Rookie first round pick (RB) Ryan Mathews is looking good so far this pre-season.  Mathews has carried the ball 34 times for 136 yards (4.0 ypc) and he has caught 5 passes for 33 yards (6.6 avg) so far this pre-season.  The Chargers have not been shy about giving the rock to Mathews this pre-season to get him ready for the grind of his rookie year as he will be the main man in the running game.

This game was a lot closer than the scoreboard shows as the Saints intercepted a pass and returned it to the house with 7 seconds left in the game (it was a 87-yard return).  Philip Rivers started this game and he looked sharp in completing 16 of 27 passes for 167 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs.  Billy Volek finished up the game by completing 9 of 21 passes for 97 yards at 2 INTs.  Ryan Mathews led the way on the ground for the Chargers in this game with 43 yards rushing on 13 carries (3.3 ypc).  FB Jacob Hester pitched in with a 6-yard TD carry the only time he touched the ball in this game.  TE Antonio Gates (5 rec, 66 yards) and WR Malcolm Floyd (4 rec, 51 yards, TD) led the way in the passing attack for the Chargers last night.  They finished up with 68 yards rushing (3.4 ypc) and 255 passing yards last night.

LB Kevin Burnett (6 tackles) and CB Quentin Jammer (6 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss) led the way for the Chargers’ D last night.  The Saints finished up with 129 yards rushing (4.6 ypc) and 423 yards passing in this game.    The Chargers are now 1-2 on the pre-season.

The Chargers were awesome on defense in this game but the offense just didn’t come through last Saturday Night.  Philip Rivers completed 11 of 15 passes for 125 yards with 1 INT.  He also had 1 carry for 1 yard and it went for a TD.  Billy Volek was so-so completing 5 of 12 passes for 94 yards.  5th round pick Jonathan Crompton finished up this game by completing 3 of 6 passes for 8 yards with 1 INT.  Rookie first round pick Ryan Mathews led the way for the Chargers on the ground in this game with 53 yards rushing on 12 carries (4.4 ypc).  Mike Tolbert pitched in with 10 carries for 34 yards (3.4 ypc) and 2 receptions for 21 yards (10.5 avg) in this game.  Marcus Mason pitched in with 8 carries for 7 yards (0.9 ypc) with a TD run and he also caught 1 pass for 6 yards.  Darren Sproles only had 1 carry for 3 yards but he also caught 3 passes for 38 yards (12.7 avg) on Saturday.  WRs Seji Ajirotutu (3 rec, 71 yards) and Malcolm Floyd (3 rec, 47 yards) both pitched in for the Chargers in the passing game last night.  The Chargers finished up with 92 yards rushing (2.7 ypc) and 202 yards passing in this game.

Safety C.J. Spillman (7 tackles) and LB Darry Beckwith (7 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss) led a good effort by the Chargers’ D last night.  The Cowboys finished up with 54 yards rushing (2.3 ypc) and 140 yards passing on Saturday Night.

The Chargers had little problem in dominating the Bears on Saturday night.  Philip Rivers looked sharp completing 4 of 6 passes for 62 yards with 1 TD pass (a 28-yarder to Legedu Naanee).  Billy Volek looked so-so completing 7 of 14 passes for 77 yards.  Rookie 5th round pick Jonathan Crompton finished up the game at QB by completing 6 of 11 passes for 81 yards with 1 INT.  Rookie 1st round pick Ryan Mathews led the way on the ground for the Chargers in this game with 50 yards rushing on 9 carries (5.6 ypc).  Curtis Brinkley (5 car, 36 yards) and Mike Tolbert (6 car, 17 yards, TD) also pitched in on the ground for the Chargers in this game.  The Chargers spread the ball around pretty well in the passing game using 14 different receivers.  None of them caught more than two passes or had more than 36 yards.  The Chargers rushed for 120 yards (3.6 ypc) and they passed for 215 yards against the Bears.

