Will the San Diego Chargers’ offensive line struggle to protect Philip Rivers in 2012?

The San Diego Chargers had offensive line problems last season.  Four time Pro Bowl and two time All-Pro left guard Kris Dielman missed 10 games because of a concussion and he suffered a seizure on the team plane following a game against the New York Jets.

Two time Pro Bowl left tackle Marcus McNeill missed seven games last season and injuries took its toll on the Chargers.  Philip Rivers was sacked 28 times in the team’s first 11 games which included a season high six sacks in a loss against the Oakland Raiders.

Rivers also threw 15 touchdowns and 17 interceptions in the team’s first 11 games.  The Kansas City Chiefs placed left tackle Jared Gaither on waivers and San Diego ended up claiming him.  After Gaither was picked up, Rivers threw 11 touchdowns and three interceptions in five games.

Nick Hardwick was San Diego’s primary starting center from 2004-2008 and 2010-2011.  Dielman retired during the off-season, Hardwick thought about retirement and Gaither was a free agent.  Hardwick returned to San Diego when he signed a three year deal worth $13.5 million while Gaither re-signed for four years and $24.6 million.

Hardwick battled a concussion and did not play in last week’s preseason game while Gaither participated in one practice during the off-season, left with back spasms and has not played in a preseason game.

San Diego solved their offensive line issues in the last five games of their 2011 season.  Rivers was sacked two times in the team’s last five games.

Vincent Jackson led San Diego in receiving yards and TD receptions during the 2011 NFL season.   The Chargers lost Jackson in free agency, so this along with potential offensive line problems could mean a struggle to start the season on the right foot.

Hopefully Gaither and Hardwick will be ready for the season opener against Oakland on September 10th and stay healthy in 2012.

The San Diego Chargers released Roscoe Parrish and cut their roster down to 75 guys

The San Diego Chargers released veteran punt returner/wide receiver Roscoe Parrish yesterday.  Parrish spent seven seasons with the Buffalo Bills from 2005-2011.  Parrish also led the NFL in yards per punt return during the 2007 and 2008 NFL seasons.

Parrish missed a lot of games over the last two seasons as he did not play in eight games during the 2010 season and missed 14 games in 2011.  The Chargers ranked 22nd in yards per punt return last season among all teams, so Parrish was expected to help improve on this ranking. Parrish ranks second among all players in his career with an average of  12 yards per punt return.

San Diego also added former Denver Broncos return man/wide receiver Eddie Royal.  Royal ranks third among active players in yards per punt return at 11.9 yards for his career and is a better receiver than Parrish.  Royal and Patrick Crayton are capable of returning punts, so Parrish’s release was not a shock.

The Chargers also released wide receivers Jason Barnes and Jason Embree, defensive tackles Eddie Brown and Garrett Brown, long snapper Nick Guess, running back Michael Hayes, tight end Brad Taylor and offensive tackles Phil Trautwein and Michael Toudouze.

San Diego has to get their roster down to 53 players by Friday, so the final preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday will be the last shot for guys to make their cases.

Guard/offensive tackle Brandyn Dombrowski started 15 games and appeared in 46 of San Diego’s 48 regular season games from 2009-2011.  Dombrowski was placed on injured reserve yesterday while 2012 fifth round pick Johnnie Troutman was also placed on injured reserve.

It will be interesting to see which players survive roster cuts when the deadline is over at 6:00 p.m. PDT on Friday.

Injuries continue to pile up for the San Diego Chargers

The San Diego Chargers will enter tonight’s game on the road against the Minnesota Vikings shorthanded.  San Diego’s starting running back Ryan Mathews broke his clavicle two weeks ago against the Green Bay Packers and could miss the team’s first two regular season games.

Vincent Brown had 19 receptions, 329 yards and two touchdown receptions as a rookie in 2011.  Brown had an opportunity to make more of an impact for San Diego with the departure of Vincent Jackson, but he broke his ankle against the Dallas Cowboys last week and could miss almost half of the regular season.

Jared Gaither started five games for San Diego at left tackle last season.  Before Gaither was added to the team, Philip Rivers was sacked 28 times in 11 games while he had 16 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.  After Gaither was brought in, Rivers was sacked two times in five games while he had 11 touchdowns and three interceptions.

Gaither participated in one practice during the off-season, left with back spasms and has not practiced after this happened.  Nick Hardwick was the team’s primary starting center from 2004-2008 and from 2010-2011, which included a Pro Bowl appearance in 2006.  Hardwick suffered a concussion against Dallas and could be out of tonight’s game against Minnesota.

