The Playoffs Are Not Enough
by Khaled Elsayed
5/8/2009
Ever feel that your time is running out?
Much like Robert Carlyle’s Renard character in the World Is Not Enough as he attempts to take over the world, San Diego are running out of time in their effort to win a SuperBowl. Only instead of a bullet slowly making its way to the cerebral cortex, the Chargers could be about to see an exodus and demise of one of the most talented rosters in recent NFL memory.
An often stated belief amongst many a media pundit is that the Chargers have the most talented roster of any team on paper. Featuring elite players like LT, Merriman, Rivers, Gates and Jamal Williams to name a few, for the past few years they have been there or thereabouts when it comes to being pre season favourites to take home the Vince Lombardi trophy.
Yet for one reason or another, things haven’t worked out. We had the era of ‘Marty Ball’ where the they couldn’t buy a playoff win because of the style employed by the head coach in the post season. In getting rid of Schottenheimer they lost a talented OC and DC which has seen both units regress, while making the hugely uninspiring Norv Turner Head Coach. If that wasn’t enough then key injuries seem to have hurt them at critical times, losing Rivers and Tomlinson during a hard fought defeat to the Pats in 08 and losing Merriman for the season while having their top two offensive stars (Gates and Tomlinson) dinged up for most of this past season gone.
Each year the Chargers seem to come back a bit stronger with the current crop of Chargers bringing about much optimism. Gates is finally over all of his injuries while Merriman is back off IR. They’ve added extra pass rush with Larry English and with Rivera as DC the more aggressive defence should help compensate for weaknesses in the secondary. You factor this in with the emergence of Philip Rivers as an elite quarterback along with the development of Vincent Jackson into a true number one receiver and both the offence and defence seem to have improved on a season where they made the playoffs.
Still, there are areas of concern that make you think this team might not be SuperBowl ready. An underwhelming offensive line got worse for losing Mike Goff, and who’s to say if LT is on the decline? Will they be able to get their run game working in the playoffs against stronger defences than the ones they can expect to face during the regular season? And what if it takes Merriman time to return to his previous explosive best? If the pass rush isn’t as ferocious as it was in 2007 then can we expect to see the same victimisation of a secondary that has playmaking ability but is also susceptible to being exposed? What’s for certain is they are going to need to answer these questions if they are to reap the rewards for the roster they have assembled because it may be turning into a case of now or never.
Come the end of the 2009 season it’s very possible that the NFL’s best roster could be decimated as several key players’ contracts are set to expire. It must be playing on the minds of the front office and fans alike that as we get closer to the season the temptation of big bucks in free agency may make negotiations even more difficult than they are appearing now.
While it’s hard to imagine that there is anyway they’d let Philip Rivers walk away, how are San Diego going to give him the type of contract his talents deserve, while also paying out on key players like Shawne Merriman and Vincent Jackson. Merriman will want to be paid like one of the best defensive players in the game, while Jackson appears to be entering a phase of his career where he’s becoming one of the best receivers in the AFC and will use the recent contracts of Greg Jennings and Larry Fitzgerald as a benchmark for what he’ll be expecting. Franchise left tackles are hard to find, and while Marcus McNeil may be a tad overrated the Chargers aren’t going to want to lose him, nor will they want to have to replace Chris Chambers or Darren Sproles who have become big contributors in different phases of the game.
That’s a host of talent that no team can withstand losing and it’s going to be hard to get all of those players resigned when interest in them is going to be extremely high. This team struggled without Merriman last year and perhaps Larry English can be a replacement but it’s hard to imagine him having the impact Lights Out does. Looking at the depth of potential free agent receivers and draft prospects it’s hard to see how the Chargers are going to pick up someone for a reasonable price that will be able to immediately replace either Chambers or Jackson.
This doesn’t even factor in that their best two players over the past decade(LT and Jamal Williams) are picking up more injuries as the years add up and seeing the amount of playing time and impact they have on the game diminish. Another season of punishing NFL football and who’s to say their impact won’t be lessened further?
Looking at all this collectively you have to think the journey for this roster of Chargers may be coming to an end and that this year represents their last golden opportunity to win the big one. It won’t be easy with teams like Pittsburgh, New England and Indianapolis looking as dangerous as ever but the time for excuses and ‘next years’ are running out for San Diego.
As Renard lost his ability to feel the Chargers are beginning to lose their expectation for long lasting success, reaching a stage of now or never. One thing’s for sure, with the division they are in the playoffs will not be enough.
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