After what was considered a rebuilding year, the San Diego Chargers finished with the regular season record of 9-7 and a spot in the playoffs. It didn’t end there. The Chargers would march into Cincinnati as the #6 seed and hand the Bengals a 27-10 loss, but it would end the next week as they went on to lose to the AFC Champions, Denver Broncos, 24-17.
Now that’s just scratching the surface. The 2013-2014 campaign brought out the endless possibilities on the offensive side of the ball, while also shedding some light on what needed to be addressed on defense.
The Chargers offense featured a revitalized quarterback in Philip Rivers, who in his 10th season as a professional, threw for 4,475 yards, with 32 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, and a league best completion rate of 69.5%. Both head coach Mike McCoy, who is now entering his second season with the Bolts, and Ken Whisenhunt, who is no longer with the club, played huge roles in bringing Rivers back to life. First, it all came down to an offensive line that would help keep Rivers on his feet. It’s no secret that drafting D.J. Fluker in 2013 did wonders for this team. The then-rookie played 15 games as the line situation fluctuated with injuries.
The same could be said about breakout wide receiver, Keenan Allen, who took over for the injured Malcom Floyd early in the season. The rookie receiver out of Cal bursted into the national spotlight with 71 catches for 1,046 yards and 8 TDs. Let’s not forgot the help that came from future Hall of Famer Antonio Gates and his crafty back-up, Ladarius Green. The tight end duo tallied over 1,100 receiving yards and 7 TDs. Add the two running back attack of Ryan Mathews and Danny Woodhead, and the Chargers had one of the best offenses in the league.
The defense was quite a different story. The Chargers lost Dwight Freeney very early and Manti Te’o was out for the first few weeks of the season. The depth at cornerback was awful, with good money gone to waste on Derek Cox. The Chargers defense was ranked 23rd overall. being 29th against the pass and 12th against the run. The one bright spot, as it has been for a few years now, was the play at safety. Veteran Eric Weddle claimed yet another spot to the Pro Bowl for his stellar performance at safety. His play in the secondary would help ease the damage the corners would bring.
Now, what’s so different about the 2014-2015 Chargers that gives them the possibility to improve from their 9-7 record?
The top-5 offense will be getting wide receiver Malcom Floyd back and the front office added running back Donald Brown to what was already pretty good run attack. Ladarius Green is slowly beginning to fill in the shoes of Antonio Gates and new offensive coordinator Frank Reich will continue the same attack from last season.
The defense has received the most help this offseason. With their very first pick of the draft, the Chargers selected CB Jason Verrett from TCU to help with the secondary. The signing of Pro Bowler Brandon Flowers also bolsters the defense. It also helps that the Chargers will now have a 100% healthy Dwight Freeney and a much healthier linebacker corps.
Here is the catch for the Bolts. Not only will they have to play the AFC West, a division that features two other playoff teams in the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs, and a revamped Raiders squad, the Bolts will battle against the NFC West. The Chargers will need to display something that hasn’t been seen in them since the days of Marty Schottenheimer: Consistency.
With that, the Chargers will rise above and continue their upward momentum.
Follow Alexandro H. Zatarain on Twitter: @TheRealZatarain
Photo Credit: Lenny Ignelzi / Associated Press