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San Diego, CA (SD-UT) As the season approaches we wanted to look at the 5 most intriguing story lines for the upcoming year.
How will the Chargers fill the production that Vincent Jackson brought for so many years?
No one player will be able to fill the great production he gave us but as an organization we have lots of confidence in the guys we picked up in free agency and other guys we have who we believe can take on a bigger role. Although we don't have a star at the position we feel like we got younger, faster and more versatile. We believe that the addition of Robert Meachem gives us that deep threat that Norv Turner always likes and needs in his offense. While the addition of Eddie Royal may not be a sexy one, he will give us something we never have had and that's an explosive slot option, no more down the field or nothing for the Chargers. The wild card of this group however is Vincent Brown, He may not have great speed or size but his combination of great hands, elite quickness and how well he competes for the ball a favorite of Phillip Rivers and could end up beating one of these other play makers out for a job.
How will the loss of Kris Dielman effect the Chargers offensive line and who replaces him?
Many people may be overlooking this loss as Dielman was the emotional and physical leader of this group. No longer will the offensive line be a strong point for the Chargers. The tentative replacement for Dielman is Tyronne Green, while he does give the Chargers pretty good athleticism at the left guard spot, he really lacks the anchor and toughness that Dielman gave. The future at this position may come in a trade or draft because we don't have 100% faith in Tyronne's abilities.
How soon will rookies Melvin Ingram and Kendall Reyes get a major role on the team?
Both these rookies have been impressive since day one and look to be figure majorly into a long term plans. When we drafted Melvin the one thing we loved about him was his versatility, he may not be a starter at outside linebacker week 1 but we guarantee that he will figure majorly into our 3rd Down defense as a pass rusher and their will be times where we line him up at inside linebacker and use his great instincts and athleticism. Kendall Reyes on the other hand we expect to battle with Vaughn Martin at the right end spot and at minimum we will use Kendall's rare athleticism to help out pass rush.
Who wins the Nose Tackle job?
One place we feel really good about as far as competition goes is the Nose Tackle position, very few teams have 3 guys that they feel really good about. The incumbent starter is Antonio Garay who has shown some really good pass rush ability for a Nose but struggled last year versus the run, If there is a long shot to win the job it would be him. Last year Cam Thomas really came on as a player and is definitely the future of this group and has the potential to be one of the best Nose tackles in the NFL with his rare movement skills for a 335 pounder but will he play up to his talent? The last guy is NFL Veteran and former Pro Bowler Aubrayo Franklin. Aubrayo had a down year last year but will his switch back to a 3-4 defense help him become the run stuffer he was 2 years ago? if so expect him to win the job.
Who starts opposite Pro Bowler Eric Weddle?
The Chargers brought in 2 new guys to compete at the position to give the group more athleticism and more physicallity, something the Strong Safety position for the Chargers has really lacked for a while now. The more physical of the 2 former Packer and Seahawks veteran Atari Bigby looks to win the job as he could give the Chargers a more physical presence and give Eric Weddle the freedom to use his great coverage ability. The Chargers also Drafted LSU Safety Brandon Taylor in the third round of this year's draft to give the Chargers more athleticism and range at the position but also who has some physicallity to his game. If Taylor shows he has some ability to cover tight ends and ability to play the run well early on expect him to win the job if not expect him to see time only in the sub package as a rookie.
What do you guys think is the most intriguing story line?
How will the Chargers fill the production that Vincent Jackson brought for so many years?
No one player will be able to fill the great production he gave us but as an organization we have lots of confidence in the guys we picked up in free agency and other guys we have who we believe can take on a bigger role. Although we don't have a star at the position we feel like we got younger, faster and more versatile. We believe that the addition of Robert Meachem gives us that deep threat that Norv Turner always likes and needs in his offense. While the addition of Eddie Royal may not be a sexy one, he will give us something we never have had and that's an explosive slot option, no more down the field or nothing for the Chargers. The wild card of this group however is Vincent Brown, He may not have great speed or size but his combination of great hands, elite quickness and how well he competes for the ball a favorite of Phillip Rivers and could end up beating one of these other play makers out for a job.
How will the loss of Kris Dielman effect the Chargers offensive line and who replaces him?
Many people may be overlooking this loss as Dielman was the emotional and physical leader of this group. No longer will the offensive line be a strong point for the Chargers. The tentative replacement for Dielman is Tyronne Green, while he does give the Chargers pretty good athleticism at the left guard spot, he really lacks the anchor and toughness that Dielman gave. The future at this position may come in a trade or draft because we don't have 100% faith in Tyronne's abilities.
How soon will rookies Melvin Ingram and Kendall Reyes get a major role on the team?
Both these rookies have been impressive since day one and look to be figure majorly into a long term plans. When we drafted Melvin the one thing we loved about him was his versatility, he may not be a starter at outside linebacker week 1 but we guarantee that he will figure majorly into our 3rd Down defense as a pass rusher and their will be times where we line him up at inside linebacker and use his great instincts and athleticism. Kendall Reyes on the other hand we expect to battle with Vaughn Martin at the right end spot and at minimum we will use Kendall's rare athleticism to help out pass rush.
Who wins the Nose Tackle job?
One place we feel really good about as far as competition goes is the Nose Tackle position, very few teams have 3 guys that they feel really good about. The incumbent starter is Antonio Garay who has shown some really good pass rush ability for a Nose but struggled last year versus the run, If there is a long shot to win the job it would be him. Last year Cam Thomas really came on as a player and is definitely the future of this group and has the potential to be one of the best Nose tackles in the NFL with his rare movement skills for a 335 pounder but will he play up to his talent? The last guy is NFL Veteran and former Pro Bowler Aubrayo Franklin. Aubrayo had a down year last year but will his switch back to a 3-4 defense help him become the run stuffer he was 2 years ago? if so expect him to win the job.
Who starts opposite Pro Bowler Eric Weddle?
The Chargers brought in 2 new guys to compete at the position to give the group more athleticism and more physicallity, something the Strong Safety position for the Chargers has really lacked for a while now. The more physical of the 2 former Packer and Seahawks veteran Atari Bigby looks to win the job as he could give the Chargers a more physical presence and give Eric Weddle the freedom to use his great coverage ability. The Chargers also Drafted LSU Safety Brandon Taylor in the third round of this year's draft to give the Chargers more athleticism and range at the position but also who has some physicallity to his game. If Taylor shows he has some ability to cover tight ends and ability to play the run well early on expect him to win the job if not expect him to see time only in the sub package as a rookie.
What do you guys think is the most intriguing story line?
