The 2010 season in San Diego was one to forget. Things got off to a rocky start from the get go with one of their biggest offensive weapons, Vincent Jackson, getting locked in a contract dispute with the front office. Coming off a Pro Bowl year in 2009, Jackson sat out through the first 10 weeks of the season, the maximum allowed before a player loses a year towards free agency. First round pick, running back Ryan Matthews, was shaken up by injuries throughout the season and never was much of a factor. Pro Bowl tight end Antonio Gates missed extended time tearing the plantar fascia in his foot. Special teams debacles made headlines many weeks. Field goals and punts were blocked at alarming rate. Penalties and fumbles on run backs killed momentum. Long-time special teams coach Steven Crosby was let go after the season as a result. A 2-5 start doomed San Diego and they missed the playoffs with a 9-7 record.
One of the brightest spots in a disappointing season was the play of quarterback. Despite the absence of several of his weapons, Philip Rivers made San Diego the top ranked offense and amassed over 4,000 yards passing and 30 touchdowns. The play of Mike Tolbert was a pleasant surprise. A short, thick running back, Tolbert gained over 700 yards, scored 11 touchdowns, and even caught 25 passes. Malcolm Floyd filled the void left by Vincent Jackson as big play receiver nearly averaged 20 yards per reception to go along with 6 TDs. The return of Vincent Jackson, better health for Gates and Matthews, along with the guys who filled in for them last year could make the San Diego offense even more explosive in 2011 if they can cut down on the mental errors.
As much credit as the Charger offense gets, the defense was vastly overlooked last year. San Diego finished first in passing yards allowed (177.8 yards/game) and fourth in rushing yards allowed (93.8 yards/game). It is unlikely they will be able to repeat this performance with defensive coordinator Ron Rivera leaving to become the head coach of the Carolina Panthers. San Diego is hoping to offset the loss of Rivera with an impressive safety tandem. Hard hitting and injury prone Bob Sanders was signed right before the lockout went into place. Many thought this insured the departure of free agent Eric Weddle, but he returned to the team some months later. A major blow came during training camp when middle linebacker Stephen Cooper suffered a torn bicep. Cooper will try to play through the injury, but with the physicality required to play the linebacker position, especially in a 3-4, it is unlikely he will make it through the season and will require surgery. Veteran Takeo Spikes will likely take Cooper’s spot in the lineup if he is unable to go. If the defense would like to continue the stellar play exhibited last year, young players LB Larry English and CB Antoine Cason need to continue to progress.
Although the defense should take a few steps back this year, the San Diego Chargers will still complete for the AFC West division title this year. The offense is too explosive and has too many weapons for many teams to match up with them. After their poor start last year, the Chargers came on down the stretch finishing 7-2 in the last 9 games. This was a team that simply shot themselves in the foot way too many times and had several bad breaks. By limiting their mistakes and taking better care of the football, expect San Diego to be the class of their division and return to the playoffs.
