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I'm starting to get annoyed by this San Diego Chargers offseason, mostly because the reasons for optimism border on lunacy. That's not to say that I disagree with the idea of keeping Norv Turner nor that I disagree with the moves that A.J. Smith has made as General Manager this offseason, but I'm getting tired of not being able to answer questions.
I know, you're confused. Let me explain. I often get asked to do radio interviews or provide scouting reports of the team. Lately, I have had no idea how to answer the questions of those that want to know the Chargers better. For instance, Music City Miracles asked me opinion on how the 2012 Chargers will match up to the 2012 Titans this season and here was my answer:
Kind of a complicated answer. The 2011 Chargers were hindered by injuries to their offensive line, Antonio Gates and (possibly) Philip Rivers. Not to mention, the defense and pass rush was atrocious. This year, it's a rebuilt offensive line, Gates and Rivers are (currently) healthy, and a new Defensive Coordinator (John Pagano, who has never been a DC before) has been chosen to fix the issues on that side of the ball. So, in reality, we have no idea how good or how bad the Chargers will be. We don't even know what kind of schemes the defense will run.
The offense will be roughly the same as it has been with Rivers and Norv Turner, but it's really hard to stop no matter who is on defense. The defense could be anything.
If that reads like BS to you, it's because it is. Will Rivers be better? Maybe. Can Gates stay healthy? Anything's possible. Will the offensive line be any better/healthier than last year? They probably can't be any worse. Will the defense (and/or pass rush) be improved? We have a new coach so there's probably a 50/50 chance.
You see? There's nothing real to grab onto just yet, and the lack of news this month is making that point eat away at me more and more. Will the Chargers be worth a damn this year? Maybe, maybe not. They have the potential to be good or bad or somewhere in between, and that's rather frustrating.