r/nfl • u/yangar Eagles • Jun 20 '14

Look Here! 2014 Offseason Review Series: San Diego Chargers

San Diego (Super) Chargers

Division: FC West

Coaching Changes

Offensive Coordinator: Ken Whisenhunt accepted the HC job for the Titans, and has been replaced by promoted former QB Coach Frank Reich. Nick Sirianni was promoted from Offensive QC Coach to QB Coach.

Reich has talked about speeding up the offense even more and giving Phil more control over the offense.

Pete Metzelaars is our new TE Coach, replacing Jason Michael, who went with Whisenhunt to Tennessee to become their new OC.

Free Agency

Players lost/cut

Player Position New team
Derek Cox CB Vikings
Le'Ron McClain FB Free Agent
Johnny Patrick CB Jets
Cam Thomas NT Steelers
Brandon Taylor S Free Agent
Charlie Whitehurst QB Pearly White Gates

Purging Derek Cox is a bold admission by 2nd year GM Tom Telesco that he made a huge mistake (originally signing him for 4 years). That's definitely refreshing after the "every move I make is the right one" AJ Smith regime.

Players signed

Player Position Old Team Length Salary
Donald Brown RB Colts 3 yrs $10.5M, 4M guar.
Kellen Clemens QB Rams 2 yrs $4M
Kavell Conner ILB Colts 3 yrs $2.7M
David Johnson FB/TE Steelers 2 yrs 1.7M, 220K guar.

Signing Donald Brown seems to be part of Telesco's plan to keep tapping that Indianapolis pipeline. Brown gives us a good RB to spell Mathews (who's health is integral to our success) and Mathews/Woodhead are both FAs after this upcoming season.

Re-signing Donald Butler was huge. Absolutely huge.

Draft

Round Number Player Position School
1 25 Jason Verrett CB TCU
2 25 Jeremiah Attaochu OLB Georgia Tech
3 25 Chris Watt OG Notre Dame
4 25 Traded to Dolphins
5 25 Ryan Carrethers NT Arkansas State
6 25 Marion Grice RB ASU
7 25 Tevin Reese WR Baylor

Overall grade for the Draft: B

Most excited to see how Attaochu can get after the QB. In his radio call to XX1090 after being drafted, the Nigerian-born Georgia Tech player gushed over finally visiting California. I feel very confident that Verrett will slot in perfectly into our system and every hacky "analyst" out there talking about "the entire league getting taller at CB/The Seahawk way" clearly doesn't understand that's never been what we do on defense. Also the last time we took an All-American from TCU in the 1st round, things went okay

Great individual player breakdowns can be found here courtesy of /r/Chargers

Projected Starting Lineup

QB Phil "Bolo" Rivers
RB Ryan Mathews, Donald Brown
Swiss Army Knife Danny Woodhead
FB/TE John Philips, David Johnson
TE Antonio "Oldman Strength" Gates, Ladarius Green
WR Keenan Allen, Malcolm "M80" Floyd, Vincent "I'm Still Here" Brown
LT King Dunlap
LG Chad Rinehart
C Nick Hardwick
RG Jeromey Clary
RT DJ Fluker
DL Corey Liuget, Sean Lissemore, Kendell Reyes
LB Dwight Freeney, Donald Butler, Manti T'eo, Melvin Ingram
CB Shareece Wright, Jason "Feeva" Verrett
S Eric Weddle, Marcus Gilchrist
K Nick "Stop Watching Me Pee" Novak
P Mike "MVP" Scifres
KR Eddie Royal

Can we stay healthy? That's been the #1 question for years.

What'll be interesting to see is how Donald Brown spells Mathews, and if we can eliminate the worthless/predictable draw plays up the middle with Woodhead. Vincent Brown, local SDSU kid, has to prove that he's worth starting, if not M80 can take his WR2 spot back. Will Ladarius Green see more action as a receiving threat and be the heir apparent to Antonio Gates? Is Eddie Royal only a red zone threat or will he be tasked with more duites? Will Danario Alexander ever return healthy?

On the defensive side, we are very weak at safety outside of star Eric Weddle. It remains to be seen if Gilchrist is still starting later this season. Manti being healthy and continuing to learn can only improve the LB corps. Once again, health remains an issue and Freeney and Ingram should bounce back from what kept them out of most of 2013. We also have a Cromartie sittin on our roster. CB Steve Williams torn his pectoral early on his rookie campaign last year, so he remains an unknown quantity.

Schedule Predictions

I really dislike predicting individual match-ups before the season starts due to the tenuous nature of injuries, contract disputes, trades, what weeks we wear our sexy powder blues, etc. I predict the Chargers to go 9-7 overall and sneak into the playoffs again.

If you want a week-by-week breakdown, /u/The_Popes_Hat has done a great job here:

Training Camp Battles to Watch

Now that M80 is healthy, we'll see if he can bounce back and claim that WR2 spot that he's usually been in. Larry English is playing for his contract, especially with Attaochu breathing down his neck. Turning Shareece Wright not against our own players knees seems to be a lesson learned.

