San Diego Chargers
• 9-7 last season.
• 4-1 to win AFC West (third)
• 40-1 to win Super Bowl (Westgate)
• over/under 8 wins
Philip Rivers must see something in San Diego after signing a 4-year, $83 million contract extension that likely keeps him a Charger for the rest of his football career.
With the quarterback position secure, management must now give Rivers the weapons while at the same time convince a loyal fan base that this isn’t a lame duck franchise just waiting for the word to head to Los Angeles.
Ownership wants a new stadium as badly as a Super Bowl. Neither appear to be on the horizon. The Chargers were 9-7 a year ago and just seem to hover a little above or below .500 all the while seeing Rivers produce big numbers through the air.
We’ll know early what 2015 has in store for the Bolts, who host Detroit, visit Cincinnati and Minnesota, then come back home to face Cleveland in the first four weeks.
The Chargers would like to take some of the heat off Rivers by rushing the football more. They drafted Melvin Gordon, who is ranked in the top 40 of most fantasy football reports. That’s showing a lot of faith in a talented, but unproven player.
Danny Woodhead, who was hurt all last season, means so much to an offense still trying to recover years later from losing Darren Sproles. The Chargers also lost Ryan Mathews to Dallas, but he was injured most of the time.
Defensively the Chargers are counting on improved linebacker play. In the Week 2 preseason win over Arizona, Melvin Ingram had a couple of sacks and Donald Butler also played well.
The projected win total at Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook is 8, which figures to be about right in a division where the Broncos and Chiefs rate above San Diego on the futures board. The Chargers are rated third at 4-1 odds to win the division.
• 9-7 last season.
• 4-1 to win AFC West (third)
• 40-1 to win Super Bowl (Westgate)
• over/under 8 wins
Philip Rivers must see something in San Diego after signing a 4-year, $83 million contract extension that likely keeps him a Charger for the rest of his football career.
With the quarterback position secure, management must now give Rivers the weapons while at the same time convince a loyal fan base that this isn’t a lame duck franchise just waiting for the word to head to Los Angeles.
Ownership wants a new stadium as badly as a Super Bowl. Neither appear to be on the horizon. The Chargers were 9-7 a year ago and just seem to hover a little above or below .500 all the while seeing Rivers produce big numbers through the air.
We’ll know early what 2015 has in store for the Bolts, who host Detroit, visit Cincinnati and Minnesota, then come back home to face Cleveland in the first four weeks.
The Chargers would like to take some of the heat off Rivers by rushing the football more. They drafted Melvin Gordon, who is ranked in the top 40 of most fantasy football reports. That’s showing a lot of faith in a talented, but unproven player.
Danny Woodhead, who was hurt all last season, means so much to an offense still trying to recover years later from losing Darren Sproles. The Chargers also lost Ryan Mathews to Dallas, but he was injured most of the time.
Defensively the Chargers are counting on improved linebacker play. In the Week 2 preseason win over Arizona, Melvin Ingram had a couple of sacks and Donald Butler also played well.
The projected win total at Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook is 8, which figures to be about right in a division where the Broncos and Chiefs rate above San Diego on the futures board. The Chargers are rated third at 4-1 odds to win the division.