Gone is LaDainian Tomlinson and in his place will be rookie 1st round pick Ryan Mathews.  Mathews is a power back at 5’11″, 220 pounds out of Fresno State and the Chargers will likely give him a heavy workload right off the bat as his backup (Darren Sproles) is too small to take a pounding.  Plus he’s too valuable on special teams for the Chargers to also give him a heavy workload in the running game.  The Chargers’ running game will depend solely on Mathews this season as they really have no backup plan.

26-year old Darren Sproles is a electric player but he’s too small to take the pounding that an every down back must take.  Sproles played in all 16 games (2 starts) for the Chargers last season and he carried the ball 93 times for 343 yards (3.7 ypc) with 3 TD runs.  Sproles also caught 45 passes for 497 yards (11.0 avg) with 4 TD grabs last year.  That wasn’t it for Sproles either as he returned 26 punts for 183 yards (7.0 avg) with 1 TD return and he also returned 54 kickoffs for 1,300 yards (24.1 avg) last season.  Sproles has played in 62 games (2 starts) in his career with the Chargers in which he has carried the ball 199 times for 887 yards (4.5 ypc) with 6 TD runs and he has also caught 87 passes for 880 yards (10.1 avg) with 9 TD grabs.  Sproles also has returned 90 punts for 769 yards (8.5 avg) with 2 TD returns and he has returned 207 kickoffs for 5,212 yards (25.2 avg) with 2 TD returns.  Look for Sproles to continue to be a dynamic playmaker as long as his workload is watched pretty closely.

25-year old Marcus Mason got his first taste of the NFL last season with the Redskins.  He played in 10 games (0 starts) for them in which he carried the ball 32 times for 127 yards (4.0 ypc).  Mason also caught 6 passes for 58 yards (9.7 avg) last year.  Look for Mason to be a solid #3 RB for the Chargers in 2010.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CHARGERS RBs in 2010:  B-

28-year old Philip Rivers just continues to get better for the San Diego Chargers.  He played in all 16 games for the Chargers last year and he completed 317 of 486 passes (65.2%) for 4,254 yards with 28 TD passes and 9 INTs (104.4 QB Rating).  Rivers also carried the ball 26 times for 50 yards (1.9 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Rivers has now played in 68 games in his NFL career and he has completed 1,207 of 1,914 passes (63.1%) for 14,951 yards with 106 TD passes and 45 INTs (95.8 QB Rating).  Rivers also has carried the ball 139 times for 210 yards (1.5 ypc) with 2 TD runs in his career.  Rivers has a 46-18 (71.9%) record as the Chargers’ starting QB which is downright outstanding.  He is one of the smartest QBs in the NFL as he has excellent touch on the long ball.  His quick release reminds me a lot of Dan Marino’s.  Look for him to be in the Pro Bowl this year and maybe the Super Bowl if he can overcome having Norv Turner as his head coach.

34-year old Billy Volek is one of the better backup QBs in the NFL.  He played in 4 games for the Chargers last season and he completed 20 of 31 passes (64.5%) for 231 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT (84.2 QB Rating).  Volek also carried the ball 9 times for -9 yards (-1.0 ypc) last season.  Volek has now played in 34 games in his NFL career and he has completed 336 of 560 passes (60%) for 3,746 yards with 27 TD passes and 15 INTs (84.9 QB Rating).  Volek has also carried the ball 46 times for 38 yards (0.8 ypc) with 2 TD runs in his career.  Volek has a career record of a starting QB in the NFL of 3-7 (30%).

22-year old Jonathan Crompton will get to learn from Philip Rivers and Billy Volek while holding a clipboard.  He was the Chargers’ 5th round pick in April’s NFL Draft.  He has a nice little upside but a lot to learn before he’s ready to step under center in a real NFL game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CHARGERS QBs in 2010:  A

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

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

The early depth chart has last season’s backup Andrew Pinnock at the top of it but he will have a battle on his hands to hold onto the job.  Pinnock has the most size of the fullbacks on the Chargers’ roster right now as he is 5’10″, 250 pounds but he’s basically just a blocker.  Pinnock played in 10 games (3 starts) for the Chargers last season and he carried the ball 4 times for 1 yard (0.3 ypc).  He also caught 1 pass for 5 yards last season.  Don’t look for Pinnock to get the ball much in 2008 if he even wins the starting job in training camp.  Pinnock has now played in 42 games (3 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 18 times for 56 yards (3.1 ypc).  He also has caught 4 passes for 31 yards (7.8 avg) in his career to date.

