San Diego Chargers: 5 Players Who Need to Step Up for Bolts to Win AFC West

With Vegas beginning to release their early favorites for the 2012-13 NFL season,  projections are swirling around the most popular sport in America. The San Diego Chargers normally flourish in the early projections but flounder once the actual season begins. They have missed the playoffs for two straight years.

This season, most people have picked the Denver Broncos to repeat as division champions. Denver is led by Peyton Manning and a furious defense that loves to get after the quarterback.

The Chargers look to prove the experts wrong as they look to capture the AFC West title for the first time since 2009. Here are five players that need to have big years if their want their dreams to become a reality.

Antonio Gates

With reports coming from new Union Tribune Charger beat writer Michael Gehlken that the future Hall of Fame tight end is the healthiest that he has been since the 2008 season, big things are expected from Mr. Gates.

Last year Gates appeared in 13 games, which was a step up from the 2010 season where he only played in 10. Gates recorded 778 yards on 64 catches with seven touchdown grabs last season. There are many reasons for these low numbers.

His health has plagued him for the past two years, and at age 31, he's not getting any younger. If you watched any Chargers games last year, you could tell that something wasn't right with Gates.

Another reason for his low production was the injuries that decimated the Chargers offensive line. As a result, Gates was responsible to stay home and block, which is not his forte.

If the Chargers want to return to AFC glory, Gates must put up numbers similar to his 2009 season where he hauled in eight touchdowns and 1,157 yards on 79 catches.

Tyronne Green

This man may have the biggest shoes to fill on the entire roster. The Chargers lost All-Pro guard Kris Dielman after he retired following a brutal concussion and seizure during a game in the 2011 season. It was just another injury the Chargers offensive line faced last year.

Green will be entering his fourth season in the NFL coming out of Auburn University. There has been accounts of Green showing up to practice and OTA's out of shape. San Diego Union Tribune columnist Kevin Acee reports that Green is spending his offseason at the O-Line Academy in Avon, Ohio, where he has got himself into shape and looks poised to take over for Dielman.

The Chargers must have better production from their offensive line if they want to win the AFC West. The play of Tyronne Green will go a long way in determining how good their O-line can be.

Corey Liuget

Liuget was a big bust for the Chargers in 2011; the 18th overall selection in the 2011 draft out of the University of Illinois was penciled in to have a huge rookie year, but he just didn't preform at the level that the Chargers thought he would.

Placed at defensive end, he only managed 19 tackles (15 solo) and just one sack. He will have to have a much bigger year if the Chargers want to contend in the AFC West. With the addition of Melvin Ingram and Kendall Reyes in this year's draft, Liuget will have to earn his playing time even though he fits the traditional defensive end mold much better than Ingram (OLB) and Reyes (DT) do.

One of the biggest problems with the Chargers last year is they gave up 122.2 rushing yards a game. With Antonio Garay signing a new contact and the addition of former Baltimore Raven Jarret Johnson, the Chargers defense should see a huge jump in their ability to stop the run if Liuget can play up to his full potential.

Antoine Cason

Antoine Cason will be entering his fifth year in the NFL and much is expected from the former Arizona Wildcat. Cason had a down year after a pretty good 2010 season. In 2011, he never saw eye-to-eye with defensive coordinator Greg Manusky and because of this, his numbers declined; he made 14 fewer tackles and two fewer interceptions than he did during his 2010 campaign.

Cason will get a fresh start with new defensive coordinator John Pagano taking over the reins from Manusky. According to Chargers.com's Christopher Smith, Cason raved about his respect for Pagano, who was promoted from the linebacker coaching position. With a new coach and new motivation, the Chargers hope to see Cason return to his 2010 form.

Cason will once again play across from Quentin Jammer, who at the age of 32, is not getting younger. This will likely force Cason to cover opposing teams' No. 1 receivers, which is what gave him so many problems last season. The Chargers will rely heavily on the play of Cason all season long as they fight for the AFC West crown.

Philip Rivers

The easiest and most obvious choice for this was Pro Bowl quarterback Philip Rivers. Nothing—and I mean nothing—went right for Rivers during the 2011 season. He doesn't like making excuses and told XX Sports Radio in San Diego (via SportsRadioInterviews.com) that he disagrees with all the reports that his poor play was a result of being banged up throughout the year.

If the Chargers want to even have a close shot at winning the AFC West, Rivers is going to have to have a huge rebound year. The veteran will be entering his ninth season in the NFL and is coming off a year in which he threw a career-high 20 interceptions. You would have to date all the way back to the 2007 season to even find a number close to that. During that year, he threw 15 picks and had a career-low passer rating of just 82.4, six points fewer than last season's performance.

Rivers will have to deal with the departure of All-Pro wide receiver Vincent Jackson, who jumped ship and chased the dollar symbols to Tampa Bay. The Chargers did well in free agency to reload their passing attack with the additions of Robert Meachem and Eddie Royal, who will be used in short screen plays and slants.

If Ryan Mathews and Antonio Gates can stay healthy, look for Rivers to carry the Chargers to an AFC West title.