Archives
When the Cowboys and Eagles square off Sunday night in an otherwise meaningless game against the Philadelphia Eagles, and it burns me to say this, a loss is what every true Cowboys fan should be hoping for. I say this despite the fact that someho…
The Oakland Raiders and the San Diego Chargers start a new chapter in their long and bitter rivalry Sunday as the Chargers travel to the Black Hole to take on their greatest enemy for the first time in the 2010 season.
The Chargers enter this game havi…
Those who have been following the storyline of Albert Haynesworth in 2010 know he has fallen out of favor with the organization, especially with head coach Mike Shanahan. The man who was signed to a $115 million contract, including $41 million guarante…
The Denver Broncos were all smiles through the first 6 weeks of the 2009 season when they got off to a fast 6-0 start. But those smiles were quickly wiped off their faces when they lost eight of their final 10 games and missed the playoffs.
Improving on last season’s 8-8 record will not be an easy task for head coach Josh McDaniels, especially without last year’s two best players. Pro Bowl wide receiver Brandon Marshall, who caught 101 passes for 1,120 yards and 10 scores, is now a Miami Dolphin, and first-team All-Pro linebacker Elvis Dumervil, who led the NFL with 17 sacks, could miss the entire 2010 season with a torn pectoral muscle.
Offense: The Broncos were just the 20th-best scoring offense in the NFL last season, averaging 20.4 points per game. Led by quarterback Kyle Orton, they did most of their damage through the air. Orton put together a solid 3,802-yard, 21 touchdown season while leading the 13th-best passing offense in the NFL.
Despite the additions of Brady Quinn and Tim Tebow, Orton is expected to remain the starter. However, his leash will likely be short. Whoever is getting the snaps will certainly miss having a playmaker like Marshall. His departure opens the door for Eddie Royal to have a big season. The team is also expecting big things from first round draft pick Demaryius Thomas.
The Broncos would like to run the football better to take some of the pressure off of their quarterback, but that could be hard to do with such an inexperienced line. Knowshon Moreno and Correll Buckhalter are promising backs, but they could find yards tough to come by while running behind a pair of likely rookie starters in J.D. Walton and Zana Beadles. The Broncos are hoping left tackle Ryan Clady, who suffered an offseason knee injury, will be ready for the opener.
Defense: The Broncos finished a respectable 12th in terms of scoring defense last season, but that stat is a bit deceiving when you consider how poorly the defense performed down the stretch. In fact, the Broncos allowed 27 or more points in seven of their last 10 games.
Led by the ferocious pass rusher Dumervil, the Broncos did rank No. 3 in the NFL in pass defense, allowing only 186.3 yards per game through the air. Having a pair of Pro Bowl defensive backs like Champ Bailey and Brian Dawkins didn’t hurt matters either. But we will likely see Denver’s pass defense struggle now that Dumervil could miss the season.
Denver’s biggest weakness was its run defense. The Broncos ranked No. 26 in the league against the run, giving up 128.7 yards per game. They were in desperate need of a big run stuffer in the trenches, and they were able to land ex-Charger Jamal Williams.
Prediction: 3rd AFC West – Losing a playmaker like Marshall hurts, and now the team has been dealt an even bigger blow with the injury to Dumervil. Without these two key guys, I can’t see the Broncos challenging the Chargers. I also think it will be difficult for them to hold off the Raiders now that Oakland has upgraded the quarterback position. Check out all of my division winners picks in my 2010 NFL predictions preview.
Jimmy Boyd’s expert NFL picks will keep you crushing the NFL odds all season long!
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
There have been a lot of small questions popping up about the San Diego Chargers and the direction of their 2010 season in the last few months.
How will Jamal Williams be replaced?
What will the team do without Vincent Jackson? Without Marcus McNeill?
When Will Shawne Merriman report?
However, two big questions have loomed over the Chargers and their fans since the beginning of last season, and they are the two questions that keep people like me up at night in cold sweats.
The first concerns the Chargers’ running game. What happened to it? How will they fix it?
What happened to it is a clouded story. Depending on who you ask, you will get a number of different answers.
The first answer, one that a Chargers personnel man will give you, is that San Diego has become a pass first team. Philip Rivers is undoubtedly in charge of this team, and the fact that he is getting a lot of attention now has contributed to the drop in production.
The second answer, one that most fans will give you, is that the Chargers lacked a truly productive back.
They will tell you that LaDainian Tomlinson isn’t the player he used to be (which is true to a certain extent), and that Darren Sproles can only do so much. This answer, like the previous one, holds some merit. LT isn’t the running back he used to be, and a back as small as Darren Sproles can only take so much punishment.
However, neither of these answers seem to account for the fact that the Chargers were a dismal 31st in the league in rushing in 2009. Here’s one that might.
The simple fact is that, when the Norv Turner regime began in San Diego, the Chargers’ running game changed.
Turner, renowned for his ability to build successful quarterbacks, turned San Diego into a passing team. This did not just affect the amount of snaps given to running backs, but it changed the way that wide receivers and offensive lineman blocked, and it changed the way the Chargers used sets and personnel (like fullbacks).
So, will the addition of Ryan Mathews change this?
The answer isn’t so black and white.
Yes, Mathews will help. He will complement Darren Sproles very well, and will be able to pick up tough yardage on third-and-short situations.
At the same time, though, the offensive philosophy won’t change, and that could potentially hold the Chargers’ rushing offense back a little bit.
The second question concerns the defense. Mainly, everyone is wondering just exactly where it went. The rushing defense last year was poor at best, and the passing defense hasn’t been much better.
Since the amazing turnover and sack production in both 2006 and 2007, the Chargers’ defense has failed to stun teams, but rather has old enemies licking their chops.
Some of this can be attributed to personnel problems.
Jamal Williams, defensive tackle extraordinaire, spent a lot of time out or slowed by injury. Quentin Jammer and Eric Weddle were the only constants in the secondary. Shawne Merriman has been recovering from an ugly knee injury.
Some of the problem can also be attributed to coaching changes. Ted Cotrell was fired mid-season in 2008 and was replaced by former Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera.
Rivera is a great coordinator, but his previous experience was with running a 4-3 and Tampa Two defense, vastly different from the Chargers’ 3-4.
The transition had its hitches, but Rivera seems to really be taking hold of his defense.
That is the first in a list of positives that seem to say that the Chargers’ defense has the chance to really perform once again.
With a new, promising safety in Darrell Stuckey and great competition brewing with Quinton Teal, Paul Oliver, and Steve Gregory, a new and rejuvenated defensive backfield should emerge.
Shawne Merriman is also one year removed from his knee injury, which should mean that he will begin returning to true form. If not, Larry English and Jyles Tucker have proven quite capable so far this year.
Jamal Williams has been replaced by Cam Thomas, the 330 lb monster from North Carolina.
Everything seems to be looking up for the Chargers defense, so, will the defense return to form?
Maybe not to the level everyone saw in 2006 and 2007, but this certainly will not be a defense to take lightly.
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