Hardwick thought about retirement during the off-season, but re-signed for three years and $13.5 million.  Gaither got a four year deal worth $24.6 million to stay with the Chargers.  San Diego signed Gaither and Hardwick for a combined $38.1 million with $13.5 million guaranteed to Gaither and $6.5 million to Hardwick.

Injuries are a part of every sport, so hopefully these preseason problems with health will be the only time that San Diego deals with major concerns and will avoid them during the 2012 NFL season.

Taking a Look at the San Diego Chargers Offseason

The Chargers have been an enigma of sorts over the last two seasons, finished at or around .500 each season. Considering the talent that this team has on the offense side of the ball, that has to be concerning to fans in Southern California.
After all, we are looking at a team that can pretty much go blow to blow in terms of talent up and down their 53 man roster with every other franchise in the National Football League.
Despite a consistent inability to perform up to level, San Diego has retained head coach Norv Turner and general manager A.J. Smith. The 2012 season will be their last go-around unless San Diego actually does some damage in the postseason. Expectations are going to be high, but they need to actually put up on the football field.
These expectations have been raised due to a solid offseason by the Chargers.
While San Diego did lose Vincent Jackson to free agency, they more than made up for his production at the wide receiver position. Both Robert Meachem and Eddie Royal bring previous success and an ability to stretch the field with them to San Diego. They’re going to join Vincent Brown and Malcom Floyd along a wide receiver unit that promises to be much deeper and much more talented in 2012.
San Diego also did a solid job adding veteran talent to the offensive backfield. They picked up fullback Le’Ron McClain from the division-rival Kansas City Chiefs. McClain is not just a solid blocker, but he will be able to handle the short yardage situations that seemed to plague San Diego last year. Ronnie Brown comes in to take over the Chargers backup running back duties from Mike Tolbert, who departed in free agency.
Defensively, San Diego did a great job addressing one huge need. They were able to pry standout 3-4 outside linebacker Jarret Johnson away from the Baltimore Ravens. While Johnson will not put up the sack numbers that you expect in this scheme, he had been a mainstay in the same style defense in Baltimore over the course of the last eight seasons.
San Diego absolutely aced the 2012 NFL draft. The selection of Melvin Ingram, who had as a top 10 pick, at No. 18 was an absolute coup. The talented outside linebacker was the best pure pass-rusher in the draft. He adds another dimension to a unit that already boasts Antwan Barnes, Shaun Phillips, the aforementioned Jarret Johnson as well as the under-performing Larry English.
Kendall Reyes was another solid pickup, this time in the second round. The former UCONN standout will help a great deal along the interior of the defensive line against the run. His mere presence as a gap-filler should also help the Chargers wide array of pass-rush threats on the outside.
Two of my favorite mid-round picks in the entire draft were safety Brandon Taylor in the third round and tight end Ladarius Green a round later. Taylor will challenge Atari Bigby, a free agent signing from the Seattle Seahawks, for the starting strong safety spot opposite Eric Weddle.
Green, a small-school prospect from Louisiana-Lafayette, translates into being the heir-apparent to future Hall of Fame tight end Antonio Gates. Green has the athleticism and talent to become another in a next breed of tight ends that have joined the NFL ranks over the course of the last four or five seasons.
Overall, the Chargers did an amazing job this offseason. They filled a tremendous amount of holes up and down the roster on each side of the ball and are the most complete team in the AFC West.
That really doesn’t mean a whole lot on paper. They need this talent to translate onto the football field in the form of a deep run in the postseason. If that doesn’t happen there are going to be wholesale changes in Southern California.

Eddie Royal has deal with Chargers

SAN DIEGO -- Wide receiver-punt returner Eddie Royal joined the San Diego Chargers on Thursday after burning them a few times while with the division rival Denver Broncos.

Royal agreed to a three-year, $13.5 million contract, including $6 million guaranteed.

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Williamson Eddie Royal left the Broncos for the rival Chargers and Bill Williamson says the wideout is a good fit for San Diego's offense. Blog

"I'm just happy to be with a great organization," Royal told The Associated Press. "I've always had a lot of respect for the San Diego Chargers. Whenever we had to play them, we knew it was going to be a tough game, a hard-fought game, a high-scoring game, one that would come down to the fourth quarter. We knew they would be a well-coached, tough football team to play. When I got the opportunity to join them, I knew that I really had to give them a serious look."

Royal joined the Chargers two days after San Diego agreed with Robert Meachem. The Chargers lost top wideout Vincent Jackson to Tampa Bay in the opening hours of free agency on Tuesday.

In September 2008, after referee Ed Hochuli's infamous blown call in Denver, the rookie Royal caught a fourth-down touchdown pass from Jay Cutler and then ran the same route to catch the winning two-point conversion.