Rookies Jacob Hester and Marcus Thomas will also be in the hunt at fullback.  Hester has the edge due to his size as Thomas only weighs 215 pounds.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  B-

With Michael Turner off to the Atlanta Falcons in free agency, the Chargers will look to a couple of draft picks to give LaDainian Tomlinson a break once in a while.  Make no mistake though, Tomlinson will be the focus of the Chargers’ offense once again in 2008.  He played in 16 games (all starts) last season for the Chargers and he carried the ball 315 times for 1,474 yards (4.7 ypc) with 15 TD runs.  He also caught 60 passes for 475 yards (7.9 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  The Chargers would be smart to start to lessen the workload on Tomlinson this season and they will likely do that if one of the rookie RBs step up.  Tomlinson has now played in 111 games (all starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 2,365 times for 10,650 yards (4.5 ypc) with 115 TD runs.  He has also caught 458 passes for 3,375 yards (7.4 avg) with 14 TD grabs.

Rookie Jacob Hester out of LSU is a power runner plain and simple.  He played in 14 games (13 starts) for LSU last season and he carried the ball 225 times for 1,103 yards (4.9 ypc) with 12 TD runs.  Hester also is a good enough blocker and receiver to possibly fit in at fullback on the Chargers.

Fellow rookie Marcus Thomas is also a power runner with nice hands in the passing game.  He will battle Hester and Darren Sproles for the backup carries on the Chargers this season.  Thomas isn’t the fastest runner around but he is one of the toughest between the tackles.

Darren Sproles is just a little guy but he has some great moves in the open field.  He also has the speed to go the distance on any play but his size makes him nothing more than a backup.  Sproles played in 15 games (0 starts) for the Chargers last season and he carried the ball 37 times for 164 yards (4.4 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He also caught 10 passes for 31 yards (3.1 avg).  Don’t look for Sproles to have a big role on the offense as he’s too valuable on special teams for the Chargers.  Sproles has now played in 30 games (0 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 45 times for 214 yards (4.8 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He also has caught 13 passes for 41 yards (3.2 avg).

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  A

I can’t think of any QB that would have played with a torn ACL in the playoffs like Rivers did against the Patriots in the playoffs.  That showed what kind of warrior he is.  Rivers doesn’t have the strongest arm and he’s not very mobile…..but he’s a winner and that’s all that matters.  Rivers does have nice touch on his passes and he gets rid of the football extremely fast which makes up for his lack of foot speed.  Rivers started all 16 games for the Chargers last season and he completed 277 of 460 passes (60.2%) for 3,152 yards with 21 TD passes and 15 interceptions (82.4 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 29 times for 33 yards (1.1 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Rivers could miss a little bit of time early this season because of his rehab from ACL surgery but Billy Volek is a really good backup QB.  Rivers has now played in 36 games (32 starts) in his NFL career and he has completed 578 of 950 passes (60.8%) for 6,688 yards with 44 TD passes and 25 interceptions (86.6 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 82 times for 76 yards (0.9 ypc) with 1 TD run.

Billy Volek is one of the better backup QBs in the NFL as he could start for some teams.  He might have to start a couple of games this season if Philip Rivers isn’t ready at the start of the season.  Volek has a strong arm but he’s not very mobile as he’s a classic dropback passer.  Volek played in 5 games (0 starts) for the Chargers last season and he completed 3 of 10 passes (30%) for 6 yards with 0 TD passes and 1 interception (0.0 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 11 times for -7 yards (-0.6 ypc) but most of those carries were kneel downs in Charger wins.  Volek will likely add some positive numbers to his career totals in 2008.  Volek has now played in 29 games (10 starts) in his NFL career and he has completed 316 of 529 passes (59.7%) for 3,515 yards with 26 TD passes and 14 interceptions (84.9 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 37 times for 47 yards (1.3 ypc) with 2 TD runs.

The Chargers were dangling #3 QB Charlie Whitehurst on draft day this year but no one bit on the bait.  Whitehurst did not play for the Chargers last season.  He has played in 2 games (0 starts) in his NFL career and he has yet to attempt a pass but he has carried the ball 2 times for 13 yards (6.5 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Casey Bramlet has been brought in to battle Whitehurst for the #3 job.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  B