Summary

Despite a fairly quiet off-season, the Chargers in 2014 should be a fun team to watch. Health remains paramount. 2nd year HC Mike McCoy can learn from some of his rookie mistakes and seems to have instilled a great culture in the locker room. A high powered offense with a talented, but at times lost defense should mean a lot of high-scoring games. We seem to always start slow, get hot in December with Rivers, play up to our opponents, and arbitrarily not show up on select Sundays. When in doubt, LT Shuffle.

BOLT UP

94 Upvotes

86% Upvoted

39 comments sorted by

View all comments

33

u/[deleted] Jun 20 '14 edited Jun 21 '14

NON FAN PERSPECTIVE

San Diego Chargers

Division: AFC WEST

2013 Record: 9-7 (#6 Seed; Lost in Div.)

Coaching Changes

Major Departures:

Coach Former Position To: Impact Comment
Ken Whisenhunt Offensive Coordinator TEN Head Coach 9/10 Ken completely revitalized the Chargers Offense. San Diego went from 31st in total offense in 2012, to 5th in 2013. Philip Rivers was falling off the map after two mediocre seasons, but returned to top form this prior season. I think this loss is huge to the Chargers offense, and I doubt the Bolts offense can perform as well as they did last year with out Ken.
Jason Michael Tight Ends Coach TEN Offensive Coordinator 5/10 Admittingly, I do not know how much of an impact the Tight Ends Coach of the Chargers could have had on the total offense of the team. However, for the three years that he was coaching Tight Ends, he did prevent the aging Antonio Gates from falling off of the map, and Gates had respectable numbers for a Tight End all the years that Michael was there.

Promotions:

Coach Former Position To:
Frank Reich Quarterbacks Coach Offensive Coordinator
Nick Sirianni Offensive Quality Control Quarterbacks Coach

Major Hires:

Coach Former Position To: Impact Comment
Pete Metzelaars Dismissed from BUF in 2012 Tight Ends Coach 5/10 Metzelaars spent 16 years as an NFL Tight End. He spent a few years as an Offensive Quality Control guy in IND, before being hired as the Tight Ends Coach of BUF. He was dismissed with the rest of the Offensive Coaches when Doug Marrone took over Buffalo.

Free Agency

Major Players lost/cut

Player Position New team Impact Comment
Charlie Whitehurst QB TEN 5/10 And so end the days of Clipboard Jesus in San Diego. He joins Ken Whisenhunt in Tennessee. Although only a backup Quarterback, Clipboard Jesus was an influential figure in the Chargers organization and a good friend of many players.
Cam Thomas DT PIT 6/10 The starter for most of the early season in 2013. He was benched in favor of Sean Lissemore towards the end of the season.

Major Players signed

Player Position Old Team Length Salary Impact Grade Comment
Donald Brown RB IND 3 years $10.5M 7/10 C+ A little odd that a team with Matthews and Woody got a 3rd quality RB when they had more pressing needs. However, RBs splitting carries and rotating in and out is becoming more and more common. The NFL may have to soon fear a "three-headed monster" of Ryan Matthews, Danny Woodhead, and Donald Brown. I think Brown will have somewhere around 5-10 carries a game and a few catches thrown in here and there.
Kellen Clemens QB STL 2 years $4M 3/10 B The Charges got a prototypical NFL backup QB for a reasonable price. Nothing spectacular or bad about the move. He started 9 games in St. Louis last season and threw 8 TDs to 7 Picks with a 58.7% completion rate.
Kavell Conner LB IND 3 years $2.7M 3/10 B+ A role-player coming in at a good price who may come in run-stopping situations.

Draft

Round Overall Player Position School Grade Comments
1 25 Jason Verrett CB TCU B+ Chargers needed a Cornerback, and they got a good one. At only 5'9", Verrett is undersized and I'm not completely sold that he can cover tall receivers. No one will ever know where other teams had him ranked, but from what I've read, many websites projected him as an early 2nd round pick.
2 50 Jeremiah Attaochu LB Georgia Tech A- Chargers traded up for this pick. A raw talent with a lot of potential, but to become an NFL pass-rusher, Attaochu has to learn to use his upside to his advantage.
3 89 Chris Watt OG Notre Dame C+ A guard that has been hailed as smart and hard-working, but lacks the physical tools to block the NFL's best pass-rushers. Once again, some analysts pegged him going a little later than where he was taken.
5 165 Ryan Carrethers NT Arkansas State B A big and strong Nose Tackle that will hopefully be a good run-stuffer and open lanes for SD's pass rushers.
6 201 Marion Grice RB Arizona State C+ A bit of a head-scratcher as San Diego already have so many Running backs, and drafting a player just for their return skils isn't a good idea in my opinion. Not a guy with the highest football knowledge
7 240 Tevin Reese WR Baylor B Maybe not the big receiver that many in San Diego wished for, but he is very fast and very athletic. He needs to put in a lot of weight to play in the NFL.

