Some of us still remember that old high school cheer, “Hold that line.”
In a nutshell, that’s exactly what’s wrong with the Chargers.
The reason they lost to Carolina, 26-24, on opening day Sunday was simple: The Panthers beat up the Chargers on both the offensive and defensive lines.
The Panthers averaged 4.9 yards per rush against a weakened Chargers defense, even without the benefit of a breakaway run to inflate the statistics.
And when the Chargers had the ball, they certainly weren’t as effective up front without injured center Nick Hardwick and tackle Marcus McNeill.
Also, we discovered that people who don’t play in the exhibition season because of nagging injuries aren’t going to be effective from the start.
How else do you explain Jamal Williams and Shawne Merriman only being in on two tackles apiece?
And even Antonio Gates, despite his late 24-yard touchdown reception, looked rusty as he still recovers from last season’s toe […]
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This morning I found a good post.
The first paragraph is here:

Who/what can stop the Chargers in 2008?
Only the Chargers themselves … or injuries.
With the regular season two weeks away, it appears that injuries already are slowing down the Chargers. Consider:
Linebacker Shawne Merriman may be ready by the Sept. 7 opener vs. Carolina, but a knee injury could also sideline him for many weeks.
Center Nick Hardwick will definitely miss a significant amount of time with a sprained foot.
Tight end Antonio Gates is getting better, but is still slowed by a toe injury.
Left tackle Marcus McNeill hasn’t been able to block lately due to a shoulder injury.
Linebacker Stephen Cooper is suspended for the first four games, which could leave the Chargers thin at LB if Merriman is not able to play.
The Chargers have made the playoffs three of the past four years, missing only in 2005 because of a run of injuries.
One can only hope the same fate does not befall them […]
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Give the Chargers credit for playing it very smart this training camp.
So many teams complain how they get beaten up in camp with only 80 players on the roster.
The Chargers have alleviated this by holding guys out of practice and/or games at the first sight that something might be wrong.
Consider the list held out of last Saturday’s 7-6 exhibition loss at St. Louis:
Offense: QB Philip Rivers; RBs LaDainian Tomlinson and Andrew Pinnock; OL Marcus McNeill and Nick Hardwick; TE Antonio Gates; and WRs Chris Chambers and Vincent Jackson.
Defense: DL Luis Castillo and Jamal Williams; LB Shawne Merriman; and DBs Quentin Jammer and Antonio Cromartie.
With even half of these players active, the Chargers certainly would have whipped an inferior St. Louis team. But what’s the point in an exhibition game?
The Chargers appear to be saving guys so that they may have a better chance of being healthy at the end. If […]
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This morning I saw a pretty good post.

The Chargers are going to be one of two things this season:
Either they will continue being the Don Coryell-style Chargers of the old days, or they will finally become the Indianapolis Colts.
The Coryell Chargers?
Like the current edition, they had great talent, went well into the playoffs but never made the Super Bowl.
The Colts?
They couldn’t beat the New England Patriots for years before finally besting them in the AFC championship on their way to a Super Bowl title two seasons ago.
The Chargers certainly have the firepower with LaDainian Tomlinson, Antonio Gates, Philip Rivers, Chris Chambers, et al on offense. And the defense is top-notch with the likes of Jamal Williams, Shawne Merriman and Antonio Cromartie.
Perhaps the biggest question mark the Chargers face as rookie training camp begins today focuses on injuries.
Center Nick Hardwick, tight end Gates and nose tackle Williams are all still nursing hurts from last season. Their progress could […]
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