Charger - Giants Preview

This game has been a game many a rabid Charger fan has been waiting for. Eli Manning - the number 1 overall draft pick from the 2004 draft, drafted by the Chargers, not-wanting to play for the Chargers, traded from the Chargers - makes his first appearance against the Chargers in San Diego. The Charger fans will no-doubtedly bringing signs, custom t-shirts and their voices to express their dislike for the younger Manning...and in my opinion, he deserves every ounce of it. Of course, he will quickly quiet and send the Charger faithful out of the stands with a solid performance and a Giants victory...if one can be had.

So, let's talk about the game itself...

Chargers, once a team that looked like it was promising, had potential to move into the upper echelon of AFC Teams and most importantly trying to prove that they weren't a one-year hit, has had done nothing but dissappoint so far. 2 games, 2 fourth quarter leads and 2 losses are all the Chargers are touting right now. Their offensive line has played horrible, the offensive play calling, has been awful and the defensive plays good until it matters most...then teams are able to move the ball at will. All those areas need to be addressed if the Chargers are to finally get into the win column. The secret to beating the Chargers is also out of the bottle...just blitz. The Cowboys and Broncos blitzed often in the second half of the first two games and the Chargers were unable to do anything offensively. The Chargers haven't shown any deep-ball or big-play ability. Tomlinson has rushed for a total of 124 yards...yes, 124 yards total...that number should be a single game stat and not the total of two. To add to that pathetic rushing total, Tomlinson has yet to catch a ball. The best blitz counter-measure the Chargers have, I would think, would be LT... and you can see that he isn't even being utilized effectively at all.

I no longer see Charger domination. I see a talented squad being poorly coached. There is no panic or concern for Schottenheimer or the Charger staff...heck it's only game 2 they say. But I think they may be taking things a little too light, before the Chargers' week 10 bye and after the Giants game their schedule looks to be brutal: @New England, Pittsburgh, @Oakland, @Philadelphia, Kansas City and @NY Jets. If they lose this week, they may easily go into the bye week at 1 and 8 or worse. The Chargers need this game to boost their confidence and get things on the right track...and my once confident predictions and faith in the Chargers has all been washed away. I think Nate Kaeding will out-kick Jay Feely in a snorefest... Chargers win 12-6 ... incompetence exhibited by both teams on both sides of the ball. Chargers will prove that they were indeed a one-year fluke and more importantly that the coaching staff are mindless, incompetent boobs.