The Chargers looked pretty solid in this game last Friday Night.  Billy Volek was great in this football game as he completed all six of his pass attempts for 55 yards with 1 TD pass.  Charlie Whitehurst wasn’t near as good as Volek in this game as he completed 15 of 32 passes for 144 yards with 1 TD pass.  He also fumbled three times losing one of them.  Marcus Thomas led the Chargers in rushing in this game with 57 yards on 15 carries (3.8 ypc).  Fellow rookie RB Jacob Hester also had a decent game with 44 yards on 10 carries (4.4 ypc).  WR Malcolm Floyd was the leading receiver on the Chargers with 6 grabs for 68 yards (11.3 avg) in this game.  The Chargers finished up with 113 yards rushing on 28 carries (4.0 ypc) and they also completed 21 of 38 passes for 175 yards.

Cornerback Steve Gregory led the way for the Chargers on defense in this game with 6 tackles.  Safety Tra Battle also had an exceptional game with 5 tackles and 2 interceptions.  CB Cletis Gordon also had a great game with 2 interceptions against the Niners.  The 49ers finished up with 90 yards rushing on 23 carries (3.9 ypc) and they also completed 18 of 27 passes for 205 yards.  The Chargers  finished up the preseason with a 3-1 record.

The Chargers pulled this game off with a 2-point conversion in the 4th quarter with 2:30 minutes left in the game on a Billy Volek pass to Malcolm Floyd.  Philip Rivers had a solid game completing 11 of 21 passes for 143 yards.  Billy Volek finished up the game by completing 3 of 9 passes for 33 yards.  Darren Sproles was outstanding for the Chargers in this football game as he rushed for 102 yards on 13 carries (7.8 ypc).  Jacob Hester pitched in with 21 yards rushing on 9 carries (2.3 ypc).  Both Sproles and Hester each scored TDs on 1-yard runs.  Vincent Jackson led the Chargers in receiving yards in this game with 84 on 3 catches (28.0 avg).  The Chargers finished up with 130 yards rushing on 27 carries (4.8 ypc) and they also completed 14 of 30 passes for 168 yards.

CB Quentin Jammer led a sub par effort by the Chargers’ defense with 6 tackles.  The Seahawks finished up with 162 yards rushing on 32 carries (5.1 ypc).  The Seahawks also completed 21 of 33 passes for 230 yards.

The Chargers didn’t look too good against the Rams last Saturday Night, but, what do you expect when Philip Rivers, LaDainian Tomlinson and Antonio Gates all sit out?  Billy Volek started this game and he completed 5 of 7 passes for 58 yards.  Charlie Whitehurst finished up this game completing 6 of 14 passes for only 67 yards.  Rookie RB Jacob Hester led the way for the Chargers yesterday with 59 yards rushing on 12 carries (4.9 ypc).  Fellow rookie RB Marcus Thomas pitched in with 14 yards rushing on 3 carries (4.7 ypc).  Fullback Mike Tolbert was also busy with 3 carries for 15 yards (5.0 ypc) and he also caught 3 passes for 13 yards (4.3 avg) on Saturday Night.  The Chargers finished up this game with 104 yards rushing on 23 carries (4.5 ypc) and they also completed 11 of 21 passes for 99 yards.  The Chargers only had possession of the football for 23:54 of this game.

The Chargers’ defense was led by CB Cletis Gordon who made 5 tackles and intercepted a pass.  Rookie CB Antoine Cason had another impressive game as he made 3 tackles and intercepted a pass off Marc Bulger that he returned 53 yards.  The Chargers did not defend the run well as the Rams rolled up 183 yards rushing on 38 carries (4.8 ypc) on Saturday Night.  The Rams also completed 18 of 31 passes for only 126 yards in this game.

Everyone (including myself) thought that the Chargers were insane to fire Marty Schottenheimer who was 14-2 in 2006 and replace him with Norv Turner who had never been much of a head coach.  But, Turner led the Chargers to a 11-5 record and he got the Chargers to the AFC Championship where they lost 21-12 in New England.  They might have been able to beat the Patriots if Philip Rivers wasn’t playing with a torn ACL.  Regardless of the AFC Championship Game the Chargers did win two playoff games last season (17-6 at home vs. Tennessee, 28-24 at Indianapolis) which was very impressive.  It will be interesting to see if Turner can build on his success last season and improve his career record of 69-87-1 (44.2%) during the regular season.  He is also 3-2 in his post season career.  The Chargers appear to have made a smart move in signing Norv Turner last season to be the head coach.

The Chargers operated on a lot of short fields in this game and that’s the big reason for the win.  Philip Rivers looked sharp in the preseason opener completing 5 of 6 passes for 54 yards.  Billy Volek was only 2 for 4 passing for 12 yards.  Charlie Whitehurst finished up the game hitting 5 of 7 passes for 40 yards.  Jacob Hester had a solid NFL debut carrying the ball 13 times for 49 yards (3.8 ypc) and scoring two TDs (1 yard, 2 yards).  Fellow rookie Marcus Thomas pitched in with 48 yards rushing on 13 carries (3.7 ypc).  Mighty mite Darren Sproles only rushed for 7 yards on 5 carries (1.4 ypc) but he scored a TD.  He also caught a pass for 21 yards.  Mike Tolbert only rushed for 1 yard on 1 carry but he scored a TD.  Chris Chambers led the WR corps of the Chargers with 3 catches for 34 yards (11.3 avg) in this game.  The Chargers finished with 116 yards rushing on 36 carries (3.2 ypc).  They also completed 12 of 17 passes for 97 yards.

