The Chargers played really well last night offensively, but just about as poorly defensively and it almost cost them this game.  Philip Rivers was solid in this game as he completed 18 of 28 passes for 198 yards with 2 TD passes and 1 INT.  Billy Volek finished up the game and he looked solid in completing 9 of 17 passes for 123 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs.  His TD pass went to WR Bryan Walters (14 yarder) with 3 seconds left in the game!  Ryan Mathews led the way on the ground for the Chargers with 69 yards on 10 carries (6.9 ypc).  Mike Tolbert pitched in with 7 carries for 26 yards (3.7 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 27 yards (13.5 avg).  WRs Vincent Jackson (5 rec, 78 yards), Bryan Walters (5 rec, 61 yards, TD) and Malcom Floyd (5 rec, 52 yards, TD) led the way in the passing game for the Chargers in this game.  TE Antonio Gates also pitched in for the Chargers in this game with 2 grabs for 18 yards with a TD grab.  The Chargers finished up with 111 yards rushing on 21 carries (5.3 ypc) and they also completed 27 of 45 passes (60%) for 321 yards in this game.

The defense played poorly last night for the Chargers.  LB Donald Butler (5 tackles) and safety Steve Gregory (5 tackles) led the way for the Chargers’ D in this game.  LB Darryl Gamble recovered a fumble and he returned it 1 yard for a TD.  The Cardinals finished up with 167 yards rushing on 25 carries (6.7 ypc) and they also completed 19 of 30 passes (63.3%) for 264 yards in this game.  The Chargers are now 2-1 on the preseason.

The Chargers have signed 31-year old linebacker Kevin Bentley.  Bentley played in 13 games for the Texans last year and he had 55 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, 1 fumble recovery, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception.  He has now played in 132 games in his first 9 years in the NFL and he has 412 tackles, 12 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, 2 forced fumbles, 5 fumble recoveries, 9 passes defensed and 2 interceptions.  Bentley is a solid veteran linebacker who will help the Chargers out in 2011, providing them with quality depth.

UPDATE:  (9/4/2011) – The Chargers have released Kevin Bentley.

The San Diego Chargers would want to balance the offense a little bit more in 2011.  25-year old former fullback Mike Tolbert will be getting about a 50/50 split in carries with 24-year old Ryan Mathews in 2011.  Tolbert played in 15 games (4 starts) for the Chargers last year and he carried the ball 182 times for 735 yards (4.0 ypc) with 11 TD runs.  He also caught 25 passes for 216 yards (8.6 avg) last year.  Tolbert is a pure power runner who reminds me a lot of ex-Charger back Michael Turner.  Tolbert has now played in 44 games (14 starts) in his first three years in the NFL and he has carried the ball 220 times for 920 yards (4.2 ypc) with 12 TD runs.  He has also caught 55 passes for 579 yards (10.5 avg) with 4 TD grabs in his career.

24-year old Ryan Mathews played well as a rookie when he was healthy in 2010.  Mathews played in 12 games (9 starts) for the Chargers last year and he carried the ball 158 times for 678 yards (4.3 ypc) with 7 TD runs.  He also caught 22 passes for 145 yards (6.6 avg) last year.  Mathews has a nice upside but he’s going to have to fight Mike Tolbert for carries in 2011.

The Chargers picked 21-year old RB Jordan Todman out of Connecticut in the 6th round of the NFL draft last April.  He will likely be the #3 RB for the Chargers in 2011.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CHARGERS RBS IN 2011:  B-

The Chargers took advantage of a sloppy Cowboys team to get a nice road win last night.  Philip Rivers was sharp last night as he completed 8 of 11 passes for 92 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs.  Billy Volek was also efficient in completing 8 of 12 passes for 48 yards with 0 TD passes and 0 INTs.  Scott Tolzien finished up this game at QB by completing 4 of 5 passes for 12 yards.  Ryan Mathews led the way on the ground for the Chargers with 35 yards on 7 carries (5.0 ypc) with 1 TD run last night.  Rookie RB Jordan Todman pitched in with 5 carries for 27 yards (5.4 ypc) last night.  WR Vincent Jackson (3 rec, 49 yards) and TE Randy McMichael (3 rec, 24 yards, TD) led the way in the passing game for the Chargers last night.  The Chargers finished up with 92 yards on 26 carries (3.5 ypc) and they also completed 20 of 28 passes (71.4%) for 147 yards last night.

The defense was in bend but don’t break mode last night for the Chargers.  DE Vaughn Martin led the way for the Chargers’ D last night with 4 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks and 2 QB hits.  Safeties C.J. Wallace (4 tackles and a fumble recovery) and Eric Weddle (4 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception) also had good games for the Chargers last night.  LB Andrew Gachkar pitched in with 3 tackles and 1 fumble recovery in this game.  The Cowboys finished up with 109 yards rushing on 20 carries (5.5 ypc) and they also completed 25 of 42 passes (59.5%) for 204 yards last night.  The Chargers are now 1-1 on the year.

The Chargers have re-signed 32-year old linebacker Stephen Cooper.  Cooper played in 12 games for the Chargers last year and he had 43 tackles, 1 sack, 2 forced fumbles, 1 interception and 6 passes defensed.  He has now played in 120 games in his first 8 years with the Chargers and he has 502 tackles, 11 tackles for a loss, 9.5 sacks, 8 forced fumbles, 5 fumble recoveries, 31 passes defensed and 8 interceptions.  The Chargers were lucky that no other team snapped Cooper up in free agency because he’s still a good football player.