In 2009, Royal returned a kickoff and a punt for touchdowns in a 34-23 Monday night victory at San Diego. The kickoff return went for 93 yards and the punt return was 71 yards.

"They were big plays for me," Royal said. "They're something I'll always remember, but I guess it's time to put those to rest and make new highlights."

Royal has averaged 11.9 yards per punt return for his career, third in the NFL in that span behind Julian Edelman and Devin Hester.

Malcom Floyd and Meachem are the projected starting wideouts for the Chargers, with Royal and second-year pro Vincent Brown in the mix.

Denver won the AFC West last season behind Tim Tebow. San Diego has missed the playoffs the last two seasons after a four-year run as division champion.

This article was created on the Yahoo! Contributor Network, where users like you are published on Yahoo! every day. Learn more San Diego Chargers’ Battle to Avoid Move to Los Angeles May Depend on Success of 2012 NFL Season

COMMENTARY | The San Diego Chargers are in the midst of a critical time with respect to their future in San Diego.

On Monday, Chargers' special counsel, Mark Fabiani, joined XTRA Sports 1360's "The World of Sports with Chris and Ben" and spoke about the issues surrounding the team's bid to get a new stadium built in San Diego. While most of his rhetoric was all too familiar to Chargers fans, it simply reaffirmed that winning immediately is critical.

That's because 2012 may be the team's last chance to convince voters in San Diego that the Chargers are a worthwhile investment when it comes to their tax dollars. As of now, the biggest issues stemming from the ten-year fight to acquire a fitting home for the team in the San Diego area have been funding and finding appropriate land. Currently, a downtown San Diego site is the most viable opiton.

Fabiani mentioned that the community will have a more defined course of action once a new mayor is in place following elections in the fall. Though he would not comment on any candidates that would be better suited for working with the team on the issue, he did say that they would aggressively work with whichever candidate assumes the job.

The good news for Chargers faithful is that the new collective bargaining agreement allows for a $200 million loan from the NFL. "The league values having a team here," said Fabiani. "The league will do whatever it can to help us get a stadium."

While the efforts of the front office and the league are well-documented, the team itself needs to step up in order to give fans a reason to want the team to stay. Though the Chargers haven't had a losing season since 2003, it stands to reason that a disappointing regular season in 2012 at such an important juncture in the franchise's San Diego history could spell disaster with respect to Fabiani's efforts and the stadium project in general.

Whether or not the hard work on behalf of the Chargers to stay in San Diego pays off remains to be seen. The fact remains that there is still a lot of important work to do, both on and off the field, to reach an agreement on a world-class facility.

The best thing the team can do to help its cause is win -- immediately and often -- in 2012.

4 San Diego Chargers Who Must Step Up After Vincent Brown's Injury

Second-year receiver Vincent Brown appeared headed for a big year with the San Diego Chargers. The athletic San Diego State product showed a ton of promise as a rookie and looked like a budding star.

Brown broke his left ankle during Saturday night's preseason contest against the Dallas Cowboys and has since had surgery to repair the fracture. He'll be out at least eight weeks.

The San Diego offense took a big hit with Brown going down, and now the rest of the roster must fill the void left by his absence.

The following are four players who must step up with Brown out.

SD Flash Hosts NPSL Championship Matches in San Diego

The San Diego Flash Soccer Club, are pleased to be hosts of the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) Championship Weekend in San Diego (July 27 – 29).
The two Semi-Final Matches, a San Diego Flash Scrimmage, the Third-Place Playoff Match and the NPSL Championship Final will take place at their home field; Del Norte High School.
Friday, July 27, 2012
3pm – Playoff Game 1. FC Sonic vs Madison 56ers
7pm – Playoff Game 2. Chattanooga FC vs Bay Area Ambassadors
Saturday, July 28, 2012
3pm – San Diego Flash Scrimmage
7pm – 3rd Place Playoff Game (Loser of Game 1 Vs. Loser of Game 2)
Sunday, July 29, 2012
10am – U.S. Men’s National Amputee Team Clinic with Top Soccer (U.S. Youth Soccer)
12pm – NPSL Championship Game (Winner of Game 1 Vs. Winner of Game 2)
Said Clent Alexander, CEO of the San Diego Flash ”We are excited about continuing to provide quality soccer entertainment to local fans.
“I am proud to welcome the top representatives of  the NPSL and the Conference Champion teams from across the country to San Diego. I am sure they will appreciate our city, our facilities and most importantly the hospitality and support of our passionate soccer fans.
“San Diego is a soccer city and while our San Diego Flash didn’t make it to the Championship Weekend, we are still going to put on a Soccer Party!
“I encourage San Diego soccer fans to come out to watch all the action at the NPSL Championships starting on Friday at Del Norte High (Poway)” Mr. Alexander said.