LB Darry Beckwith (7 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss) and safety Steve Gregory (6 tackles) led the way for the D on Saturday night.  Safety Paul Oliver made a huge impact in this game with 1 tackle, 1 pass defensed, 1 fumble recovery and a interception.  The Bears finished up with 48 yards rushing (2.3 ypc) and 168 yards passing in this game.

27-year old RB Darren Sproles might be on the small side at 5’6″, 181 pounds.  But he has great speed and moves as he can go the distance any time he touches the ball.  Sproles played in 16 games for the Chargers last season and he returned 54 kickoffs for 1,300 yards (24.1 avg).  He has now played in 62 games in his four years with the Chargers and he has returned 207 kickoffs for 5,212 yards (25.2 avg) with 2 TD returns. 

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CHARGERS KICKOFF RETURNERS in 2010:  A

The Chargers will likely be without starting LT Marcus McNeill for a huge chunk of the 2010 season due to a contract holdout and he’s the best lineman on the team.  Philip Rivers won’t likely be near as comfortable in the pocket in 2010 as he was in 2009.  Brandyn Dombrowski, Tra Thomas, Tyrone Greene and Corey Clark will all battle in training camp for the LT job.  I think when the dust settles it will be Dombrowski covering Rivers’ blind side.  He played well last season at RT but LT is a harder position.  LG Kris Dielman has been to 3 straight Pro Bowls.  Dielman has good balance and he’s very aggressive in the running game.  Center Nick Hardwick gets by with his brains as he is a finesse position type of blocker.  RG Louis Vasquez is a good run blocker but he has issues with fast rushers in the passing game.  RT Jeromey Clary is a below average tackle but his competition would have likely been Dombrowski who is needed on the left side.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CHARGERS O-LINE in 2010:  C-

The Chargers have signed 27-year old OG Cameron Stephenson.  He is 6’3″, 326 pounds so he has nice size for the Pros but he has yet to get into a NFL game in his career.  He has bounced around from Pittsburgh to Jacksonville but no team has liked him enough to stick him on the field.  This was a depth signing and little more for the Chargers.

As hard as I might try I can’t blame Norv Turner for last year’s playoff loss to the Jets as Nate Kaeding is the lone goat.  Turner led the Chargers to a 13-3 (81.3%) record during the regular season but they lost their only playoff game 17-14 at home against the Jets.  Turner now has a 32-16 (66.7%) record during the regular season for the Chargers and he’s 3-3 (50%) in the post season.  Turner now has a career record of 90-98-1 (47.9%) in 12 years as a head coach and he’s 4-4 (50%) in the post-season.  I have never thought that Turner was much of a coach and I still don’t.  The Chargers should have at least made it to a Super Bowl one of the years that Turner was here just based on the talent on the field.

28-year old kicker Nate Kaeding missed some key kicks in the 17-14 playoff loss to the Jets last season which overshadows his great regular season.  He played in all 16 games for the Chargers last season and he made 32 of 35 fields goals (91.4%) and 50 of 51 extra points good for 146 points.  Kaeding has now played in 96 games in his NFL career and he has made 150 of 172 field goals (87.2%).  He has also made 303 of 305 extra points as he has 753 points in his career with the Chargers.  Kaeding has a big and accurate leg as he will remain a solid weapon for the Chargers in 2010.

28-year old Nick Novak likely won’t have much of a chance to make the Chargers in 2010 unless Kaeding gets hurt.  Novak last kicked in a regular season game in the NFL in 2008 with the Chiefs.  Novak has played in 22 games in his NFL career and he has made 19 of 30 (63.3%) of his field goals.  He has also made all 32 of his extra point attempts as he has 89 points in his NFL career.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CHARGERS KICKERS in 2010:  A

The Chargers have claimed 25-year old linebacker Ali Highsmith off waivers from the Cardinals.  Highsmith played in 14 games last season for the Cardinals and he had 13 tackles.  He has now played in 2 years in the NFL career appearing in 20 games and he has 17 tackles.  He projects as more of a special teams player than a defender.

UPDATE:  (8/13/2010) – The Chargers have released Highsmith.