vs ATL
Week 4: L at KC
Week 5: W at NO (big win!)
Week 6: W vs DEN (they have Peyton’s number)
Week 7: Bye (4-2 at the bye? Oh boy, we’re going places!)
Week 8: L at CLE (not so fast...)
Week 9: W vs KC
Week 10: L at TB
Week 11: L at DEN
Week 12: W vs BAL (they have the Raven’s number too, it seems)
Week 13: W vs CIN
Week 14: L at PIT
Week 15: L vs CAR
Week 16: L at NYJ
Week 17: W vs OAK
Well, what do you know? San Diego is once again in position to succeed and lose three games in a row in December to ruin everything again. Norv won’t be surprised at his firing. In fact, my sources say that he has already booked a vacation trip to Puerto Rico in January to relax, since he won’t be coaching in the playoffs and won’t have to worry about preparing for next season. 8-8 for the Chargers won’t be good enough this year. I did my bold prediction already, so after a recap of the AFC West, I’ll be moving on to the NFC! Starting with the East, and the Dallas Cowboys to be specific. Spoiler alert! The tone of that piece will be eerily similar to this one. Comment with your thoughts! ... *Sigh*. I can relax now. Freaking San Diego.
Recap of AFC West:
KC: 9-7
DEN: 9-7
SD: 8-8
OAK: 6-10
- Kansas City plays big time and impresses
- Peyton will be solid but not spectacular in his return
- F*ck the Chargers
- McFadden Injury Pool: Week 8
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