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Posted: Thursday August 23, 2001 8:54 PM
Updated: Thursday August 23, 2001 10:44 PM
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Sports Illustrated's Don Banks checks in from La Jolla, Calif., to tackle three questions that matter to San Diego Chargers fans:
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Now that first-round pick LaDainian Tomlinson is signed and in camp, can we assume all is well with the Chargers' long-dormant running game? |
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Injuries on the offensive line may hinder the early-season progress of LaDainian Tomlinson.
AP |
Not exactly. A running back, no matter how gifted, can't do much by himself if his offensive line is in shambles, and the Chargers aren't exactly fielding the Great Wall of China these days. Three of San Diego's five projected starters are sidelined with injuries. Tackles Vaughn Packer (ankle) and Ed Ellis (knee) are expected back early in the season. A little more iffy is veteran center Roman Fortin, who may have lost his job to fourth-year man Kendyl Jacox after being slow to recover from offseason knee surgery.
For now, that leaves the two guards as the mainstays of a makeshift front. And we use the term mainstay rather loosely. Right guard DeMingo Graham saw mostly special teams action last year for the Chargers, with left guard Raleigh Roundtree (15 starts in 2000) being the best of the bunch. And don't forget, San Diego's running game ranked 27th in 1999 and dead last in the league in 2000.
Making things even trickier in terms of developing some consistency up front is that Parker is slated to switch to left tackle this season, after starting all 16 games at right tackle last year. Ellis played mostly on special teams last year in Washington, but started at right tackle in the Chargers' preseason opener against San Francisco.
With 60 percent of San Diego's offensive front virtually untested, the decision to not play the just-signed Tomlinson in the third preseason game, Saturday at home against St. Louis, looks wise. The Chargers might be risking enough with their plan to give starting quarterback Doug Flutie two-and-a-half quarters of action against the Rams. Good thing he's a scrambler.
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Who's the best player in Chargers camp that you've probably never heard of? |
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Former CFL star Dave Dickenson has been impressive, but will probably end up as the No. 3 quarterback. Stephen Dunn/Allsport |
Quarterback Dave Dickenson is a great story. Last year with the CFL's Calgary Stampeders, he threw for 4,636 yards and a league-leading 36 touchdown passes, with just six interceptions in 493 attempts. Dickenson was named the CFL's most outstanding player in 2000 -- do they always have to do everything just a little different up there in Canada? -- a year after leading Calgary to the Grey Cup championship game in 1999, his first full season as a starter.
Dickenson, 28, played four seasons in the CFL after a standout career at the University of Montana, which he led to the NCAA I-AA national title in 1995. He set a school record with 96 passes and won the Walter Payton Award in 1995 as the nation's most outstanding player at the I-AA level.
Dickenson didn't play in the Chargers' second preseason game, but in the opener he starred, playing the final three quarters in a win at San Francisco. He completed 17 of 27 passes for 192 yards and a touchdown in relief of Flutie, throwing a three-yard scoring pass and two-point conversion with 39 seconds remaining to win the game.
Listed as the backup on the Chargers' depth chart, Dickenson probably will give way to rookie Drew Brees and slide to No. 3. With Brees slated to be the team's future at quarterback, and looking sharp thus far, San Diego understandably wants him to get as many reps in the backup role as possible. But with an eye on former CFLer Jeff Garcia's success last year in San Francisco, don't be surprised if a quarterback-hungry team doesn't come after Dickenson at some point this season, in one of those Aaron Brooks-level trades.
At only 5-11, 185, Dickenson fits right in with San Diego's short of stature quarterbacks. But his numbers stand up against almost anyone's.
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Is third-year head coach Mike Riley just keeping the seat warm this season for Norv Turner, the Chargers new offensive coordinator? |
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Norv Turner is in the awkward situation of being a possible successor to the man who is his boss. Stephen Dunn/Allsport |
After a franchise-worst 1-15 season in 2000, it'd be foolish to say that Riley is coaching on a long leash this year. But the decent, likable and down-to-earth Riley is a better coach than his 9-23 NFL record would indicate. The Chargers dropped seven games in the final three minutes last year and what's remarkable is that his team didn't surrender in the face of totally lost cause season.
Also, if Riley's team underachieved last season, it most certainly overachieved in 1999, when San Diego finished 8-8, posting an AFC West-best 5-3 mark in the division. That Chargers team was arguably no more talented than the one that lost its first 11 games last year.
Relieved of the Ryan Leaf problem, given a professional quarterback in Flutie, and blessed with a potential franchise running back in Tomlinson, this year should be more of a true indication of Riley's talents. On top of that, he has Turner, once one of the game's finest offensive coordinators, to rely on.
Nobody has the Chargers topping .500, but with a soft early schedule and the chance that their new players could catch lightning in a bottle, it's not inconceivable that San Diego could make a playoff push. But, yes, if the Chargers tank it, losing in double digits once again, Turner would surface as Riley's likely successor.
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