the chargers.

Coming off a wild overtime win on the road in the Oakland Coliseum, the players and their coaches fly back to San Diego for rest and reflection before tossing themselves at their next game. The Chargers are in a new place, a place of not only transition, but of satisfaction. Back-to-back overtime wins. No clean wins, but wins. Not for years has the organization or its fans seen two wins to open a season, hardly has it been seen in a 2 game stretch. They are 2-0 for the first time going back to the Norv Turner era before the turn of the decade. No, San Diego's fortunes have been quite different in recent years.

Over the past 4 seasons the Chargers have been bought and sold 3 times. The League Office stepped in and mandated a sale on two of those trips to the Board of Governors. With all this back and forth between owners both the team and the fans have suffered. Each ownership group brought their own brand of football and front office management offering nothing but a mess. Fan favorites? Allowed to walk in free agency. Veteran players? Given multiple year contracts low in incentives and high in guaranteed money. Draft success? This season boasts the first time in years that 3 Rookies have made the team after a full preseason of cuts – 2 of whom have taken up the banner to start the season at their respective positions. It is a welcome breath of fresh air to

Though things look to be trending up for these rebranded Chargers, they are far from being the “It” team in the AFC West that they currently lead and are even farther from being a player in the AFC overall. This is still a team that has seen its most drastic roster changeover in its entire team history. Was it necessary? Yes, obviously after years of different ownership groups’ coming in then leaving and with the current group seemingly at the wheel for the long haul the reset button was the team’s best friend. In the face of retirements and the contract obligations particularly to aging QB Michael Vick – whose return to his former team was far from perfect – decisions had to be made. They certainly were. Quarterback of the last 3 years shipped out. Interior offensive line cut and revamped. Players resigned and retiring veterans wished well. One move has led to another, one move needing a different domino to fall, and each move bringing the electricity for a revival.


A catalyst for this renewal in San Diego is quarterback Jake Locker. Locker has seen his ups and downs on 2 teams, the Titans and Jaguars, before being obtained in the off-season to be the heir to Michael Vick and third quarterback in 5 years. Posting over 500 yards and 5 touchdowns to only 4 interceptions while compiling nearly 100 yards on the ground. He is simply one first of several power acquisitions brought in, in the attempt to contend. On the rise Superstar OLB Nigel Bradham and veteran MLB Jonathon Vilma were both brought in to bring strength to a linebacking core lodged with a still elite but aging pass rusher in Shaun Phillips, the retirement of Lance Briggs, and the expiring contracts of 3 other linebackers. Aside from these players and positions several other key roster spots were addressed via trade and free agency this previous offseason.

Maybe the Charger’s time has come. Maybe they’ll take the AFC West Crown and make some noise. They could catch fire and take a Super Bowl Championship home to Qualcomm. The possibilities are endless for this team, but a certain fact is that they are just living in the moment. Come win or loss next week they have to be feeling well about where there team stands and where they can go this season and in the future.