The Chargers will be without 31-year old WR Kelley Washington for the next six weeks due to a knee strain.  Washington caught 13 passes for 173 yards (13.1 avg) with 1 TD grab last year.  He has now played in 91 games (8 starts) in his first 8 years in the NFL and he has caught 120 passes for 1,500 yards (12.5 avg) with 12 TD grabs.  The Chargers have the depth at WR to cover up for the loss of Washington until he’s ready to return to action.

UPDATE:  (9/4/2011) – The Chargers have released Kelley Washington.

The Chargers’ starters played pretty well in this game as they were up 10-0 at the half.  That is when the roof caved in on them as the Seahawks looked inspired in the second half.  Philip Rivers was razor sharp last night as he completed 5 of 6 passes (83.3%) for 87 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs.  Billy Volek was so/so as he completed 6 of 10 passes (60%) for 39 yards without a TD or a INT.  Undrafted rookie Scott Tolzien had a rough introduction to the NFL.  He completed 5 of 12 passes (41.7%) for 64 yards with 0 TD passes and 0 INTs.  He also carried the ball 2 times for 8 yards (4.0 ypc) but he also lost a fumble.  Rookie RB Jordan Todman led the way on the ground for the Chargers last night with 30 yards rushing on 6 carries (5.0 ypc).  He also caught 4 passes for 21 yards (5.3 avg) last night.  Mike Tolbert carried the ball 2 times for -3 yards (-1.5 ypc) and he also caught an 8 yard pass that went for a TD.  WR Vincent Jackson looked sharp last night with 2 grabs for 54 yards (27.0 avg).  WR Bryan Walters was the star of the game for the Chargers last night.  He only caught 2 passes for 31 yards (15.5 avg) but he shined on special teams.  Walters returned 4 kickoffs for 179 yards (44.8 avg) including one that he returned 103 yards for a TD!  The Chargers could only muster 51 yards rushing on 18 carries (2.8 ypc) last night.  They also completed 16 of 28 passes (57.1%) for only 172 yards.  They only had possession of the football for a measly 24:28 in this game!

The defense was rock solid against the Seahawks’ running game as they held them to only 3.1 yards per carry.  The Seahawks rushed for 133 yards on 43 carries last night against the Chargers.  CB Ramon Broadway (9 tackles), LB Darryl Gamble (8 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 QB hit and 1 sack) and safety C.J. Wallace (7 tackles) led the way for the Chargers on D last night.  The Seahawks were semi-effective throwing the ball last night as they connected on 22 of 34 passes (64.7%) for 180 yards.  The end result was not pleasing but the regulars looked pretty sharp early in the game for the Chargers.

29-year old QB Philip Rivers is one of the most underrated QBs in all of football.  He played in 16 games (all starts) for the Chargers last year and he completed 357 of 541 passes (66%) for 4,710 yards with 30 TD passes and 13 INTs (101.8 QB Rating).  Rivers also carried the ball 29 times for 52 yards (1.8 ypc) last year.  Rivers might not look like the best QB around until he gets the ball in the air because it usually goes to the right guy.  Rivers has now played in 84 games (80 starts) in his first 7 years in the NFL and he has completed 1,564 of 2,455 passes (63.7%) for 19,661 yards with 136 TD passes and 58 INTs (97.2 QB Rating).  Rivers has also carried the ball 168 times for 262 yards (1.6 ypc) with 2 TD runs so far in his career.  Rivers is 55-25 (68.8%) as a starting QB during the regular season for the Chargers.

35-year old Billy Volek is back in 2011 to backup Philip Rivers at QB.  Volek played in 3 games (0 starts) for the Chargers last year and he completed his only pass attempt, good for 8 yards.  He also carried the ball 6 times for -5 yards (-0.8 ypc) last year for the Chargers.  Volek is one of the better backup QBs in the NFL so the Chargers are glad that he decided to return for 2011.  Volek has now played in 37 games (10 starts) in his 9 years in the NFL and he has completed 337 of 561 passes (60.1%) for 3,754 yards with 27 TD passes and 15 INTs (84.9 QB Rating).  Volek has also carried the ball 52 times for 33 yards (0.6 ypc) with 2 TD runs in his NFL career.  Volek is only 3-7 (30%) as a starting QB so far in his NFL career.  Don’t let the record fool you as Volek is a solid QB.

23-year old undrafted rookie Scott Tolzien out of Wisconsin will likely be the Chargers’ #3 QB in 2011.  They will just let him watch and learn from Rivers and Volek.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CHARGERS QBS IN 2011:  A+

The Chargers have re-signed 29-year old WR Malcom Floyd to a 2-year, #5 million dollar deal.  Floyd played in 11 games (9 starts) for the Chargers last year and he caught 37 passes for 717 yards (19.4 avg) with 6 TD grabs.  He has now played in 62 games (23 starts) in his first six years with the Chargers and he has caught 134 passes for 2,314 yards (17.3 avg) with 15 TD grabs.  Only some injuries kept Floyd from having a true breakout season for the Chargers.  If he can stay healthy in 2011, I’m predicting a huge season for Floyd.

The Chargers have signed 26-year old WR Laurent Robinson to a 1-year deal.  Robinson played in 14 games (11 starts) for the Rams last year and he caught 34 passes for 344 yards (10.1 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  He has now played in 38 games (20 starts) in his first four years in the NFL and he has caught 89 passes for 1,000 yards (11.2 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  This was a good signing for the Chargers as Robinson is a solid receiver when healthy.

UPDATE:  (9/4/2011) – The Chargers have released Laurent Robinson.