The Chargers will have the same cast at QB that they had last season and that’s a very good thing.  The starter is Phillip Rivers who is a outstanding QB.  Rivers has a low release point which gets some of his passes blocked at the line of scrimmage but he’s a very intelligent, efficient QB.  Rivers has enough arm to make every throw needed and he picked up his game last season when the running game suffered a bit.  He should have a big 2009 season for the Chargers.  Young veteran Billy Volek will back up Rivers again in 2009.  Volek could start for some teams and he’s an excellent guy to bring in if anything happens to Rivers.  Volek has a lot of the same skills as Rivers but he throws from a more normal angle.  Charlie Whitehurst is the #3 guy and he will be one of the better #3 QBs in the NFL. 

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON:  A

The San Diego Chargers shocked a lot of experts in the selection of DE/OLB Larry English in the first round.  But, the Chargers need pass rush help and that’s English’s forte.  English stands 6′2″, 254 pounds and he runs a 4.7 40 which shows what kind of athletic ability that he does have.  But, he’s a tad soft against the running game and he doesn’t often step up to the competition level.  English played in 49 games (47 starts) at Northern Illinois and he made 233 tackles, had 57 tackles for a loss, had 31.5 sacks, batted down 3 balls, forced 8 fumbles and he recovered 4 fumbles.  English is a boom or bust pick for the Chargers.

The Chargers did all right last April in the NFL Draft.  1st rounder (CB) Antoine Cason is a star in the making.  He played in 16 games (3 starts) last season for the Chargers and he made 74 tackles, forced 1 fumble, defensed 7 passes and he intercepted 2 passes (one that he returned for a TD).  Cason will be a impact player for a long, long time on the Chargers.  3rd rounder (FB) Jacob Hester can also handle halfback if the need arises for the Chargers.  He played in 16 games (3 starts) for the Chargers last season and he carried the ball 19 times for 95 yards (5.0 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Hester also caught 12 passes for 91 yards (7.6 avg) with 1 TD grab and he returned 3 kickoffs for 42 yards (14.0 avg).  5th rounder (RB) Marcus Thomas was cut and he signed with the Lions and got some carries.  6th rounder (CB) DeJuan Tribble spent his rookie season on the practice squad.  7th rounder (OT) Corey Clark didn’t play a down as a rookie last season.

GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  C

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  B-

The Chargers have finally dipped into the free agent market signing 26-year old linebacker Kevin Burnett to a 2-year deal.  Burnett played in all 16 games for the Cowboys last season and he made 38 tackles, defensed 3 passes, had 2 sacks and forced a fumble.  Burnett was a backup in Dallas but he will be given a chance to compete for a starting job in San Diego.  Burnett has played in 61 games in his NFL career and he has made 148 tackles, defensed 7 passes, has 4 sacks, forced 4 fumbles and he has one interception that he returned for a TD.  This was a good signing for the Chargers.

These two teams are going in opposite directions as the Colts have won three games in a row to improve to 6-4 on the season while the Chargers are 4-6 and have lost 3 of their last 4 games.  The Chargers have won the last three meetings in this series but Norv Turner has been the coach that everyone thought he would be this season.  The Chargers will likely be feeding the ball often to LaDainian Tomlinson against a Colts’ defense that is allowing 138.5 yards rushing per game and 4.3 ypc.  Still, Philip Rivers will take his shots downfield but he better be careful against a Colts’ defense that has only allowed 2 TD passes and has 10 interceptions! 

The Colts will likely come out throwing the ball to try to get an early lead to protect the defense.  Peyton Manning is starting to get into a groove after a slow start to the season.  The Chargers are allowing 267.0 yards passing per game so look for Reggie Wayne, Anthony Gonzalez and Dallas Clark to have big games.  It would really be helpful if Joseph Addai gave Manning some ground support in this game.

PREDICTION:  INDIANAPOLIS COLTS 34, SAN DIEGO CHARGERS 28