Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Causes for concern



Greg Gatson
The San Diego Chargers got off to a good start by beating the hated division rival Oakland Raiders in the season opener this past Monday night. Still, San Diego possesses one extremely glaring weakness and a potential disaster on the horizon that could make the team playoff-less for the third straight season.
The 2006 season, during which LaDainian Tomlinson had an MVP campaign, seems so long ago when one thinks about how poor the Chargers’ run-blocking unit has been over the last handful of years. If the first game of the 2012 season is any sign of what’s to come, then San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers will have to carry the offense on his back once again. Collectively, the Chargers’ running backs ran for an embarrassing 22 yards on 17 carries. Curtis Brinkley was the leading rusher, finishing the night with 12 yards on 10 carries. That output is just downright unacceptable.

Although the defense stepped up and showed a ton of promise, the cornerback position, which was very thin on the depth chart to begin with, took a major hit, as Quentin Jammer broke one of his hands and Shareece Wright sprained an ankle. Jammer is expected to play this Sunday in the home opener against Tennessee. How effective he’ll be is a huge question mark. Wright, on the other hand, could be out this Sunday and perhaps the ensuing weeks. That means the Chargers will likely pull undrafted rookie Greg Gatson up from the practice squad. Gatson is listed at 5-11, 165 pounds. Yikes. If Wright isn’t able to make a quick recovery, things could get real inauspicious for San Diego’s secondary.
As joyful as Monday night’s victory was, Chargers fans should not relax. The run-blocking has to improve, and the cornerbacks need to hold up. Let’s hope for a win against the Titans.

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