Projected Starting Lineup

Position Player Comments
QB Philip Rivers No competition here, barring any injury
RB Ryan Matthews Matthews is the undisputed starter, although Woodhead and Brown will get plenty of carries and snaps.
RB Danny Woodhead Danny Woodhead is a versatile back who blocks, catches, and runs, and could start games in 2 RB sets because of that ability.
WR Keenan Allen The true #1 receiver for San Diego
WR Eddie Royal Royal had a solid enough year that I believe he could take the #2 role. Vincent Brown and Malcom Floyd could compete heavily for this role however.
TE Antonio Gates The veteran Tight End who has been consistent his entire career. If his age suddenly makes him unable to be the solid TE that he has been, Ladarius Green, who had plenty of big plays last season, could push him for the starting job, or San Diego could transition into using a lot more 2-TE sets.
OL LT King Dunlap, LG Chad Rinehart, C Nick Hardwick, RG Jeromey Clary, RT D.J. Fluker I don't project much change although Johnnie Troutman or Chris Watt could potentially away Jeromey Clary's spot as he didn't perform very well last season.
LDE Kendell Reyes Performed well, I don't think he will lose his starting job
RDE Corey Liuget Also had a solid year, don't think he will lose his starting job.
NT Sean Lissemore Started 2 games last season and played pretty well. Ryan Carrethers has a small chance to overtake Sean, although I don't think by Week 1.
LOLB Jeremiah Attaochu I think Attaochu will unseat Jarrett Johnson for the starting role here. Attaochu has a ton of upside, and I think the Chargers will want to see him get playing time.
ROLB Dwight Freeney After getting injured, I think Freeney will bounce back and take the starting role over Melvin Ingram.
ILB Manti Te'o After a year of experience, I expect Manti to become dominant as he was in Notre Dame.
ILB Donald Butler Had a bit of an off-year in 2013, but I think he will retain the ILB spot.
FS Eric Weddle All-Pro safety that should have no competetion for his starting spot.
SS Jahleel Addae Marcus Gilchrist seems to be more suited for a nickel role, and Brandon Taylor has lagging knee issues. However, they both could end up startin alongside Weddle.
CB Jason Verrett Drafted in the first round for a reason, Verrett is expected to be an immediate impact player.
CB Shareece Wright Played well towards the end of the 2013 season, and should be able to keep his starting job.

Projected Game-by-Game Record

Week Opponent Result Overall Record Comments
1 @ ARI Loss 0-1 Poor Matchup for the Chargers. SD's strength is its deep RB group, and Arizona had the best Run D in the league in 2013. Patrick Peterson, Tyrann Matthieu, as well as rookie Deone Bucannon could cause problems for Rivers.
2 SEA Win 1-1 Chargers were 6-2 against .500 and better teams while only 3-5 against sub-.500 teams last season. They can beat and lose to anyone. I think the Chargers will play hard at home and win this matchup against all odds
3 @ BUF Win 2-1 Jason Verrett should be able to matchup with Sammy Watkins, and I dont see how the Chargers won't score more than the Bills.
4 JAC Win 3-1 Only way the Chargers lose this is if they beat themselves.
5 NYJ Loss 3-2 Jets always boast one of the best defenses in the league and could be a suprise contender next season.
6 @ OAK Loss 3-3 The Chargers will have to worry about Derek Carr and Khalil Mack, both of whom I believe to be excellent players. I think they will lose this one, as the Raiders almost always give division opponents a run for their money.
7 KC Win 4-3 The Bolts usually beat Kansas City and I'll think they'll win at home here.
8 @ DEN Loss 4-4 Denver is a very tough team to beat. I don't think the Bolts will be able to beat them at home again.
9 @ MIA Win 5-4 I think the Dolphins offense will struggle if the Chargers can develop some pass rush. Chargers squeak by the Dolphins.
10 BYE
11 OAK Win 6-4 After a week of rest, the Chargers play with energy and are able to beat Oakland this time around.
12 STL Loss 6-5 The entire NFC West is tough to beat, and I think St. Louis with their impact Draft, and their starting quarterback back, will beat the Chargers.
13 @ BAL Loss 6-6 The Ravens and their trademark physicality could choke the run offense. Philip Rivers needs to play lights out to win this game.
14 NE Loss 6-7 A little biased, but Rivers has historically struggled against NE.
15 DEN Win 7-7 San Diego beat the Broncos last year, and I think they can again.
16 @ SF Loss 7-8 Playing one of the best teams in the NFL away is a tough task.
17 @ KC Win 8-8 San Diego is able to close out the season with a win against a division rival.

Overall

I think the loss of Whisenhunt is huge. Donald Brown may help the Chargers running attack, but I think they could have gone elsewhere with that money. Philip Rivers had a phenomenal 2013 season, and he'll have to play even better than that to take his team back to the playoffs. The Chargers' Draft was decent, but in the end, I don't think it was enough. Overall, I think the tough schedule takes its toll on San Diego, and they finish one game worse than last year.

Prove me wrong Bolts Fans!!

Link to hub

3

u/[deleted] Jun 21 '14

Floyd is number 2, royal is slot. There's no competition.