The Chargers got some help for the defense and the offensive line last April but they expected more out of this rookie crop.  OLB/DE Larry English (1st round, #16 overall) out of Northern Illinois was supposed to help out with the pass rush in 2009 but that didn’t happen.  He played in all 16 games for the Chargers last season and he made 36 tackles, forced 1 fumble, defensed 1 pass and he had 2 sacks.  OG Louis Vasquez (3rd round, #78 overall) out of Texas Tech was solid for the Chargers as he played and started in 14 games for them as a rookie.  DT Vaughn Martin (4th round, #113 overall) out of Western Ontario played in 10 games as a rookie for the Chargers and he made only 5 tackles.  OG Tyronne Green (4th round, #133 overall) out of Auburn only played in 3 games (0 starts) as a rookie last season for the Chargers.  RB Gartrell Johnson (4th round, #134 overall) out of Colorado State was cut by the Chargers before the season started despite being the leading rusher for them in the preseason.  Johnson was then signed by the Giants.  He played in 10 games for the Giants last season and he carried the ball 13 times for 43 yards (3.3 ypc).  He also caught 1 pass for 15 yards and he made 1 tackle for the Giants as a rookie.  The Chargers should have held onto Johnson.  Safety Kevin Ellison (6th round, #189 overall) out of USC was a steal for the Chargers late in the draft.  He played in 13 games in which he finished up with 52 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 sack and 3 passes defensed.  CB Brandon Hughes (5th round, #148 overall) out of Oregon State and WR Demetrius Byrd (7th round, #224 overall) out of LSU spent their rookie seasons on the Injured Reserve List.

GRADE FOR 2009:  C-

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  C

I put the blame for this loss almost all on Pro Bowl kicker Nate Kaeding who missed three chip shot field goals in this game.  But, I do have to dig on Norv Turner who once again choked in the playoffs despite having a much better team than the Jets.  Philip Rivers was a little off yesterday but he still managed to complete 27 of 40 passes for 298 yards with 1 TD pass and 2 INTs.  He also carried the ball 3 times for 4 yards (1.3 ypc) with a TD run.  Darren Sproles should have been used more in this game as he carried the ball 3 times for 33 yards (11.0 ypc) and he also caught 3 passes for 30 yards (10.0 avg).  Yesterday was probably LaDainian Tomlinson’s swan song for the Chargers and it’s a shame he didn’t show up.  He carried the ball only 12 times for 24 yards (2.0 ypc) and he also caught 3 passes for 0 yards.  Vincent Jackson led the way in the passing game for the Chargers yesterday with 7 grabs for 111 yards (15.9 avg).  Antonio Gates also had a solid game with 8 catches for 93 yards (11.6 avg) yesterday.  TE Kris Wilson only caught 1 pass for the Chargers yesterday but it went for a 13-yard TD.  The Chargers finished up with 344 total yards on offense in this game (61 rushing, 283 passing).

The Chargers’ D did not play too bad in this game until the end when the Jets’ running game resulted in some big plays.  Linebacker Stephen Cooper led the way for the Chargers yesterday with 9 tackles (1 tackle for a loss).  Safety Eric Weddle also had a solid game with 8 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack and 1 QB hit.  CB Quentin Jammer pitched in with 5 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 2 passed defensed and 1 interception.  The Jets finished up with 262 total yards in this game (169 rushing, 93 passing).  The Chargers season ends with the resounding thud once again.

The Jets are coming in on a hot streak but they have not played a team the caliber of the Chargers in quite some time.  The Chargers will likely come out of the locker-room throwing the ball with Philip Rivers attacking the Jets’ DBs with his very physical and tall WR and TE group.  Sure, CB Darrelle Revis will likely shut down one of the WRs (likely Vincent Jackson) on Sunday but he can’t cover everyone.  Antonio Gates, Malcolm Floyd and Legedu Naanee could all have huge games on Sunday especially if the Jets can’t get much pressure on Philip Rivers.  The Chargers would love to get a early lead in this game to force the Jets out of their running game offensively, forcing Mark Sanchez to beat them through the air.  LaDainian Tomlinson could have a hard time getting a lot of yards against the Jets’ front seven so they may turn to Darren Sproles who has the speed to get the corner against the Jets.

The keys to the defense will be trying to slow down the Jets’ running  game and to stop TE Dustin Keller who had a good game for them last weekend.  The Chargers need NT Ian Scott and LBs Kevin Burnett and Stephen Cooper to control the middle of the field.  Because if the Jets are gashing the Chargers up the middle with Shonn Greene and Thomas Jones in the running game the Chargers could be in some trouble.  Safeties Eric Weddle and Kevin Ellison will be on the spot to deal with Dustin Keller of the Jets.  If the Chargers can force the Jets to throw the ball they will be in great shape.

PREDICTION:  CHARGERS 27, JETS 20

28-year old Philip Rivers keeps getting better and that should be scary to the Chargers’ opponents in the playoffs and in the future.  He played in all 16 games for the Chargers this season and he completed 317 of 486 passes (65.2%) for 4,524 yards with 28 TD passes and 9 INTs (104.4 QB Rating).  He 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 only 45 INTs (95.8 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 139 times for 210 yards (1.5 ypc) with 2 TD runs in his career.  The best is yet to come for Rivers who will likely lead the Chargers to a Super Bowl win in the very near future.

33-year old Billy Volek is one of the best back-up QBs in the NFL.  He played in 4 games for the Chargers this season and he completed 20 of 31 passes (64.5%) for 231 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT (84.2 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 9 times for -9 yards (-1.0 ypc) this 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).  He has also carried the ball 46 times for 38 yards (0.8 ypc) with 2 TD runs in his career.  Volek would start for a lot of teams in the NFL so the Chargers are very happy to have him backing up Philip Rivers.

The Chargers have signed 29-year old linebacker Dontarrious Thomas.  Thomas did not play in the NFL during the 2009 season.  He has played in 63 games in his NFL career and he has made 144 tackles, defensed 2 passes, has 1.5 sacks and he has forced 1 fumble.  The main job for Thomas during the playoffs will likely be on special teams for the Chargers.