Lyric4christ
Starter
2015 is over. Sad couple of weeks for Chargers fans. But there were a lot of changes needed after finishing 7-9.
First. The Retirement of TE Antonio Gates. Some might consider him a Hall of Famer, some might consider him the greatest Chargers TE - we consider him great and loyal and he will be missed.
This year he had 71 receptions for 959 yards and 5 TDs. The Chargers are going to have to fill that gap somehow with Keenan Allen or a new TE....more on that later.
Other notable losses:
Cb Terrence Newman
C Chris Myers - This is a big loss too. Chargers are going to need to find a replacement C that gels with the rest of the OL. They have strong components in LG Franklin and LT King Dunlap. I look to see off season improvements here.
There were a slew of talented players that chose to join the Free Agents train after another disappointing ending. Twelve in total....a lot of starters.
With so many starters leaving in Free Agency the Chargers were very active during the Free Agency signing period. They had a lot of room to work with contracts as the Chargers have one of the youngest depth charts in the league and are in a rebuilding phase with new owner Lyric 4Christ.
So, how did Lyric and his coaching staff fill the void of so many starters?
Prominently, Lyric fired his Offensive coordinator and will be taking a more active role in decision making implementing a more West Coast Offensive scheme. It is widely expected that Lyric will utilize more of a Packer-esque playbook as they move forward.
Defensively, the Chargers are also going to make some minor adjustments as the Defensive coordinator, Damaris Ellis has been heard that he wants to use both the 3-4 and 4-3 depending on the situation and "flow" between both. Minor changes are needed as they had a top 10 overall defense in 2015.
First, 87Ovr LE Cameron Wake. He's been a LB and a DE and should mesh well into the Chargers evolving Hybrid defense that relies upon great disruptive linebackers and ends. Welcome to San Diego Cameron!
Second, 85 Ovr FB James Develin. The Chargers had the worst rush yards last season only averaging 55yds/game. That is a place the Chargers most improve if they expect to close out games. One place they focused on is FB and the OL. Develin will provide some much needed push in front of the great HB Melvin Gordon.
Third, the pair WR Rodd Streater and WR Jaron Brown are not huge names, but the Chargers have changed Offensive coordinators and expect to use the smaller, quicker receivers to create dynamic plays instead of relying on the great presence of WR Malcolm Floyd who opted for Free Agency.
Well, as the Chargers prepare for the Rookie Draft later today, we expect them to try and fill some of the holes left by Free Agency! More to come tonight!
Go Chargers!
