NFL Week 10: Is It Time for the San Diego Chargers to Rebuild?

As Week 10 comes to a close in the NFL, the Chargers season has seemingly stalled; in the midst of a four game losing streak at 4-5, they might not even make the postseason, much less challenge for a Super Bowl title. There have been a chorus of complaints among Bolts fans, ranging from “Fire Norv” (the most common) to “clean house”, but most of these comments have been impulsively and rashly put forward shortly after a tough loss (Chiefs on Monday night). Let’s rationally take a look at the Chargers team and decide whether it truly is time to call an end to an era and begin the rebuilding process or if only a few tweaks are needed to achieve the desired goal of a Lombardi trophy in San Diego.

If we start by looking at the offense, which has been anemic and inconsistent this season, it may at first glance look like the Chargers need a complete overhaul. However, Phillip Rivers, who is in the midst of an awful season, was as recently as last season considered a top-five quarterback. If he can somehow regain his previous form, he could still be San Diego’s main man for seasons to come.

Still, Rivers' problems (he has more interceptions than touchdown passes) look to be as much mental as they are physical, as he continues to state that they are still near the top of their division after every loss; a statement that seems even more vapid now that they have dropped games to supposedly “inferior” division foes in Kansas City and Oakland.

Excuses can and will not be acceptable for a star quarterback in the National Football League, and if Rivers' form continues into next year, the Chargers may be searching for a replacement. Perhaps the one factor he has going in his favor is the lack of quality alternatives in the free market and the inherent risk of picking up a young talent in the draft. This means the management may have no choice but to keep starting him and hoping he turns it around.

As for other key offensive positions, the Chargers are struggling to plug holes. At Wide Receiver, they seem to have one of the most talented players in the game in Vincent Jackson, whose occasional flashes of brilliance interspersed with bouts of laziness are simply not good enough for someone
being paid so much. They do have the hard-working Malcom Floyd at the number two WR, but his injury woes make him unreliable. The up and coming prospect Vincent Brown from SDSU could be the answer for second wide receiver, but the loss of Jackson and possibly Patrick Crayton and Floyd through free agency in the offseason would severely hurt their depth.

The offensive line is already lacking depth, and have to deal with the struggling from of Dombrowski and McNeil (who used to be a stalwart). Rivers has already been sacked 25 times this year (as many times as he was in the whole 2009 regular season, when the Chargers went 13-3), but not counted in the official stats is how many times he has been rushed or hurried into bad throws due to poor protection. The line’s deficiencies were particularly exposed in San Diego’s recent Thursday night
showdown with Oakland, when its inability to give Rivers enough time contributed to yet another bad offensive performance.

As the offense has struggled to find consistency, the defense has had to take on increasing workloads in an attempt to keep the Chargers in games. Their overall defense ranks 10th in the league, and while those stats have been padded by the fact that they played some truly terrible teams to start the season, the defensive side of the ball is not as big of a problem spot as the offensive. However, that is not to say that the defense is preforming at its peak.

Against Oakland, San Diego’s defensive was constantly struck back by the opposition's physicality and toughness, evidenced by the fact that they gave up 244 yards from scrimmage to burly Raiders running back Michael Bush. The Chargers need to improve their strength up front and make sure the team can tackle properly, because currently it takes two or three missed tackles before the Chargers can bring anyone down. The defense also has lacked the pass rush and run stops it once had, and opposing quarterbacks are getting too much time in the pocket. However, while the defense hasn’t played
up to par, the fans shouldn’t be too worried about them, and the emphasis for the Chargers in terms of drafting and free agency in the near future should be on strengthening their offensive talent.

The main problem spot in the Chargers' recent slide, however, is the man who spends the game standing on the sidelines. The atrocious play-calling, the dubious excuses and the weak persona of head coach Norv Turner are no doubt major contributing factors in San Diego’s inability to convert their
playing potential into championship rings.

As a “yes man” for general manager A.J. Smith, Norv yields no power, and is simply a figurehead who does what he is told. What the Chargers need is a strong leader with a concrete vision going forward and who has established experience winning in the league, someone in the mold of former Steelers coach Bill Cowher or former Colts head Tony Dungy. While Smith no doubt enjoys the status quo, where he has complete control over the team, a change at the head coaching position is a must if the organization is serious about winning its first ever Super Bowl.

In the end, the Chargers might not need a complete rebuilding, but certainly something similar to it. Phillip Rivers, provided he returns to his form of previous years, should be a solid quarterback for some years to come, but the rest of the offense has to be infused with fresh new talent if any real
progress is to be made. Such changes should be mirrored by similar modifications on the coaching staff. Quite simply, the most important thing the Chargers need is a winning coach to instill a winning mentality in a franchise that has experienced half a century of failure.