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Predictions in Review: AFC West — Chase Stuart
Well, turning around the Chargers offense is exactly what happened. San Diego ranked 5th in yards and 12th in points, but in reality, may have been the second best offense in the NFL. San Diego ranked 2nd in both ANY/A and in Points per Drive, in both cases behind the Broncos. The Chargers even edged the Broncos and lead the league in yards per drive. The Chargers finished in the bottom half of the league in points, yards, and ANY/A in 2011, so it’s hard not to be amazed at the incredible turnaround in San Diego.
The NFL's Best Coaches - Patrick Daugherty
Maybe McCoy’s 2013 was simply lightning in a bottle. A one-off confluence of events no one man could have possibly orchestrated. If so, that was some lightning. In no particular order McCoy: Fixed Philip Rivers (with the help of Ken Whisenhunt), fixed Ryan Mathews, overcame the loss of his No. 1 and 2 receivers, guided Keenan Allen to one of the best seasons by a rookie receiver in recent memory and watched a patchwork defense play above its head. McCoy’s Chargers were the only team to beat the Broncos in Denver, or the Bengals in Cincinnati. An elite game planner, McCoy won’t be expecting lightning to strike twice in 2014: He’ll be orchestrating it.
Telesco: Free agency a piece of the puzzle - Eric Williams
However, the Chargers can create cap space by releasing veterans like guard Jeromey Clary ($4.55 million in non-guaranteed base salary), receiver Eddie Royal ($4.5 million) and fullback Le'Ron McClain ($2.5 million), or restructuring deals for quarterback Philip Rivers or safety Eric Weddle.
Tom Telesco Talks Defense - Derek Togerson
the"If you just talk about energy, John Pagano and Joe Berry, our linebackers coach, the enthusiasm they bring is contagious," said Telesco. "The players start to feel that, and that’s how you start to see that fly-around football you saw on defense. On offense it’s a little more cerebral, but on defense it’s a fly around, run-and-hit game and our coaches will bring that with them, and that helps, too."