The theme is depth



Dante Rosario hauls in one of his three touchdown receptions Sunday

 

During the 2012 offseason San Diego Chargers general manager A.J. Smith expressed his desire to bring in better backup players for the upcoming year. Loyal Chargers fans, many of whom had grown tired of Smith’s foolish transactions over the previous two seasons, rolled their eyes and laughed at what they perceived to be yet another example of the GM's incompetence. The fans wanted more marquee players, not inconsequential backups.

Well, with several “backup players”, two in particular, coming through with impressive performances in a 38-10 blowout triumph over the Tennessee Titans this past Sunday, the statement Smith made is beginning to make a lot of sense. With the comfortable victory in the home opener, which featured a tribute to the late, great Junior Seau, San Diego improved its record to 2-0.

All-Pro tight end Antonio Gates was sidelined with injured ribs, and his absence usually leaves the Chargers’ offense in a moribund state. No worries this time around, however, as backup tight end Dante Rosario, who saw very little action the week before, exploded with three huge touchdown receptions and finished the day as San Diego’s second-leading pass-catcher. But Rosario wasn’t alone in filling Gates’ immense void; fellow veteran backup Randy McMichael contributed with three catches for 31 yards, and rookie Ladarius Green hauled in his first career catch, which covered 31 yards.

The running game, which was a disaster during the 22-14 win over the Oakland Raiders in Week 1, received a jolt from veteran free agent pickup Jackie Battle. The fourth-string ball-carrier heading into the game, Battle came up huge in helping the Chargers pull away in the second half. He gained 69 yards and scored two touchdowns on 14 second-half carries.

“Obviously, we talk about our depth,” Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers told U-T San Diego’s Kevin Acee. “Unfortunately for the guys injured, we're having to challenge that depth early and find out about it. But it held up. Those guys, I've said all offseason about we've got more guys that love to play football.”

A huge challenge is forthcoming this Sunday, what with the undefeated Atlanta Falcons next on the schedule. The Falcons’ defense intercepted Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning three times in the first eight minutes of last night’s game and held on for a 27-21 win. Atlanta has a very good defense and explosive players on offense, so Rivers and the Chargers' offense will have to continue to protect the ball if San Diego hopes to stay in the game.