San Diego Chargers Heading into '09 with Attitude

The San Diego Chargers are the class of the AFC West. With the loss of Jay Cutler in Denver, the Broncos are and should be considered nothing more than dark horses to come out of the division.

With the emergence of some savvy veterans in Kansas City and a new head coach and general manager to show for, the Chiefs should definitely improve upon their 2-14 mark from last year.  

Although the Chiefs and Broncos might pose some problems for the Chargers contending for the division title, the Chargers are their own worst enemy. Realistically, the Chargers are bound to win their division with an overall record of 10-6 or so.

The schedule can play a vital role in the team's success mainly because of the Chargers' opponents this year. Outside of the divisional teams, whom the Chargers each play twice, there are only a few games where they play teams that had worse than a .500 winning percentage last season.

Such franchises include the bottom-feeders of the league, like the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals.

Outside of these two teams, the Chargers have tough games with the Baltimore Ravens, New York football Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, and the Tennessee Titans.

All of these teams were playoff contending teams, realistically looking to win a Super Bowl in the 2008 season. The Chargers cannot look past any team on their schedule, because when it's all said and done, each game is as equally and proportionately important as the previous and prior one.

There should be no whining, crying, and complaining this year as the Chargers know what is expected out of their franchise in 2009.

Just win.

In order for the Chargers to exceed peoples' expectations for the 2009 season, a Super Bowl appearance must be made. The Chargers are a strong team with versatile players at many positions, who can make plays at all kinds of levels.

Ladainian Tomlinson, Philip Rivers, Shawne Merriman, and Antonio Cromartie are the focal players of the team who can make the biggest difference in any given game. Last season, Tomlinson endured a nagging toe injury and was not his normal self the entire season.

However, Darren Sproles filled in very nicely for Tomlinson and it almost felt like the Chargers didn't need LT. Quarterback Philip Rivers played exceptionally well in his fifth season in the NFL, and he would have to have a similar stint in the 2009 season for the Chargers to have a balanced and feared offensive attack.

The two biggest obstacles the Chargers faced in the 2008 season were injuries and inconsistent all-around play. Ranging from the offensive line woes, to the shaky defensive back struggles, the Chargers have many holes to fill and improve upon.

In order for the Chargers to be successful in 2009, their key players must stay healthy. The loss of prominent outside linebacker Shawne Merriman was really evident in 2008, and opposing teams emphasized it and took full advantage of it.

With knee surgery under his belt, Merriman should be out for blood in 2009 and that should definitely bode well for the Chargers.

2009 is a new season, and should be full of wonders for the San Diego Chargers and their fans.

I'm looking forward to covering and corresponding with the San Diego Chargers in the 2009 NFL season!