Rookie CB Antoine Cason led the Chargers’ defense on Saturday Night with 8 tackles.  The Cowboys finished up with 111 yards rushing on 22 carries (5.0 ypc).  They also completed 18 of 33 passes for 174 yards. 

Nate Kaeding doesn’t leave many points on the football field and he has a very strong leg.  The 26-year old Kaeding played in all 16 games for the Chargers last season and he connected on 24 of 27 field goal attempts (88.9%).  He also made all 46 of his extra point tries.  Look for Kaeding to have another outstanding season in 2008 for the Chargers.  Kaeding has now played in 64 games in his NFL career and he has made 91 of 105 field goals (86.7%).  He has also nailed 207 of 208 extra points (99.5%) in his career.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  A

28-year old Antonio Gates has been a little banged up lately and the Chargers can’t afford to be without him at all in 2008.  Gates played in all 16 games for the Chargers last season and he caught 75 passes for 984 yards (13.1 avg) with 9 TD grabs.  Gates is a mis-match for any defender who tries to cover him as he is too big for defensive backs to deal with and he’s too fast for linebackers.  He also wins a lot of jump balls near the goal line where he is often lethal.  Gates has now played in 77 games in his NFL career and he has caught 340 passes for 4,362 yards (12.8 avg) with 43 TD grabs.  Look for Gates to again be in Hawaii in February as long as he can stay healthy.

6’2″, 288 pound Brandon Manumaleuna is a huge run blocking tight end.  Don’t expect him to catch a lot of passes but that’s not his job anyway.  Manumaleuna played in all 16 games for the Chargers last season and he caught 10 passes for 86 yards (8.6 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Don’t expect him to catch many passes this season even if Gates is hurting.  Manumaleuna has now played in 110 games in his NFL career and he has caught 90 passes for 825 yards (9.2 avg) with 10 TD grabs.

2nd year TE Scott Chandler didn’t play much as a rookie last season.  He’s a better receiver than blocker so he might be the main TE in the passing game if Antonio Gates misses time due to injury.  Chandler played in 1 game for the Chargers last season and he didn’t catch any passes as a rookie.  Bold prediction for 2008…..he’ll catch at least 1 pass this season.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  A

The Chargers are expecting big things out of Chris Chambers now that he has had a ful off season under his belt with the team.  Chambers can scoot down the field with the best of him and he likes to make the acrobatic catch in traffic.  He played in 16 games for the Chargers & Dolphins last season and he caught 66 passes for 970 yards (14.7 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  He also carried the ball 2 times for 17 yards (8.5 ypc) last season.  Look for Chambers’ numbers to improve big time over the ones he put up in 2007 with Philip Rivers throwing the ball to him all year instead of the stiffs that quarterbacked the Dolphins last season.  Chambers has now played in 110 games in his NFL career and he has caught 440 passes for 6,243 yards (14.2 avg) with 47 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 43 times for 372 yards (8.7 ypc) in his NFL career.

6’5″, 241 pound Vincent Jackson is having a really solid training camp and the Chargers’ hope he builds on his success of last season.  He played in all 16 games for the Chargers last season and he caught 41 passes for 623 yards (15.2 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  Look for Jackson to have better numbers in 2008 as teams won’t be double covering him with Chambers around.  Jackson has now played in 39 games in his NFL career and he has caught 71 passes for 1,135 yards (16.0 avg) with 9 TD grabs.  He has also carried the football 3 times for 16 yards (5.3 ypc) in his career.

The Chargers were hoping for much more out of 2nd year man Craig Davis than they got last season so they hope he improves.  Davis played in 14 games last season for the Chargers and he caught 20 passes for 188 yards (9.4 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Davis also carried the football 3 times for 9 yards (3.0 ypc) last season.

6’5″, 225 pound Malcolm Floyd has talent but he never seems to show it on Sundays.  He played in 6 games for the Chargers last season and he caught 7 passes for 97 yards (13.9 avg).  Floyd can move either way on the depth chart as it’s almost entirely up to him.  Floyd has now played in 22 games in his NFL career and he has caught 25 passes for 356 yards (14.2 avg) with 4 TD grabs.

6’2″, 226 pound Legedu Naanee played a lot on special teams last season but the Chargers hope that he can develop into a decent receiver in the near future.  Naanee played in 13 games for the Chargers last season and he caught 8 passes for 69 yards (8.6 avg) without a TD.  Naanee is another player that can move either up or down the depth chart based on training camp and the pre season.

6’5″, 220 pound Kassim Osgood is another player that contributes more on special teams than on offense and the Chargers are hoping that it changes this year.  Osgood played in all 16 games for the Chargers last season and he only caught 2 passes for 23 yards (11.5 avg).  It’s crucial that Osgood starts producing on offense or his roster spot could be in jeopardy.  Osgood has now played in 76 games in his NFL career and he has caught 32 passes for 630 yards (19.7 avg) with 4 TD grabs.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  B