This is a great time of year to be thankful for what we have, where we have been, and what the future holds. Although the Chargers have lost their way a bit in recent years, the month of December used to hold such incredible promise! This advent calendar is an attempt to hearken back to these days of December joy. Each day will bring a new advent from the Bolts’ history that make it wonderful to be a Chargers fan.

Dec. 5: Joey Bosa. The Man, the Myth, the Legend.

Many Chargers faithful can still remember the cringe-worthy holdout that pitted San Diego’s prized draft choice against the bean counters of the Chargers. The third overall pick in the 2016 draft, this young defensive end held an incredible amount of promise. However, as the summer moved on, he still remained unsigned. When he remained the last unsigned draft pick of his class due to contractual disputes, Bosa's own mother stated "I wish we pulled an Eli Manning on draft day.”

It was a bitter time for fans (and, as History would have it, things would only get worse that year). However, on August 26, 2016, Bosa signed a 4-year contract with the Chargers and began to train with the team. He missed the first 4 weeks of the year to both a hamstring issue and a lack of familiarity with the team due to the holdout. In his first game, playing only 27 snaps, he sacked the Raiders QB twice and forced four hurries.

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Bosa finished his rookie year with 41 tackles, 10.5 sacks, and a forced fumble. Keep in mind—-this was only through twelve games! He was later named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. Bosa was ranked as the 100th best player in the league by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017.

In 2017, he has picked up precisely where he left off. He already has 11.5 sacks, 42 tackles, and four forced fumbles.

The Chargers have good reason to be optimistic about the future. The future, in some ways, is now.