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The Chargers are set to take on the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field tonight (ESPN, 8pm EST) and here are a few things on the offensive end I'll be keeping an eye on:
Finding Danny
Danny Woodhead returned to practice this week and I'll be eager to see if Ken Whisenhunt utilizes him in this game in all the ways I saw him being used at camp.
For example, in camp, Whisenhunt called for Woodhead to be offset in the backfield, with his hand in the ground like a fullback. Danny was directly behind the massive right side of the offensive line. At the snap, Philip Rivers handed it to him on a quick dive and no defender could locate Danny until he was 7 yards through the hole. That was fun to see and watching Chicago defenders try to find him tonight should be equally fun.
McCoy's Mantra
The "we will adjust the scheme to better suit the players strengths" saying is something you should be keeping in mind tonight. With two of the Chargers' main receivers out due to injury, I'll be watching how they approach the game from a formation perspective tonight.
Will the Chargers utilize 3 TE sets since that has become a strength of the team? Will we see a backfield combination of Woodhead and Ryan Mathews to create mismatches?
The Right Side of The Line
According to Pro Football Focus, rookie right tackle D.J. Fluker had a positive grade after his outing on Thursday. While I won't argue that right now, he did have a problem with a Seattle edge rusher on a passing down. Chicago has plenty of these same rushers, we'll see if he can continue his "hot streak".
Chargers right guard Jeromey Clary had an acceptable outing for his first time in his new position. This Chicago defense is a one-gap defense, unlike Seattle, so they will be pinning their ears back on every play. Can Clary get out of his stance quickly enough? Is he progressing in channeling his power while bent?
Have your notebook and pen handy, you know I will.