WOOHOO!  Football is back, folks.  Training camp is here and we'll have news and battles and all sorts of good stuff coming out every day to help us deal with the excitement.  The Chargers 2009 rookie class, including the undrafted free agents the team signed, report today with the exception of Demetrius Byrd (injured), Kevin Ellison (unsigned) and Larry English (unsigned).

The rest of the team will report to the camp on Friday, giving the kids five full days to learn the playbook backwards and forwards.  The purpose of having the rookies report early is to get them knowledgeable that they're not slowing down practice when the rest of the team arrives.  Also, the team will use this time to continue to hammer life lessons into the rookies to help them adjust to their new lives as NFL players.

August 15th is the team's first preseason game, at home against the Seahawks.

Since there were more holes in the roster this offseason in comparison to the last couple of offseasons, I'm wondering if the Chargers may be due to have a rookie who impacts the team in a major way.  They really haven't since Merriman and Kaeding.  Part of the reason is because the team's history of hold outs with their first round draft picks, but another is because there simply wasn't room for the rookies to get on the field.  That may not be the case this year.

There are best case scenarios for almost all of these players that involve seeing the field a whole bunch and helping to get the team over the hump.  Vasquez can sure up the right side of the line, Johnson can provide a power running game and keep LT and Sproles healthy, English can create the most dynamic pass-rush in the NFL, Ellison can be a star at SS, Vaughn Martin could step in and be better than Igor, etc.  So which is the most likely?  Which rookie do you think has the best chance of making a major impact on the team in 2009?